In 2025, Governor Hochul proved herself to be created in the same political mold as her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo. Governor Cuomo would deliberately let legislation passed by the NYS legislature languish on his desk until the last minute, especially climate related bills. Both governors were comfortable that a veto override was not possible, because the threshold could not be met. No Republican has voted for a climate bill in many years. Instead, incremental environmental bills would get the governor’s signature and be promoted as proof of the governor’s commitment to addressing climate change.
Only in a time of concentrated lobby and public pressure have the big climate bills passed in New York State. The last big bill that was signed into law was in 2019 (The CLCPA – The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act), under Cuomo. Still, the bill passed only because they jettisoned the payment mechanism. The CLCPA was Cuomo’s last hurrah and since then, Hochul has produced a thin list of passed climate legislation. The Climate Can’t Wait coalition has released its score card on Governor Hochul and awarded her an “F” for her record in 2025. You can read the report card here.
In the political dynamism of 2025 combined with the governor’s deliberate inaction, the opponents of climate change legislation saw a terrific opportunity. Last year, the Fossil Fuel Industry in NYS spent $150 million lobbying against climate change legislation. Much of that expenditure was targeted at Governor Hochul. One of her responses to their successful lobbying has been to delay the release of the proposed regulations required by law as written in the CLCPA.
Governor Hochul also approved a gas pipeline through Jamaica Bay this past year that had been denied three times. We lost that battle and many of us did not see it coming.
Climate organizations took Governor Hochul to court over her failure to release the required regulations dictated in the 2019 CLCPA law. The court agreed that she had failed to produce the regulations as required by law. We are still waiting.
Her probable Republican opponent in the governor’s race next year is not climate friendly. As the County Executive for Nassau County on Long Island, he has dismantled local climate change initiatives and discouraged participation in environmental activities. He also receives poor marks from the League of Conservation Voters.
Governor Hochul’s inaction is the most pressing obstacle we face at the state level. I do not pretend to understand the calculus of her decision making, but our health and our future will be affected by the decisions she has already made.