NY HEAT Act

(Airs 02/28/25 @ 10 p.m.) The Legislative Gazette is a weekly program about New York State Government and politics. On this week’s Gazette: We’ll take a deeper look at the renewed push for the New York Heat Act, we’ll talk about the growing hunger problem in the state with the Executive Director of the Alliance for a hunger free NY, and Governor Hochul wants to waive tuition and fees for adult learners enrolled in high-demand community college programs like nursing, manufacturing, and engineering.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s $252 billion budget proposal includes measures to address the demand for energy efficiency driven by artificial intelligence and the preservation of natural resources. But some advocates are upset about the governor’s exclusion of language included in last year’s budget specifically referencing the NY HEAT Act — which stalled last session — that would eliminate the so-called “100-foot” rule and protect utility customers from bearing the cost of investments in fossil fuel infrastructure and the cap and invest program. WAMC's Samantha Simmons spoke with Rich Schrader, Director of New York Government Affairs at the Natural Resources Defense Council, who says it could set back the state’s clean energy goals.