2022-3-16 email email from Renewable Heat Now! "Over the weekend, the NYS Senate and Assembly released their “One-House Budgets.” Thanks to your advocacy, we are getting closer to getting most of the Renewable Heat Now package in the final NY State Budget! 

• The Senate included a modified version of the All-Electric Building Act which bans fossil fuels in new small buildings by 2024 and new buildings that are 7 stories or more by 2027.
• The Senate included a modified version of the Advanced Building, Appliance and Equipment Standards Act with crucial language to factor greenhouse gas emissions into building codes and strengthen appliance efficiency standards, which would save New Yorkers $17.5 billion by 2035.
• Both the Senate and the Assembly included tax credits to incentivize the installation of geothermal heating and cooling systems, which use renewable energy from the earth to efficiently make our homes comfortable and heat our water. 
• The Senate and the Assembly included an increase in the Environmental Bond Act to fund green buildings: $1 billion is included in the Senate’s budget for “renewable heating and cooling and weatherization for low- and moderate-income households,” and $850 million is in the Assembly’s budget for “green building projects.”  

See the full details of what was included in the Senate and Assembly One-House Budgets in this press release! Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and Governor Hochul will now negotiate to reconcile their 3 versions of the budget by April 1st. 
Give Governor Hochul a call at 877-235-6537 to let her know that we want to see the final budget include the All-Electric Buildings Act to ban fossil fuels in new buildings by 2024 - not her proposed timeline of 2027! 

Suggested call script:
“Hello, my name is ____ and I live in ____. I am calling to ask Governor Hochul to ban fossil fuels in new construction by 2024 in the final version of the budget. I also thank Governor Hochul for proposing to end the 100-foot-rule which makes all New Yorkers subsidize new gas hookups in her Executive Budget, and ask that she also fight to end the 100-foot-rule in the final budget. Thank you.”

Also very important: let your legislators know that you want to see the full Gas Transition and Affordable Energy Act in the budget by taking a minute to send an email using this quick and easy tool. The Gas Transition and Affordable Energy Act would require the Public Service Commission to make a binding, orderly, and affordable plan to phase out the utility gas system while ensuring no New Yorker spends more than 6% of their income on energy. With the climate crisis accelerating and fossil fuel prices spiking, there has never been a more critical time to move New York off of fossil fuels and ensure affordable energy for all!