Climate advocates in New York are celebrating some rare positive news after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a law that will likely curb the proliferation of new gas hook-ups statewide.
Lawmakers in Albany sent Hochul a bill this session ending the “100-foot rule” — a state regulation that required all utility customers to pay for new gas hook-ups within 100 feet of an existing natural gas service line. It meant developers of new buildings could pass the cost of gas hook-ups to all utility customers, rather than pay for it themselves. Those developers will now have to take on that cost or forgo gas altogether — a key goal for lawmakers and clean energy advocates hoping to phase out the use of fossil fuels.
“Kathy Hochul just gave New Yorkers a $600 million Christmas present by signing our bill to repeal the 100-foot rule,” said state Sen. Liz Krueger. “This is a massive win for New York’s gas customers, and for clean air and a livable climate.”
The victory comes after a tough year for climate priorities in New York. Hochul has made a series of moves since President Donald Trump came to office that have frustrated climate-conscious lawmakers and clean energy advocates.
Hochul’s administration approved a key water-quality permit for a proposed natural gas pipeline off the coast of New York City, reversing prior denials. The state’s environmental regulators also struck a new agreement with a Bitcoin mining operation that will allow it to continue operating its fossil fuel plant in the Finger Lakes.
Still, she faced a scathing attack from the right for signing the 100-foot bill this week.
State Sen. George Borrello, a western New York Republican said the governor’s decision “is yet another irresponsible, politically motivated move driven by a desire to appease the far left, even as she knows the serious risks these policies pose to New York’s economy, housing costs and energy reliability.”
Repealing the rule will add up to an average increase of $14,000 for people looking to buy homes, Borrello said. But according to the Public Utility Law Project the rule was adding $600 million a year to utility costs for all New Yorkers including renters, homeowners and businesses.
“The costs of expanding gas infrastructure is a main driver of energy bill increases across the state, which is why it's so important to get rid of this outdated law,” said Liz Moran, New York policy advocate for Earth Justice, an environmental and legal nonprofit.
A similar law was implemented in several other states, including Colorado, California and Massachusetts.
An earlier version of the bill would have required utility companies to provide gas upon a customer’s request even in a building that had been converted to other sorts of energy. That provision, however, was scrapped. Advocates said it would have a chilling effect on clean and alternative energy options.
The Senate had twice passed a similar bill over the past couple years, but the policy did not get a vote in the Assembly until this year. The original bill, introduced in 2023 as the NY HEAT Act, placed a cap on utility bills to 6% of a household’s income.
Nearly half a million low-income New York City residents pay more than 6% of their pre-tax household income for energy bills, according to a 2019 report prepared by the New York City Mayor’s Office on Sustainability.
“Many New Yorkers have no idea they're being charged for this,” Moran said. “They're concerned about why they need to choose between heating and eating.”
The law will go into effect January 2027.
