Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - During a stop in Buffalo over the weekend, WBEN asked New York Governor Kathy Hochul if the deadlines for the phasing out of natural gas energy and appliances she outlined in her State of the State address would hold firm.
"Yes," she said emphatically, when pressed.
Hochul is making the recommendations based on the Climate Action Council, who, based on their reports, have suggested the banning of gas, fossil fuel-based appliances and energy sources, in homes, in new buildings and commercial buildings. The phase out would begin with new builds in 2025 and expand to existing homes and commercial buildings in 2030 and 2035.
"We have to have a reality check," Hochul said in response to our questions about the issue. "No one is taking away anyone's gas stove, they're not being shut down, they're going to continue for sale," she said.
"We're going to continue on that path," Hochul said, "But always step back and make sure we're doing the right thing for New Yorkers."
Hochul said there is a great deal of 'hyperbole' and 'exaggeration' about what is being proposed. She said in 2025 nobody needs to buy anything new. The first aspect of the proposal would ban natural gas and fossil fuel based appliances in new construction, however.
The restaurant industry is raising concerns over what the new policy would mean for their operations as aging gas cooking appliances break down or as new restaurants are constructed.
New York State Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt tells WBEN restaurants will feel the heat if this ban were to go in effect. "For the last couple years, it has been hard to be a restauranteur in New York State and you can't find anyone that is going to tell you that they can't wait, that their food is going to be better, their operations are going to be better when they have to fully electrify their kitchen. In fact, I'll bet I'll bet you some restaurants will just say that's it for me because other states aren't doing this."
"I'm a restaurant owner, myself," said Republican Senator Borrello as he raised concerns about the proposed policy. "The whole idea of converting our businesses not being able to cook with gas is outrageous and on top of that, who's going to pay for this?"
Borrello is a member of the New York State Restaurant Association and said they've discussed this particular issue at length. "They're all very frustrated. We can get a position paper from the New York State Restaurant Association about how bad this is, but in the end, it's direct contact with those senators and assembly members that's going to make that difference. I have had people tell me that they are probably just going to give up, that is not an exaggeration. In fact, my wife today said to me, 'If this happens, what are we going to do?' You know, There's enough people deciding to shut their businesses down as it is, we don't need restaurants doing that."
The impact of the policy, for restaurants, would go beyond the kitchen, Borrello says. "It's not just the cooking part. It's about heating a restaurant, it's about being able to have some kind of a consistent ability to deliver food quickly. You can get an induction stove and that might be great in your house, but when you've got a restaurant full of people and you're trying to turn the tables, it's not going to work. Everything else is going to be much, much slower than electric based ways of cooking. So that means the less tables you turn, the less money you make."
"The restaurants who leave, who close up, especially in New York City, these are folks who can open a restaurant anywhere in the country, maybe anywhere in the world, in some cases," Senator Ortt added.
The policy and its deadlines were part of a proposal the governor put forth in her State of the State address and Ortt believes will be included in her proposed budget which will require approval by the legislature.
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