Oops! Let’s just pause this climate change policy

Jan 17, 2025

Presented by Alliance to Protect Homecare

Gov. Kathy Hochul at a press conference

Gov. Kathy Hochul backed out of plans to implement big climate change policy this year. | Kevin P. Coughlin / Office of the Governor

CAP AND REGRET: Gov. Kathy Hochul is ready to tackle affordability. She’s also asking the climate to please stop changing for a minute, so she can do that.

Hochul announced plans Tuesday to delay a key climate initiative — “cap and invest” — that had been in the works for years and was set to get off the ground this year.

As a result, the Democratic governor is ensuring environmental advocates will be a thorn in her side for the next year at least — if they weren’t mad at her already.

And she may have to worry about some of them pulling back support for her 2026 campaign.

“She’s on very thin ice with anybody who cares about combating climate change and protecting people from high and volatile gas prices,” said John Raskin, president of the Spring Street Climate Fund. He said some climate-focused donors are considering other options for 2026.

Hochul made the climate policy backsies in her Tuesday State of the State proposal when she said she would delay the “cap and invest” program, a cap-and-trade style policy that would charge for emissions. The revenues from increased prices for gas and heating fuels would be invested in clean energy programs.

A portion would be returned to New York residents to cushion the upfront increase in costs for consumers. Modeling by the state and supporters of the program indicate most low- and moderate-income households would ultimately benefit. But critics — including the New York Post — have zeroed in on the upfront increase in expenses.

“The Democrats got hurt this past election cycle by not effectively dealing with the gap between perception and reality on the economy and concerns about affordability,” said Lawrence Levy, a suburban politics expert at Hofstra University. “Any policy that even looks like it could add to costs is a political minefield that could undermine broad support for the policy.”

Though Hochul signed off in December on a measure to charge big fossil fuel companies for historic pollution, she also last year opened the door to “rethink” the state’s ambitious renewable goals, which were passed before she took office.

The state’s climate law requires 70 percent renewable electricity by 2030, a target Hochul’s officials now say likely won’t be reached on time, and a 40 percent reduction in emissions from 1990 levels by 2030.

Hochul is pointing to her proposed $1 billion investment in climate action this year as proof she’s not backing down. The governor said more information on polluters is needed before implementing the “cap and invest” program.

“We’ll get the right information, we’ll get it right, but I’m not letting these projects go unfunded,” she said.

But administration officials assured environmental groups in the weeks before the State of the State that the program would move forward this year — and asked them to begin planning a supportive campaign.

Those plans are now in tatters, with the next steps unclear.

“I’m still hopeful that we’re going to find a way to get this back on track,” said Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters. “We have people in Washington who are going to try and roll environmental protections back and now we need to rise to the occasion.” — Jason Beeferman and Marie J. French

A message from Alliance to Protect Homecare:

Time Is Running Out. Halt the Bid. Protect Lives. Governor Hochul's reckless home care deal puts 250,000 vulnerable New Yorkers at risk. Sworn testimony exposes allegations of rigged bidding, raising serious questions about transparency and fairness. In Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, similar plans caused chaos – missed care, a crumbling workforce, and wasted millions. Tell the Legislature: Halt the bid. Protect New York's home care and the lives that depend on it. Visit ProtectHomeCare.org.

From the Capitol

Andrew Cuomo prepares to board a helicopter

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is already a main character in the mayoral race. | Seth Wenig/AP

EVERYTHING’S COMING UP CUOMO: Forget the sitting incumbent, New York City mayoral candidates are making it clear former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is the one to beat — assuming he actually runs.

“If you-know-who comes into this race, I’m going to do to him what I did to Spitzer. This will be Cuomo’s last stand,” Scott Stringer said to cheers at a Manhattan fundraiser Thursday night, referring to his defeat of scandal-scarred former Gov. Eliot Spitzer for city comptroller in 2013.

Stringer’s campaign also zeroed in on Cuomo in a briefing with reporters on Friday. “Put simply, Scott Stringer’s the only candidate in this race who’s positioned to run a competitive campaign against Andrew Cuomo,” Stringer pollster Evan Roth Smith said.

