LOCAL DEMOCRAT CLIMATE RECORDS EXPOSED Rising National Grid Bills a Direct Result of Democrat State Assemblymen; Republicans Call for Repeal of Climate Mandates

DATE: Wednesday, March 18, 2026

CONTACT: frank4assembly@gmail.com / (518) 669-1234

LOCAL DEMOCRAT CLIMATE RECORDS EXPOSED

Rising National Grid Bills a Direct Result of Democrat State Assemblymen;

Republicans Call for Repeal of Climate Mandates

SCHENECTADY, NY – Local Republicans today called out the climate and energy

policy records of Democrat Assemblymen Phil Steck (110th District) and Angelo

Santabarbara (111th District). Their Assembly votes, starting with the Climate

Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) of 2019, have directly caused

National Grid bills to skyrocket for families, businesses and everyday ratepayers.

“Not only did my opponent Phil Steck vote for the disastrous CLCPA – he sponsors

legislation to actually accelerate the climate mandates which have made our National

Grid bills skyrocket. Additionally, he sponsors a bill that would impose a new and

exorbitant carbon tax on virtually every industry in New York State, resulting in the

elimination of countless energy sector jobs and hyperinflation for consumers,” said

Frank Mauriello, Republican Candidate for the 110th Assembly District.

“I have to give Angelo Santabarbara credit: he’s managed to use calls for utility

oversight and investigations to distract from the fact that he voted for the CLCPA in

2019. He talks a lot about protecting the everyday ratepayer, but his voting record

shows he’s one of the leading causes of our rising utility bills. He even co-sponsors

several bills which would exacerbate runaway subsidization of costly and unreliable

windmills and solar farms harming our waterways and farmlands,” said Nick Sokaris,

Republican Candidate for 111th Assembly District.

The Hochul administration and New York State Energy Research and Development

Authority (NYSERDA) recently released a memo outlining how upstate New York

ratepayers will be paying more than $4,000 on their energy bills if the CLCPA remains

unchanged. The Assembly Democrat Majority – which Assemblymen Steck and

Santabarbara are a part of – last week voted to embrace $300-500 “energy rebates

checks” in their one-house budget, meaning upstate ratepayers would still be paying

thousands more on their bills.

Assemblymen Steck and Santabarbara also voted in favor of:

● The Electric Schoolbus Mandate: Requires school districts statewide to

purchase only electric buses starting next year, and mandate 100% electric bus

fleets for school districts by 2035. The mandate will create enormous costs for

school/property taxpayers (more than $8 billion by some estimates), as an

electric schoolbus on average costs more than double what a clean diesel bus

does – not including additional costs for charging infrastructure and other

challenges.

● The All-Electric Buildings Mandate: Bans new gas hookups in new buildings

under seven stories (was supposed to start this year but has been temporarily

delayed), then the same ban applies to all other buildings constructed after Jan.

1, 2029. This mandate will increase the cost of building and/or buying a house by

tens of thousands of dollars overnight, worsening the affordable housing crisis

across New York State.

Additionally, Assemblymen Steck and Santabarbara continue to support frivolous

legislation to create an “Office of the Utility Consumer Advocate,” despite the fact that

there already exists a similar body (the Division of Consumer Protection’s Utility

Intervention Unit) within the Department of State, and the Governor has vetoed such

legislation. This proposal would also not bring down prices, because the Public Service

Commission and utility companies are simply following laws and policies supported by

Assemblymen Steck and Santabarbara.

“For many New York families, the dream of owning and being able to afford their own

home is quickly slipping away. The electric schoolbus and all-electric building mandates

will directly contribute to this crisis and the ever-growing exodus of our state’s

population. It’s important to remember that these policies and the Climate Act would not

have been possible without the support of state politicians like Phil Steck and Angelo

Santabarbara. Repealing these mandates starts with rejecting these local Assemblymen

at the ballot box in November,” concluded Mauriello and Sokaris.

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