An oil pumpjack operates in the drive-thru area of a McDonald's in Bradford, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 6, 2017. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)
On Monday, O’Mara criticized what he called the latest "radical climate mandate" to be handed down:
"Gov. Hochul and the Albany Democrats are going to keep talking about addressing New York's affordability crisis. But it's clear that their actions like Cap and Invest, more aptly called 'Cap and Tax'… will only keep driving this state into the ground economically," he said.
In 2014, O’Mara slammed New York’s original decision to ban fracking in his area, saying it "eviscerates the hope of so many Southern Tier farmers, landowners, businesses and potential jobs in the natural gas industry."
Hochul’s cap-and-tax plan, he said, will only increase the cost of doing business in New York and drive more families and employers out of the state while exacerbating the affordability crisis.
The plan shows the governor is out of touch with New Yorkers, Assembly Minority Leader William Barclay told Fox News Digital.
"The last thing we need is more unworkable environmental policy from Albany that drives costs up and drives residents away. Democrats constantly lecture us about the need for Cap and Invest and other misguided energy policy, but when people are paying more at the pump and can’t afford their heating bills, who benefits?" asked Barclay, R-Oneida.
"It’s our responsibility to make sure New Yorkers have reliable, affordable energy sources – not force consumers to subsidize the green dreams of the liberal environmental lobby."
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Gov. Kathy Hochul (Reuters/Cindy Schultz)
In 2021, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo successfully shuttered the massive 2,000MW Indian Point nuclear power generation plant on the Hudson River opposite Haverstraw.
Cuomo cited safety concerns at the time and said "it does not belong… in close proximity to the most densely-populated area in the country." Critics responded that that area cited – New York City – relied heavily on the power it generated and complained of increased utility bills.
A 2019 law commits New York to net-zero emissions by 2050, according to The New York Times.
Nationally, "Cap & Trade" first entered the American lexicon during the 2008 presidential campaign, when then-Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., wooed environmentalists with the idea of taxing entities that release greenhouse gases and affect the atmosphere.
Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.
Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.
Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cap-trade-returns-ny-plans-force-big-oil-invest-green-paying-emissions