Smith pointed to an internal poll that found Cuomo getting 33 percent of first-place votes among registered Dems in the city, and Stringer in a distant second with 13 percent. But Cuomo’s support may be maxed out, since almost everyone knows him, while Stringer has room to grow, Smith said.

The deeply unpopular Adams polls behind Stringer.

Cuomo campaign spokesperson Rich Azzopardi recalled Stringer’s loss in 2021, telling Playbook it was “tough talk” from a guy who “finished a distant fifth last go around behind novice candidates.”

Comptroller Brad Lander is also maintaining his focus on Cuomo. A state of the race memo his campaign released Friday singled out his strategy for defeating the ex-gov, mentioning Cuomo 14 times and Adams just once. — Jeff Coltin

A message from Alliance to Protect Homecare:

FROM THE DELEGATION

Ritchie Torres speaking while walking in the U.S. Capitol.

Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres blocked way more people on X than we originally thought. | Francis Chung/POLITICO

IF YOU’VE BEEN BLOCKED BY RITCHIE TORRES, PLEASE STAND UP: Woah.

When we said yesterday that Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres has been blocking everyone on X, we didn’t mean everyone.

And yet…

Trump-supporting influencer Laura Loomer. Exiled MSNBC host Medhi Hassan. Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein. Random Torres constituents in the Bronx.

It really does seem like Torres pushed “block” on quite a few people.

“He blocked me for asking why he hadn't posted about The Yankees being in the World Series,” one user wrote.

“I’m not even sure what I did to upset the guy,” another said.

The story seems to have struck a nerve online. And it’s also created an unexpected kumbaya moment of sorts — diehard pro-Palestinian activists, Trump-loving conspiracy theorists, rare Hochul stans and ex-NYPD cops are all coming together and bonding over their shared identity of being a Ritchie Torres blockeé.

And no, if we needed to say this again, it’s not illegal for Torres to block anyone from his personal account. (He also wants to make clear no one is blocked on his campaign or government account.)

But his tireless habit of silencing critics on a platform he uses to constantly communicate with voters does prompt a serious conversation about his comfort with criticism — especially if he wants to run for governor.

“Only political insiders, who live online and who have fallen out of touch with most New Yorkers, have the luxury of obsessing about the minutiae of personal Twitter accounts,” Torres told Playbook. “Everyday New Yorkers, living in the real world, are far more concerned with ever-higher costs and ever-higher crime rates than with the alternate reality of Twitter.” — Jason Beeferman

MAKE ORCHARD PARK GREAT AGAIN: Rep. Nick Langworthy couldn’t afford to dally after an important meeting last weekend.

“I made my trip to Mar-a-Lago very short so I could make sure to be home for the one o’clock kickoff,” Langworthy said.

The kickoff in question was for the Buffalo Bills’ Wild Card win over Denver Sunday. Now, Western New York Republicans face an even more daunting scheduling challenge – Buffalo’s game against Baltimore on Sunday evening, which is likely to be the most viewed event on American television in 11 months, overlaps with a slew of Inauguration Day eve festivities.

“That’s been a main focal point for all of us Western New York Republicans – planning our weekend not only around the inauguration in the morning, but also the main event of the weekend, the Bills-Ravens playoff game,” Erie County GOP Chair Michael Kracker said.

Kracker’s a season ticket holder, but his wife will be going to the game without him. He will be hosting a watch party at a DC beer hall on Sunday night. “So much winning!” the invite proclaims.

“It’s breaking my heart to not be there in person, but I have to be here in Washington for the inauguration,” Langworthy said. “Obviously, I’m going to be plugged into this game one way or the other, whether it’s on YouTube TV on my phone or somewhere I can watch it on TV.”

Trump attempted to buy the Bills when they were put up for sale in 2014, even helping organize a campaign that burned Bon Jovi CDs in an effort to undermine a bid the singer was involved with. He has said he wouldn’t have run for president in 2016 if his effort to buy the team was successful.

