Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman sharply criticized Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday, arguing that New York’s green-energy policies are “bankrupting” residents.
Speaking at a news conference in Washington Heights alongside former Gov. George Pataki, the last Republican to lead New York, Blakeman pledged to tap the state’s natural-gas reserves and cut energy bills if elected governor.
“We’re not going to be able to supply our energy from this day going 100% with wind turbines and solar farms,” Blakeman told reporters. “It will actually bankrupt New Yorkers if we allow it to continue over the next four years.”
“It’s got to be a balanced approach to energy,” he said. “We’re sitting on one of the largest natural gas reserves in the world. Yet Kathy Hochul wont let us extract that natural gas.”
Pataki, who served as governor from 1995 to 2006, also condemned Hochul’s energy policies.
“Since I left, Albany has done three things: raise your taxes, raise your electric bill and make your streets less safe than they used to be,” Pataki said. “That has got to change.”
“We’re all for renewable energy, but it has got to be part of a package that doesn’t drive up costs through the roof,” Pataki added. “It can’t be something that is based on ideology as opposed to the practicality of what the people need.”
Blakeman has placed energy costs at the center of his campaign, promising to cut utility bills in half as New Yorkers face steadily higher costs since Hochul took office in 2021.
Con Edison bills in New York City rose 27% between 2021 and 2025, pushing the average monthly bill from $160 to $218, according to the data.
The increase was even steeper in upstate New York, where NYSEG customers saw their bills jump 46% over the same period.
Those bills climbed from roughly $80 a month to $147, the data showed.
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Blakeman has blamed the increases on green-energy projects, including the construction of wind and solar farms. New York now has the nation’s third-highest energy bills, behind only Hawaii and California.
To address the costs, Blakeman has proposed exploiting New York’s large natural-gas reserves through hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The extraction method remains controversial because of concerns about groundwater pollution and other environmental risks.
Former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo imposed a statewide fracking ban in 2014, and the prohibition was codified in 2021. As a result, Blakeman would face significant obstacles in reviving the practice even if he wins the election on Nov. 3.
Blakeman has continued to support the idea, with his campaign citing a recent report from the Empire Center for Public Policy. The think tank found that natural gas could significantly reduce winter heating costs, bringing average New York bills to about $131 per month from October through March.
By comparison, electric heating — upon which most of the state relies — would cost about $550 per month during the same period, according to the report.
“We should have an ‘All of the above’ attitude for energy. People are really suffering,” Blakeman said. “People are telling me wherever I go how expensive their utility bills are.”
“We’ve got to get back to common sense and having an energy policy that works for the people.”
Blakeman and Pataki made their remarks just two weeks before the midterm elections, as some polls showed Hochul holding a lead of only four points.
Hochul defended her energy strategy separately on Tuesday, highlighting the $1 billion in rebate checks her administration has sent to New Yorkers this year as utility costs continue to rise.
“Energy costs are high and I know that families are struggling, which is why we are getting in the mailboxes, energy rebates,” Hochul said of her cherished checks, before quickly pivoting to blaming President Trump and the war in Iran for burdensome utility bills.
“But you know what would be a lot better to driving down energy costs in New York? It’s stopping the war with Iran.”