New York Farm Bureau Statement on Gov. Hochul’s CLCPA Proposal

New York Farm Bureau Statement on Gov. Hochul's CLCPA Proposal

Please attribute the below statement to New York Farm Bureau President David Fisher:

"Today, Governor Hochul announced she will seek to change the Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act (CLCPA) requirements to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions, extending the previous target date of 2024 to 2030.

"This comes after New York Farm Bureau and our agricultural partners made it clear that these requirements would not only cause great hardship for farmers, but would also hit New Yorkers' wallets very hard - to the tune of thousands of dollars more per year for household oil and natural gas. We also underscored that the goals originally set forth were unrealistic for everyone and would be impossible to meet.

"The governor's proposal includes an additional 2040 milestone alongside the existing 2050 statewide limit, leaving the 2030 and 2050 targets unchanged. In addition, the governor has committed to changing the accounting methodology for greenhouse gas reduction to align more closely with other states. This is long overdue and will create both a more realistic path to achieve climate goals and a more accurate picture of the real successes achieved thus far.

"Let me be clear: As stewards of the land, farmers support sustainability efforts, but they cannot support initiatives that make their livelihoods impossible and impose devastating increases in utility costs for the average New Yorker."

"We need an all-energy approach that includes a clean fuel standard and renewable natural gas, and we also want to study nuclear energy as a viable alternative. Further, the high cost of electric power and the inadequate grid capacity make it clear that alternative solutions are necessary. We support using sustainable aviation fuel and biofuel as climate-conscious solutions while making improvements to the CLCPA.

"We thank Governor Hochul for recognizing that while farmers want to take steps to reduce emissions and use cleaner energy, we cannot do so at the cost of affordability."

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New York Farm Bureau is the state's largest agricultural lobbying/trade organization. Its members and the public know the organization as "The Voice of New York Agriculture." New York Farm Bureau is dedicated to solving the economic and public policy issues challenging the agricultural community.