Thank You, Governor Hochul, for Ending a Hidden and Costly Fossil Fuel Subsidy
For years, New Yorkers have been paying for fossil fuel expansion without realizing it. A little-known policy called the “100-foot rule” quietly required utility customers to subsidize the cost of new gas hookups whenever a building was close to an existing gas line — regardless of whether that investment aligned with our climate goals, our health, or our wallets.
Governor Hochul’s decision to repeal this outdated rule is an important step forward. It restores fairness to our energy system and brings state policy back in line with what New Yorkers increasingly want: cleaner air, lower long-term energy costs, and healthier homes.
At a time when affordability is top of mind for families across the state, continuing to prop up two parallel energy systems — gas and electric — simply doesn’t make sense. Gas infrastructure is expensive to build, expensive to maintain, and increasingly risky as New York transitions toward a cleaner grid. Every new gas line laid today locks ratepayers into decades of future costs, even as cleaner electric alternatives become more affordable and more widely available.
Repealing the 100-foot rule removes a major incentive to expand gas infrastructure just as consumer preferences are shifting. More New Yorkers are choosing all-electric homes, heat pumps, and induction cooking — options that are not only cleaner, but often cheaper over time. Aligning public policy with those choices helps protect everyone from paying for infrastructure we will soon need to abandon.
The benefits go beyond cost. Gas combustion affects health inside the home, not just the climate outside it. Research from WE ACT for Environmental Justice has shown that children living in homes with gas appliances face higher risks of asthma and exposure to harmful pollutants like nitrogen dioxide. These impacts are not evenly distributed — low-income families and communities of color are more likely to bear the burden of poor indoor air quality. Ending policies that encourage unnecessary gas expansion is a meaningful step toward healthier living conditions for all New Yorkers.
Importantly, repealing the 100-foot rule does not ban gas or halt new development. Builders can still choose to install gas service if they want — they simply have to pay the true cost of that decision rather than shifting it onto the public. That’s not radical; it’s responsible.
This action reflects smart, forward-looking leadership. By ending a hidden subsidy for fossil fuels, New York is modernizing its energy system, protecting public health, and putting consumers first. We thank Governor Hochul and legislative leaders Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, Senator Liz Krueger, and Senator Pat Fahy for taking this important step toward a cleaner, more affordable future.
Julie Tighe, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters and Betta Broad, Campaign Director for New Yorkers for Clean Power
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