Blakeman joins former Gov. Pataki in call to tap NYS natural gas as energy prices soar

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman drilled Gov.Kathy Hochul Tuesday — saying green energy policies were “bankrupting” New Yorkers.Blakeman, joined by the state’s last Republican Gov.

George Pataki, vowed during a Washington Heights news conference to tap into the state’s natural gas resources and slash energy bills if he becomes 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 — skewering Hochul’s 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 made energy costs a centerpiece of his campaign, vowing to slash utility bills in half after New Yorkers have seen costs steadily increase since Hochul took office in 2021.ConEd bills in the city climbed 27% between 2021 and 2025 — equating to the average New Yorker’s bill climbing from $160 per month to $218.In upstate New York the increases have been even worse — with NYSEG customers seeing their bills soar 46% from 2021 to 2025.That equated to bills rising from about $80 per month to $147, data showed.Those increases — which Blakeman has blamed on green energy initiatives to build wind and solar farms — have landed New York with the third-highes...