Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo (R, C-Staten Island) today joined members of the Assembly Minority Conference to deliver a blunt message: Albany’s energy mandates are failing working families and undermining the rights of Staten Islanders.

Since 2019, residential electricity prices in New York have risen 47.1 percent. Recent winter price spikes will soon push bills even higher. Pirozzolo pointed directly to the state’s sweeping mandates under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, arguing that the law has forced reliable power plants offline while gambling on energy sources that are not yet capable of meeting demand. Meanwhile, the New York Independent System Operator has warned of near-term grid reliability concerns.

The proposed legislative package includes income-based rebate checks of up to $400 for ratepayers, returning surplus funds from NYSERDA’s Climate Investment Account to utility customers, and requiring greater transparency from utilities when supply rates spike dramatically. Potentially $2.4 billion in ratepayer-collected funds could be returned directly to New Yorkers.

But Pirozzolo stressed that relief alone is not enough. He called for bringing energy plants back online, investing in new natural gas generation, expanding infrastructure, and rejecting what he described as Albany’s “command-and-control” energy policies, including the gas ban in new homes, the 100-foot rule restricting fossil fuel use near certain buildings, and the zero-emission school bus mandate.

“The CLCPA is a textbook example of top-down government overreach. It reflects an ideology that says bureaucrats know better than families how they should live. That’s not freedom, that’s government control. Staten Islanders believe in affordability, reliability, and the right to choose. I will not stand by while Majority lawmakers experiment with policies that drive up costs, limit energy options, and strip away those rights.” said Pirozzolo