STEPHEN BENNETT
New York , Connecticut Bear Down on Fossil Fuels for Heating
“ I ’ m proposing an ambitious series of policies to insulate our most vulnerable households from exorbitant energy bills , and to clear the path forward for a more sustainable future ,” New York Gov . Kathy Hochul said in her State of the State Address .
“ We ’ re calling it ‘ The EmPower Plus ’ program , and it will help low-income families retrofit their homes by adding insulation , upgrading appliances , and switching from fossil fuels to clean electric heating systems .
“ This program will reach tens of thousands of households within a year . Homes that electrify will be eligible for a first-in-the-nation Energy Affordability Guarantee , a promise that they will never spend more than 6 percent of their income on electricity .
“ And we also want to ease the burden on our residents struggling with high electric bills . So we ’ ll be providing at least $ 165 million in relief to more than 800,000 utility customers . We know that the key to long-term sustainability — for our wallets and our planet — is weaning ourselves from fossil fuels .
“ To set us on that path , I ’ m proposing a plan to end the sale of any new fossil-fuel-powered heating equipment by 2030 . And I ’ m calling for all new construction to be zero-emission , starting in 2025 for small buildings and 2028 for large buildings .”
Hochul noted that , in 2019 , the state legislature instituted aggressive mandates and deadlines for reducing emissions .
“ We ’ re pursuing a nation-leading Cap-and-Invest program to cap greenhouse emissions , invest in the clean energy economy , and prioritize the health and economic well-being of our families ,” the governor said in her address on Jan . 10 . “ Big emitters will have to purchase permits to sell polluting fuels . The dirtier the fuel — the bigger the price tag . And the ‘ invest ’ part of the program will accelerate the clean energy transition and include a universal Climate Action rebate that will provide $ 1 billion in revenues that we ’ ll allocate to help cover utility bills , transportation costs , and de-carbonization efforts .
“ And what ’ s great about Cap-and-Invest is that it offers us flexibility , so we can focus our efforts on the biggest polluters and ensure families , farms and small businesses aren ’ t crushed by costs .”
Meanwhile , the Connecticut Energy Marketers Association participated in Technical Hearings convened online to address a variety of topics regarding the state ’ s upcoming Comprehensive Energy Strategy . The Association reports in a recent issue of its newsletter , CEMA Pipeline , that it submitted comments and papers , which can be seen on the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection ’ s website here https :// portal . ct . gov / DEEP / Energy / Comprehensive-Energy-Plan / Comprehensive-Energy-Strategy .
“ These hearings are critical since they ’ ll set the stage for any upcoming legislation that will seek to reduce the use of fossil fuels in Connecticut , including heating oil , propane , diesel and gasoline ,” the newsletter noted . The final hearing was held on December 15 , 2022 , and dealt with market-based carbon pricing schemes , the newsletter reports . “ Such schemes are a backdoor carbon tax . All they do is raise the price of petroleum products for consumers , with little effect on consumption . This was the argument made by CEMA ’ s David Chu during the Session .” Industry representatives from Clean Fuels Alliance America also spoke , focusing on use of biofuels and the low-carbon fuel standard pricing mechanism used in other states . l FON
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