Buffalonian Kathy Hochul, meanwhile, “found the time to go” to last week’s game but says there’s “an internal conflict [she’s] struggling with” as she debates whether to return to the Southtowns on Sunday or focus on finalizing the budget.

Hochul made the rounds on Bills-themed radio shows today. The hosts of one morning show praised her for focusing on the team in her State of the State: “She’s got a whole lot of lunatics from the five boroughs, but yeah, they’re going to have to hear about the Buffalo Bills.” — Bill Mahoney

A message from Alliance to Protect Homecare:

Time Is Running Out. Halt the Bid. Protect Lives.

Governor Hochul's plan to hand New York's home care program to PPL, an out-of-state corporation, is a catastrophic crisis about to unfold. Sworn testimony alleges the deal was rigged before the bidding process even began—leaving 250,000 vulnerable New Yorkers and their families in harm's way. The stakes are clear: if New York follows the path of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, we'll see missed care, workforce chaos, and wasted taxpayer dollars.

There is a better way. But first the Legislature must act to stop this disastrous deal. Halt the bid. Protect home care lives. Stand up for New Yorkers who depend on this vital program.

Visit ProtectHomeCare.org to join the fight and demand action now.

From the Capitol

Gov. Kathy Hochul walks through a subway turnstile.

The cost of Gov. Kathy Hochul's subway safety plan will be split 50-50 with the city. | Office of Governor Kathy Hochul

COP LAND: The state and city are going halfsies on one of Hochul’s signature proposals in the new year.

Hochul’s office confirmed Thursday evening the cost of the $154 million plan to expand police presence on subway cars will be split evenly between Albany and City Hall. The state’s share — some $77 million — will be paid out of the current budget. The money is for overtime to put officers on trains between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. for the next six months.

Adams in a statement said he’s “grateful for the partnership” with Hochul on the effort.

“She is absolutely right that we must continue to prioritize these investments — because public safety is the prerequisite to prosperity,” he said.

Money to extend the patrols beyond six months is expected to be in Hochul’s budget proposal, which she will unveil Tuesday. — Nick Reisman

BOE HARASSMENT: More than two-dozen district leaders and state committee members are calling on the city’s Board of Elections to fire its executive director, Michael Ryan, after a Department of Investigation probe found he sexually and racially harassed two elections workers.

Earlier this month, the city’s elections commissioners voted not to terminate Ryan — bucking recommendations from the DOI that he be fired — and instead suspended him for three weeks.

In a letter shared first with Playbook, the group of city district leaders and committee members argue the decision to suspend Ryan “sends a devastating message to your over 900 employees: their dignity, safety, and right to a workplace free from harassment are not priorities for this Board.”

“As Democratic Committee members and District Leaders, one of our core responsibilities is protecting and expanding access to our electoral systems,” the group wrote. “This mission becomes exponentially more difficult when the agency charged with administering elections is led by an individual who creates an environment of fear and disrespect among the very staff responsible for ensuring fair and accessible elections.”

The Board of Elections’ commissioners did not respond to a request for comment. The group is also calling for the board to make it easier for its employees to report harassment and discrimination.

“I want to express my deepest apologies to my family, my colleagues and to anyone that I unintentionally offended. While I dispute these allegations and disagree with the report's conclusion, I accept the determination of the Commissioners in the best interests of the Agency,” Ryan said in an earlier statement shared by the BOE. He could not be reached on Friday. — Jason Beeferman

IN OTHER NEWS

— CITY HALL LOBBYING BAN: The City Council is expected to pass a bill that would expand the number of officials in the mayor’s administration subject to a 2-year lobbying ban. (New York Post)

— THE PAROLE THAT NEVER HAPPENED: New York’s sick prisoners are languishing behind bars even after they’ve already been granted parole because the state cannot find a nursing home to place them in. (The New York Times)

— CAPITOL ATTACKS: State police are investigating two separate random attacks near Albany’s Empire State Plaza in the last month (WNYT)

Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.

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