New York Governor Kathy Hochul will soon release a budget that likely will include a plan to make New York the first state to ban natural gas and other fossil fuels in new construction, according to Food & Water Watch and other environmental groups. Officials at the governor’s office said Hochul was working with the legislature to finalize the budget, but could not say when they would reach an agreement. In her State of the State address in January, Hochul committed to “zero on-site greenhouse gas emissions for new construction no later than 2027.” A decision by the state would follow similar gas bans in New York City in December and dozens of smaller U.S. cities in recent years as they seek to shift from fossil fuels to cleaner forms of energy. read more In the near-term, the new laws will do little to reduce […]