奥尔巴尼，纽约州 — — 纽约州州长凯西·霍楚尔今年与本党成员和环保组织展开斗争，试图削弱该州具有里程碑意义的气候法，她辩称这些修改是必要的，以防止公用事业账单上涨。
ALBANY, New York — Gov. Kathy Hochul battled members of her own party and environmental groups to weaken the state’s landmark climate law this year, arguing the changes were needed to prevent higher utility bills.
但这一胜利 — — 她在今年与同党民主党人进行紧张的预算谈判中的首要目标之一 — — 在她的竞选宣传中基本上缺失，即便共和党对手布鲁斯·布拉克曼反复指责她导致公用事业账单上涨。
But that victory, one of the governor’s top priorities in tense budget negotiations with fellow Democrats this year, has largely been missing from her campaign pitch, even as Republican foe Bruce Blakeman has repeatedly hammered her for rising utility bills.
布拉克曼明确将霍楚尔和其他奥尔巴尼民主党人视为责任人，称住宅电价在她任期内最高上涨了50%，并承诺 — — 虽细节甚少 — — 如果他击败现任者，将把账单减半。
Blakeman squarely blames Hochul and other Albany Democrats for residential electricity rates that have risen by as much as 50% during her tenure and promises — with scant details — to cut bills in half if he unseats the incumbent.
他还在利用霍楚尔自己的警告来反击她。为了在预算谈判中施压不愿合作的民主党议员，州长曾使用一份备忘录，预测家庭因达到气候法近期减排目标而将面临高昂成本。尽管最终预算使该目标失效，但她的对手仍继续引用这些估算。
And he’s using Hochul’s own warnings against her. To pressure reluctant Democratic lawmakers during budget negotiations, the governor used a memo projecting steep costs for households from meeting the climate law’s near-term target for reducing emissions. The final budget rendered that target moot, but her opponent continues to cite the estimates.
“凯西·霍楚尔的绿色能源将让您的家庭每年多花4000美元，”布拉克曼广告中的旁白说道，广告中出现巨额公用事业账单追逐街道上居民的画面。
“Kathy Hochul’s green energy will cost your family $4,000 a year,” says the narrator in a Blakeman ad featuring giant utility bills chasing residents down the street.
霍楚尔并未大力宣传她推动削弱气候法的举措，而是主要试图通过将责任推给唐纳德·特朗普总统 — — 布拉克曼的坚定盟友 — — 来削弱布拉克曼的攻击，声称特朗普导致油价上涨并阻碍清洁能源投资，而这些投资本来可以最终保护消费者免受化石燃料价格波动的影响。
Instead of touting her push to roll back the climate law, Hochul has largely sought to blunt Blakeman’s attacks by blaming President Donald Trump, a staunch Blakeman ally, for higher gas prices and thwarting clean energy investments that could eventually shield consumers from volatile fossil fuel prices.
“我们的能源成本正受到对我们能源战略的冲击所驱动，”霍楚尔上个月说。“我正试图采取全方位的方法来扩大我们的能源选择，以降低成本。与此同时，我正试图与唐纳德·特朗普作斗争，他正在阻碍我们的努力。”当被问及周五为何她在竞选途中不谈论气候法倒退时，霍楚尔表示该问题“有细微差别”，并且“谈论避免潜在未来成本与宣传短期节省相比，表达起来不够清晰”。
“Our energy costs are being driven by the assault on our energy strategy,” Hochul said last month. “I'm trying to have an all-the-above approach to trying to expand our energy options that'll drive down costs. Meanwhile, I'm trying to fight Donald Trump, who is thwarting our efforts.”When asked on Friday why she’s not talking about the climate law rollback on the campaign trail, Hochul said the issue is “nuanced” and that it’s “not as crisp” to talk about avoiding potential future costs versus touting near-term savings.
“我只是推迟了合规的时间框架，”州长说。“所以你不能说我把那笔钱又放回了你的口袋。我阻止了它成为额外成本，我仍然坚持这一点。”
“I simply rolled back the time frame for compliance,” the governor said. “So you can't say I put that money back in your pockets. I stopped that from being an additional cost, and I still stand behind that.”
“我在竞选中可以说，‘不，我们把十亿美元返还给了能源补贴，’”她补充道。“我们正在尽我们所能来抵消来自华盛顿的成本上升，人们知道我在为谁而战。”公用事业账单的增加有多种原因，包括化石燃料价格波动以及更换老化基础设施的支出。一项州级分析将与气候法相关的费用估算为当前住宅电费的大约5%至10%。
“On my campaign, I'm able to say, ‘No, we put a billion dollars back in energy rebates,’” she added. “We're doing everything we can to counter the escalating costs out of Washington, and people know who I'm fighting for.”The increases in utility bills have multiple causes, including volatile fossil fuel prices and spending to replace aging infrastructure. A state analysis puts climate-law-related charges at roughly 5% to 10% of current residential electricity bills.
在共和党已有二十多年未赢得全州选举的州，霍楚尔在民意调查中领先对手双位数。她拥有巨大的财政优势，并且由于登记为民主党的选民远多于共和党，她具有内在优势。
Hochul leads by double digits in polls in a state where Republicans haven’t won a statewide race in more than two decades. She’s got a massive financial advantage and a built-in edge with far more Democratic registered voters than Republicans.
