Kathy Hochul Ran on Lowering Utility Bills and Cruised to Victory. Now It’s Time to Deliver.

To: Interested Parties

From: Evergreen Action Northeast & Mid-Atlantic Regional Director Catherine Zingg

Date: Thursday November 5, 2026

Re: Kathy Hochul Ran on Lowering Utility Bills and Cruised to Victory. Now It’s Time to Deliver.

________________________________________________________________________

On Election Day in the Empire State voters handed Governor Hochul a big win and rejected Bruce Blakeman’s fossil-fueled MAGA agenda and his giveaways to data centers. Rising costs were central to the governor’s race,  and polling consistently showed a majority of voters trusted the governor to deliver real savings for New York families. She held a similar edge on data center management. 

Governor Hochul has already announced major programs targeting rising energy costs, including the second iteration of her Sustainable Future Program, the Energy Infrastructure Development Plan (EIDP) and the Clean, Highly Affordable, Reliable, Grid Expansion (CHARGE) Agenda. That’s real progress, but there’s more work to do in Albany. 

New Yorkers named cost of living as their top issue heading into Election Day, and they gave Governor Hochul and Democratic leaders in the Assembly and Senate a mandate to lower utility bills. Here’s the agenda they should pursue to deliver on that mandate.

________________________________________________________________________

Executive Action: What Governor Hochul Can Do Right Now

New Yorkers are feeling the strain of high energy bills on their budgets. Governor Hochul doesn’t need to wait for the new legislative session to act. Here are four things she can do right now to counter rising utility costs:

• Keep the CHARGE agenda moving: Make sure the state’s new Energy Infrastructure Development Plan puts ratepayer protection, affordability, clean power, and the lowest-cost investments first.
• Build the Grid of the Future: Build on Governor Hochul’s existing initiative to better plan for growing demand, new infrastructure to carry power, and expanding clean energy together—with affordability for New Yorkers at the center.
• Hold utilities accountable to low-cost, reliable power: Direct state regulators to scrutinize utility spending and lower utilities’ guaranteed profits.
• Move Cap-and-Invest forward without further delay: Finalize a transparent process to set enforceable standards for cutting carbon pollution.

Legislative Action: Where Legislators Should Start in 2027

Affordability will be at the top of the list when legislators return to session in January. Here are three priorities they should take up to start the new year:

• Expand virtual power plants: Link resources like rooftop solar, home batteries and programs that shift energy use away from peak hours so they send power back to the grid when it’s needed most, with fair compensation for the households and businesses that take part.
• Strengthen utility accountability: Tighten oversight of utility spending and lower guaranteed profits.
• Get clean energy dollars out the door faster: Continue investment in existing state clean energy programs, including the Sustainable Future Fund.

________________________________________________________________________

The Work Starts Now

Governor Hochul cruised to victory because voters trust her to deliver real solutions to the affordability crisis, including building more clean, cheap energy. Now, heading into another term, it’s time to deliver real results. New York voters did their part. Now it’s time for their leaders to deliver. 

For more information or to speak with a policy expert please contact Evergreen Action Northeast & Mid-Atlantic Press Secretary Miles Cunning at miles@evergreenaction.com

###