Hochul steamrolled New York’s climate movement. Now green groups are recalculating.
Some environmentalists are looking to rebuild a cordial relationship with Gov. Kathy Hochul as they look for alignment after a bitter fight over the state’s climate law.
Gov. Kathy Hochul joins elected leaders, parents and advocates at the Vanderbilt YMCA in New York City on May 11 to highlight child care investment. Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul
ALBANY, New York — Gov. Kathy Hochul weakened the strongest climate law in the country this year, bulldozing an environmental movement that spent years pushing for its passage.
But Hochul (D) — who hammered on cost concerns tied to the 2019 law — isn’t likely to pay a tangible political price. A left-flank primary challenge collapsed after she was endorsed by the state’s most prominent progressive, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and she’s now facing off against a pro-fracking Republican opponent opposed to renewables.
That leaves environmental advocates in New York split over what to do next: keep fighting Hochul over her energy agenda, or work with her and try to shape what she’s still willing to do to slow climate change.
Despite their bitter defeat, many institutional green groups are picking the latter as she faces voters in November.