她在最近一次民意调查中的支持率为40%，尽管特朗普在纽约的受欢迎程度甚至更低。
Her approval stood at 40% in a recent poll, though Trump is even less popular in New York.
“竞选中被谈论的是能源成本的飙升，由于总统卷入我们的这场伊朗战争，这些成本只会越来越高，”州参议员杰里米·泽尔纳（Jeremy Zellner）说，他同时也是伊利县民主党委员会主席。
“What's being talked about in the campaign is the skyrocketing costs of energy that are just going further and further up because of this war in Iran that the president has got us into,” said state Sen. Jeremy Zellner, chair of the Erie County Democratic Committee.
随着电价上涨速度快于工资增长，人们对电价可负担性的关注也随之增加。这一问题也在其他中期选举中备受关注，背景是人们对数据中心推高成本的反弹。
The focus on affordability comes as electricity prices rise faster than paychecks. The issue is alsofeaturing prominently in other midterm races, amid a backlash against data centers driving costs higher.
除了抨击特朗普，霍楚尔还在竞选中大肆宣传她全国首创的全州数据中心暂停令、公用事业账单援助计划、能源回执支票以及控制公用事业费率上涨的新举措。
Beyond bashing Trump, Hochul has touted her first-in-the-nation statewide moratorium on data centers, programs for utility bill assistance, energy rebate checks and new efforts to control rising utility rates as she campaigns.
主流环保团体虽然曾反对修改气候法，但如今大多站在霍楚尔的连任竞选阵营，他们聚焦于她继续支持建设清洁能源，而布莱克曼则反对太阳能和海上风能。他们正在放大霍楚尔的信息：从长期来看，对可再生能源的投资可以让纽约居民免受化石燃料价格波动的冲击。
Mainstream environmental groups that opposed changing the climate law have largely lined up behind Hochul’s reelection campaign, zeroing in on her continued support for building clean energy while Blakeman opposes solar and offshore wind. They’re boosting her message that, in the long term, investments in renewables can insulate New Yorkers from volatile fossil fuel prices.
“他是反风能的，反太阳能的，反输电的，反储能的，”纽约州保护选民联盟主席兼首席执行官朱莉·蒂格说，指的是布莱克曼。“州长一直专注于打造多元化的能源未来，并且一直在为海上风能不遗余力。”近年来，美国各地的电力和天然气成本都有所上涨。涨价的主要因素包括全球不稳定导致的化石燃料价格波动上升，特别是俄罗斯入侵乌克兰。此外，为更换老化基础设施而进行的重大公用事业投资也因通胀而变得更加昂贵，这也是纽约和其他州电价上涨的重要因素。
“He's anti-wind, he's anti-solar, he's anti-transmission, he's anti-storage,” said New York League of Conservation Voters president and CEO Julie Tighe of Blakeman. “The governor has really been focused on a diversified energy future and has been really going to the mat on offshore wind.”Electricity and natural gas costs have risen across the U.S. in recent years. Major factors behind the increases include volatile fossil fuel prices driven higher by global instability, particularly Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Significant utility investments to replace aging infrastructure, made more costly by inflation, are also a major factor in New York and other states.
这些投资由州公用事业监管机构批准，其成员大多由州长任命。政策制定者表示，费率上涨是维持供电可靠性所必需的。
Those investments are approved by the state’s utility regulator, whose members were mostly appointed by the governor. Policymakers say the increased rates are needed to maintain reliability.
纽约州的共和党人一直抨击民主党在2019年通过的气候法律以及缺乏新增管道以引入更多天然气，指出纽约州的居民电价上涨速度快于其他州。
Republicans in New York have hammered Democrats over the 2019 climate law and the lack of new pipelines to bring in more gas, noting that New York’s retail electricity rates have risen at a faster clip than in other states.
即使一些民主党议员也主张优先考虑短期的可负担性问题，而非投资于清洁能源和效率项目。霍楚尔还批准了一条有争议的天然气管道进入纽约市地区，并推动新建核电站。
Even some Democratic lawmakers have pressed for prioritizing short-term affordability concerns over investments in clean energy and efficiency programs. Hochul has also approved a controversial natural gas pipeline into the New York City region and pushed for new nuclear power.
该州的分析估计，对于平均住宅电力客户，与气候法律相关的费用占电费的比例，康爱迪生公司（Con Edison）的客户为5.2%，国家电网（National Grid）的客户为9.5%。这包括对上州核电厂、屋顶光伏、能源效率和热泵的补贴。
The state’s analysis estimates that for the average residential electricity customer, climate-law related costs range from 5.2% of the bill for Con Edison to 9.5% for National Grid. That includes subsidies for upstate nuclear plants, rooftop solar, energy efficiency and heat pumps.
由于实际建成的大型风能和太阳能项目非常少，这些项目的补贴在2025年仅占月度电费的约35美分。
Because so few new large-scale wind and solar projects have actually been built, subsidies for those projects accounted for only about 35 cents on a monthly bill in 2025.
