NY Gov. Kathy Hochul Chooses Pot Farms Over Shale Energy
In December 2014, then-Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, banned hydraulic fracturing in the state (see After 6+ Years, Andrew Cuomo Bans Fracking in New York). Just to drive the nail all the way into the coffin of fracking, while everyone was distracted by the just-breaking coronavirus pandemic, Cuomo slipped a permanent ban on fracking into the 2020 budget bill, which was passed by the obsequious Democrat state legislature (see Cuomo PERMANENTLY Bans NY Fracking in Now-Adopted Budget). Kathy Hochul, who replaced the disgraced Cuomo as governor last year, is trying to one-up Cuomo by banning new natural gas hookups for residents and businesses (see NY Repubs Fight Back Against Crazy Dem Plan to Phase Out NatGas). It’s bizarre. Instead of allowing fracking in Upstate, Hochul wants to establish a bunch of dope-smoking pot farms.
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New York’s newest governor, Kathy Hochul, is following in the footsteps of her former boss, Andrew Cuomo, by pledging to block natural gas hookups for all new construction across New York State. It’s insane. Such a ban will cause even more people to leave the state (they’re already leaving in droves). And yet she and the leftist Democrats pulling her strings persist in this path of self-annihilation. Republicans in the NY State Senate have had enough and are fighting back.
Yesterday the New York State Common Retirement Fund announced it will “restrict investments” in a hit list of 21 naughty shale oil and gas producing companies. One of the companies on the naughty list is Chesapeake Energy Corp. New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, trustee of the Fund (far-left Democrat) who is the sole manager of the fund, said the companies on his naughty list “have failed to demonstrate they are prepared for the transition to a low-carbon economy.” However, another 21 shale companies are on DiNapoli’s nice list and he will continue to invest in those companies, including CNX Resources and EQT Corporation.
Last week Philadelphia lawyer Dan Markind, a real estate and corporate attorney who speaks and writes widely on the Marcellus, showed a connection between the developing situation of Russia invading Ukraine, and the Marcellus/Utica (see 
New York State has become aggressively hostile to any business remotely connected to fossil fuels. NY is openly prejudiced and discriminates against oil and natural gas companies. Increasingly the state is rejecting “bitcoin miners” that use natural gas (or God forbid, coal) to produce electricity to power some serious computers (see 
We hope the current and future teachers who get a pension from the New York State Teachers’ Retirement System enjoy getting less money in their golden years. Pension payments for teachers are about to go DOWN because the people managing their retirement investments have decided to divest from fossil fuel companies. Translation: The Retirement System portfolio will take a major financial hit (i.e. won’t be as profitable). The Retirement System is about to flush pension money right down the toilet.
Today, right now, the #1 source of electricity produced in the so-called Empire State is…(drum roll please)…natural gas. By 2040 the state says natural gas will produce zero electricity and the number one source to produce electricity will be huge, ugly, noisy, environmentally-damaging windmills–both onshore and offshore. We plan to be around in 20 years just to laugh and say “we told you so” that such a plan is a pure (and dangerous) fantasy. Yesterday the state’s power management grid, called NYISO (New York Independent System Operator, Inc.) held an Installed Capacity and Market Issues Working Group meeting. From a question asked about the state recently denying permits to upgrade natgas-fired power plants, it was obvious NYISO members don’t have a clue how they will generate enough electricity to keep the lights on in 20 years’ time.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his successor Kathy Hochul have blocked new natural gas pipelines from the “fracked gas” fields of neighboring Pennsylvania. They seem to be congenitally allergic to fossil fuels. Haters of natural gas. Cuomo also hates nuclear energy. He insisted on shutting down the Indian Point nuclear power plant that once provided 25% of New York City’s electricity. All that juice has to come from somewhere. Thus far, one type of energy is standing in the gap to increase electricity production and prevent mass blackouts: natural gas-fired power plants.
Our new governor in New York is just as corrupt as the old one. Some things never change. The New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC), instead of being an independent, science-based organization, is nothing more than a political tool for whoever sits in the Governor’s Mansion. Current Gov. Kathy Hochul instructed the DEC to reject issuing air permits for two badly-needed natural gas-fired power plants, one in Queens and one in Newburgh. The reason for rejecting the permits? The state’s recently passed “the sky is falling because of man-made global warming” law, misnamed the Climate Community Protection Act (CCPA).
The New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC), completely corrupted by radicals under the thumb of outgoing Gov. Andrew Cuomo, has struck again. The DEC has filed a letter with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) blasting a plan to boost capacity at two existing compressor stations along the Iroquois Gas Transmission System pipeline. DEC says more natural gas flowing along the pipeline (desperately needed in both New York City and in New England) will cause more mythical global warming and therefore FERC should reject the request. How sad. How intellectually bankrupt.
The price of electricity and natural gas in New York State is through the roof. Average New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) power prices across major hubs increased by 50% year over year in May, and natural gas prices increased nearly 75% year over year. It’s a train wreck here in New York. And you can directly blame Andrew Cuomo and the Democrats in the NY legislature for blocking new natural gas pipelines. That’s the root cause. No pipelines = obscenely high prices for electricity and gas.
For those of us unfortunate enough to live in New York State, we’re already screwed with a corrupt governor large and still in charge (even though his actions led to thousands of COVID deaths in nursing homes and even though he’s a sexual predator). The screwing (pun intended) continues. There are bills in both the NY Assembly and Senate that aim to increase the tax on gasoline in the state by $0.55 per gallon! In addition, the bills would increase the tax on natural gas that end users pay–those who use it to heat and cook with, residences and businesses–by an extra 26%!! Translation: Move out of NY while you still can sell your house. And don’t forget to turn the lights off when you leave.