FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 4, 2025
Contact: Kia Smith, kia.smith@mothersoutfront.org
Sarah Miles Smiley, sarah.smiley@mothersoutfront.org
New York Moms Call on Legislators to Prioritize Cleaner Heat and Affordable Energy by including the NY HEAT Act in the 2025 State Budget
“Many neighbors and friends invest energy into reducing our waste, driving electric cars, etc., but we need legislators to do their part and help facilitate structural change.”
“I came to Albany today because now, more than ever, moms need to stand up to protect our kids’ future. I want to model advocacy for my 11-year-old daughter, Sophia.”
““If Governor Hochul continues to support New York’s outdated pro-gas laws, we will keep burning fossil fuels to heat our homes, putting more harmful pollutants in our air, and supercharging global warming and the extreme weather it fuels.”
ALBANY, NY (February 4, 2025) – Mothers and caregivers across New York joined the state’s climate justice advocates for a rally and lobby day at the New York State Legislative Office Building. Moms from Mothers Out Front New York are demanding that legislators include the New York Home Energy Affordable Transition Act (NY HEAT Act) (Bill numbers TBD) in the 2025 New York state budget. The NY HEAT Act facilitates the state’s transition away from fracked gas to cleaner and greener heating solutions and invests in the future of our kids by ensuring cleaner air in our homes, schools and parks. Additionally, the NY HEAT Act would not burden the poorest New Yorkers with funding new gas pipelines and ensure families pay no more than 6% of their household income on energy bills.
“Each year that we don’t pass the NY HEAT Act is another year that our state is pouring taxpayer money down the drain by investing in old gas infrastructure that is adding pollution to the air my family breathes,” said Kirsten Bourne, a mom of two and a Mothers Out Front volunteer from Sleepy Hollow, NY. “I think it’s important to remember that buildings are our largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. Many neighbors and friends invest time and resources into reducing our waste, driving electric cars, etc., but we need legislators to do their part and help facilitate structural change. We need to keep our eye on building heat systems. We need the government to make it easier for individuals to make the climate-smart choice for our homes.”
“I came to Albany today because now, more than ever, moms need to stand up to protect our kids’ future. I want to model advocacy for my 11-year-old daughter, Sophia, who is here with me,” said Millie Verastegui, a volunteer with Mothers Out Front in Croton-on-Hudson. “Legislators must put people first and pass the NY HEAT Act now. Families are struggling to pay their energy bills today. Climate change is happening today. Pollution is harming our kids today. Yet, billions of our tax dollars still fund outdated, dirty fossil fuels instead of investing in sustainable solutions that actually work. We can’t afford to wait.”
“I am a mom of two little boys, Oliver and Damien. This past fall, I had to explain to my boys why their grandparents, who live in Asheville, North Carolina and were hit by a once-in-a-century hurricane, did not have power or clean water for weeks. How do you explain to a three-year old that some of our friends had lost their homes due to extreme weather caused by global warming? How do you tell your children that the future of our planet and every living thing on it is in danger?” asked Natalie Wren, a Mothers Out Front volunteer from Cornwall, NY. “These once-in-a-century hurricanes, floods, and wildfires are happening all over our country, and with increasing regularity. I implore Governor Hochul and our state legislators to pass the NY HEAT Act right now. If we don’t take real action now, if our government can’t find the courage to invest in clean renewable energy, what can I say to my kids when they’re older? That we didn’t fight hard enough, that we weren’t brave enough?”
“If Governor Hochul continues to support New York’s outdated pro-gas laws, we will keep burning fossil fuels to heat our homes, putting more harmful pollutants in our air, and supercharging global warming and the extreme weather it fuels,” continued Wren. “Please, Governor Hochul, as a mom, I implore you to pass the NY HEAT Act.”
Mothers Out Front is a member-led climate justice organization. We are mothers, sisters, aunts, grandmothers and other caregivers coming together to make climate justice a priority issue that our decision-makers can no longer ignore. We are building a powerful grassroots movement to ensure a swift, complete and just transition away from fossil fuels and toward a clean and renewable energy future where our children and families can thrive, not just survive.