Rallying with Leaders to Make NY More Affordable

Taking Steps To Lower Auto Insurance Costs for New Yorkers

New Yorkers pay some of the highest car insurance rates in the nation — totaling just more than $4,000 annually on average, nearly $1,500 above the national average. Car insurance rates are driven up by a combination of fraud, litigation, legal loopholes, and enforcement gaps, with staged crashes and associated insurance fraud inflating everyone’s premiums by as much as $300 per year on average. Governor Hochul is taking common-sense steps to battle fraud, limit damages paid out to bad actors and ensure that consumers, not insurance companies, are prioritized.

Tackling the Affordability Crisis and Fighting Climate Change Responsibly

Under Governor Hochul, New York has been and will continue to be, a national leader on clean energy and climate action. The State has the first operating utility-scale offshore wind farm in the nation with two more under construction, the nation’s first congestion pricing plan, met its distributed solar goals a year early, and is set to open the Champlain Hudson Power Express powerline this year, which will bring needed clean hydropower from Quebec to New York City.

Much has changed since the Climate Leader & Community Protection Act (CLCPA) was enacted in 2019, including post-COVID high inflation, supply chain issues, and federal tariffs that have driven up costs and a federal government that has launched an all-out assault on renewable energy. As a result of this and a court order requiring New York to issue regulations to fully comply with the CLCPA’s short term 2030 targets, New York would have to add crushing costs to New Yorkers and businesses already struggling with high utility bills and high gas prices at the pump. To address the issue, the Governor is proposing several changes to the CLCPA that will maintain the State’s commitment to fighting climate change while also prioritizing affordability.

Governor Hochul is also pushing a Ratepayer Protection Plan that will hold utilities more accountable, reform the regulatory rate setting process, and make New York State’s Energy Affordability Programs more accessible for working families. The plan also will cut hidden fees on utility bills, tie executive pay directly to customer affordability, and require data centers to pay their fair share by paying more for power or providing their own energy supply.