Guest Viewpoint: Recent storms show Hochul should lead on New York state's climate targets

As the remnants of Hurricane Beryl sweep by our old farmhouse in Horseheads, I’m huddled with my two dogs and three cats in a bedroom that has a small window air conditioner. Tornado warnings and flash flood warnings are blaring on the TV. The humidity is so high that 90 degrees feels more like 120. It’s hard to focus on work or even to breathe.

Beryl was the first Category 4 hurricane in history to form in the Atlantic in the month of June. It left a path of devastation in its wake from the Caribbean to Texas to New York resulting in at least 10 deaths and an estimated $28-$32 billion of economic losses in the U.S. alone. Extreme weather events like Beryl are more frequent and intense due to the warming of earth’s atmosphere and oceans caused by fossil fuel pollution.

Kicking the fossil fuel habit is hard to do after decades of relying on coal, gas and oil for transportation, heating and electricity, but due to modern technology it is now within reach. The good news is that New York State passed a law in 2019 called the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) that requires the state to reduce fossil fuel pollution from all sectors, in particular buildings, transportation and power generation.

In 2022 a climate action plan was finalized that lays out how we’ll do it. This plan resulted from three years of robust deliberations carried out by experts in everything from farming to waste management to electricity generation. The anticipated investments in our infrastructure and our buildings would improve air quality, health and safety, and create more than 200,000 new good, family-sustaining jobs in New York by 2030.

Now it’s up to Governor Kathy Hochul and her administration to implement this plan. But that’s turning out to be a sticking point. Caving to an onslaught of fossil fuel lobbying and misinformation and the resulting political pressure, the governor seems to be dragging her feet at every turn, from the rollback of congestion pricing in New York City, to her failure to get the NY HEAT act passed during the legislative session.

More: Remember these tornadoes in Elmira, Corning? Wednesday tornado watch stirs memories.

NY HEAT is a popular, common sense bill that would allow utilities to start providing clean home heating technologies and gradually transition away from fracked gas while providing a home energy affordability guarantee. A recent report from the state’s energy agency, NYSERDA, showed that the state is not on track to meet the targets set by the CLCPA and the response from the Governor’s office and her agencies has been to shrug their shoulders.

Holed up in my bedroom, trying to stay cool, it’s hard not to feel angry and depressed about the future my children are facing as politicians dither and delay. The governor of New York, a state that has historically been a leader for progress and innovation, should not hesitate to lead.

-- Lisa Marshall resides in Horseheads.

This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Guest Viewpoint: Recent storms show importance of NYS climate targets