The Chemung County Legislature passed a resolution at its Oct.14th Full Legislature meeting supporting the Energy Choice Act. Below is the resolution:
A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF CONGRESSMAN NICK LANGWORTHY’S
ENERGY CHOICE ACT (H.R. 3699, S. 1945) AND IN OPPOSITION TO
GOVERNMENT-MANDATED NATURAL GAS BANS
WHEREAS, affordable and reliable energy is essential to the health, safety, and economic
prosperity of New York families, businesses, and communities; and
WHEREAS, natural gas remains a dependable, cost-effective, and clean-burning energy source
used by millions of New Yorkers to heat their homes, cook their food, and power their
businesses; and
WHEREAS, in 2019, New York State enacted the Climate Leadership and Community
Protection Act (CLCPA), which mandates aggressive emissions reductions and serves as the
foundation for sweeping energy restrictions, including efforts to phase out natural gas; and
WHEREAS, building on the CLCPA, Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State
Legislature in 2023 enacted provisions in the state budget banning natural gas and other fossil
fuel hookups in most new residential and commercial buildings, effective 2026 for smaller
buildings, and 2029 for larger buildings, thereby eliminating consumer choice and limiting
access to affordable energy; and
WHEREAS, Governor Hochul has publicly supported these bans and related measures as part of
her administration’s climate and energy agenda, despite widespread concerns that such mandates
will increase costs, strain grid reliability, and restrict energy diversity; and
WHEREAS, these top-down policies undermine affordability, threaten reliability during peak
demand, and strip away the freedom of consumers and businesses to choose the energy sources
that best meet their needs; and
WHEREAS, Congressman Nick Langworthy of New York and Senator Jim Justice of West
Virginia introduced the Energy Choice Act (H.R. 3699, S. 1945), federal legislation that ensures
state and local governments cannot restrict consumer access to natural gas and other affordable
energy sources, thereby protecting freedom of choice for New Yorkers and all Americans; and
WHEREAS, the Energy Choice Act would safeguard households, small businesses, hospitals,
farmers, and manufacturers from harmful government overreach and preserve access to an “all-
of-the-above” energy strategy that strengthens reliability and affordability;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Chemung County Legislature strongly
supports the Energy Choice Act as introduced by Congressman Langworthy (H.R. 3699) and
Senator Justice (S. 1945) and stands firmly opposed to New York State’s natural gas bans, the
CLCPA-driven restrictions, and other state energy mandates that eliminate consumer choice; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Chemung County Legislature urges Congress to pass
the Energy Choice Act to defend consumer choice, protect energy affordability, and preserve
reliable access to natural gas for New Yorkers.