ALBANY- Polling conducted by the Siena College Research Institute for New Yorkers for Affordable Energy (NYAE) reveals that most New Yorkers support efforts to address climate change, but want to keep natural gas as an option for energy and heating needs.
The poll revealed that respondents said that energy cost concerns weigh heavily on the minds of most New Yorkers and that among those surveyed, there is little familiarity with the state’s climate policies. The data also indicated that upstate residents, and particularly those in the Western portion of the state, disagree with the state’s climate policies and support the continued use of natural gas.
Supporters of the state’s climate goals seek to shift away from the use of gas, toward electrification policies. The poll concluded that 80 percent of New Yorkers agree that an all-of-the-above approach that includes electric, fuels such as natural gas, and the use of renewable natural gas and hydrogen would be preferred over an all-electric mandate.
Among the key findings in the poll included a strong majority of those surveyed indicating they are concerned that switching all buildings to being all-electric will result in power outages. Additionally, two-thirds of those surveyed across all demographics don’t think it is possible to generate enough electricity to heat buildings and hot water on the climate plan’s timeline.
Daniel Ortega, Engineers Labor-Employer Cooperative Local 825, who has a training facility in New Hampton, weighed in on the survey. “What is most obvious from the data is that Albany’s priorities are the oppositive of what every day New Yorkers want when it comes to their energy needs. We need to prioritize affordable energy solutions that put tradespeople to work. When you compare the traditional versus renewable energy sources, the work hours don’t compare. We must continue to prioritize natural gas,” said Ortega.
Michelle Hook, Executive Director of NYAE, said “our coalition is diverse, and is made up of small business, labor unions, and industry leaders who support decarbonization, but are impacted in very different ways by the state’s climate legislation. We are not a group of climate deniers, we want to make our state more friendly to the plant, but where we differ is how we get to that goal. There is more than one way to get to that goal, and irradicating natural gas by flipping a switch doesn’t get us to that goal any quicker. We support an all-of-the-above approach to meeting environmental goals.”
NYAE is a coalition of community, labor, business, and industry leaders from across the state who support greater access to clean, reliable, and affordable sources of energy for residential and business consumers.