纽约州居民的电费高于大多数其他州的居民，但用电量较低有助于限制他们的账单。
New Yorkers pay higher electricity rates than residents of most other states, but lower usage helps limit their bills.
根据联邦数据，2024年纽约州的人均能源支出（包括汽油、天然气、电力和其他来源）在全美排名第二低。
New York had the second-lowest per capita energy expenditures — including gasoline, natural gas, electricity and other sources — in the nation in 2024, according to federal data.
布拉克曼尚未解释他将如何将公用事业账单减半，专家认为这一前景不可行。
Blakeman hasn’t explained how he’d cut utility bills in half, a prospect that experts consider infeasible.
“我不确定他是否明白输送费用不仅仅是某个抽象的政府费用，它们用于支付维护电网、应对风暴、更换老旧设备并保持系统可靠的人员和基础设施，”代表美国公用事业工会地方1-2分会和IBEW公用事业劳工委员会的格伦·凯西说。
“I’m not sure if he understands that delivery charges aren’t just some abstract government fee, they pay for the people and infrastructure that maintain the grid, respond to storms, replace aging equipment and keep the system reliable,” said Glen Casey, who represents Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2 and the IBEW Utility Labor Council.
纳苏县行政长官曾提出在该州允许水力压裂（fracking）以增加天然气供应并降低成本，这一做法在十多年前曾被环保组织成功禁止。
The Nassau County executive has proposed allowing fracking in the state to increase the supply of gas and lower costs, a practice environmental groups successfully fought to ban just over a decade ago.
“当我成为州长时，绿色能源骗局就此结束。一切结束了，”布拉克曼上周在锡拉丘兹与特朗普的集会上说。“当我成为州长时，马塞勒斯页岩，就是钻，宝贝，钻。” 共和党策划师戴夫·卡塔尔法莫认为，布拉克曼可以赢得选民的信任，而无需说服他们他能将账单减半。卡塔尔法莫认为能源成本是“此次竞选的决定性问题”——也是“州长不受欢迎的核心原因”。
“When I become governor, that is the end of the green energy scam. It’s over,” Blakeman said at a rally with Trump in Syracuse last week. “When I become governor, the Marcellus shale, it’s drill baby drill.”Republican strategist Dave Catalfamo suggested Blakeman could win voters' confidence without convincing them he can cut bills in half. Catalfamo considers energy costs to be “a defining issue of the race” — and “at the core of the governor's unpopularity.”
“很多事情都是方向性的信心，”卡塔尔法莫说。“我看到的唯一情况是，过去几年我的公用事业账单一直在上涨。我相信新领导层会缓解这种情况吗？是的。会减半吗？我不知道。还会继续上涨吗？可能不会。” 霍赫尔竞选发言人瑞安·拉杜洛瓦奇指出，今年预算中包含的10亿美元能源回执支票计划——并在选举前就已寄达邮箱——以及她控制公用事业成本的努力。
“A lot of this stuff is directional confidence,” Catalfamo said. “The only thing I see happening with my utility bills are increases over the past several years. Do I believe that new leadership will abate that? Yeah. Will it be half? I don't know. Will it keep going up? Probably not.”Hochul campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki pointed to a $1 billion energy rebate check program included in this year’s budget — and hitting mailboxes before the election — and her efforts to rein in utility costs.
“纽约人信任霍赫尔州长继续降低他们的能源成本，因为他们亲眼看到她做到了：从直接对抗公用事业公司，到阻止人工智能数据中心推高能源价格，到通过她的能源回执支票将10亿美元返还给家庭，到为离岸风电项目而战，这些项目每月可为纽约人节省高达7700万美元，”他在一份声明中表示。“她永远不会停止为这个州而战——布鲁斯·布拉克曼向纽约人展示了他只会为唐纳德·特朗普而战。”
“New Yorkers trust Governor Hochul to keep lowering their energy costs because they’ve seen her do it: from taking on the utility companies directly, to stopping AI data centers from jacking up energy prices, to putting $1 billion back in families’ pockets through her energy rebate checks, to fighting for offshore wind projects that would save New Yorkers up to $77 million a month,” he said in a statement. “She’s never going to stop fighting for this state – Bruce Blakeman has shown New Yorkers he’ll only fight for Donald Trump.”
布拉克曼的竞选团队未对本文的多次置评请求作出回应。 许多代表公用事业和能源行业工人的工会——这些工会过去曾因能源政策与州长发生冲突——正在支持霍赫尔。拿骚和萨福克县建筑与建筑贸易委员会主席马修·阿拉里奇批评布拉克曼反对电池储存和离岸风能，而离岸风能已经为工人提供了就业机会。
Blakeman’s campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this article. Many unions that represent utility and energy sector workers, who have clashed with the governor on energy policy in the past, are supporting Hochul. Matthew Aracich, the president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Nassau and Suffolk Counties, panned Blakeman for opposing battery storage and offshore wind, which has provided jobs for workers.
“布莱克曼支持特朗普。他支持整个事情，也就是没有海上风电，”阿拉奇说。
“Blakeman supports Trump. He supports the whole thing, which is no offshore wind,” Aracich said.