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Hochul's polluters pay bill could result in regressive costs for working families: economists

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Hochul's polluters pay bill could result in regressive costs for working families: economists

A New York democratic bill aimed at charging oil and gas companies for pollution could result in regressive costs for working families in the state, energy and economic experts tell Fox News Digital.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul recently signed the Climate Change Superfund Act, a bill that seeks to charge polluters up to $75 billion for pollution dating from 2000 to 2018. The money will reportedly be used to fund projects rebuilding infrastructure damaged by weather over the years.

While the bill seeks to fine large corporations, some economists say that such actions will result in higher prices for some New Yorkers.

“It’s heartwarming to see Governor Hochul finally acknowledge what energy advocates have long understood: the best way for humanity to thrive is through adaptation to a changing climate. By signing this bill, she’s effectively endorsed that philosophy—though in the most counterproductive way possible,” Jason Isaac, CEO and founder of The American Energy Institute, said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital. 

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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill to charge “polluters” for climate change. (John Lamparski)

“Instead of incentivizing innovation, this legislation piles billions in new costs onto energy producers, punishing the very industry that keeps the light and heat on for New Yorkers,” Isaac continued. “The real tragedy here isn’t just the higher energy costs for working families; it’s watching businesses and residents flee a state that refuses to adapt its own bloated policies to economic reality.”

“The result will be higher energy costs for households, families, and small businesses in one of the most expensive states to live in the country,” Trisha Curtis, economist at the American Energy Institute, said. “With no plan to address the broader economic consequences, this law will drive people, businesses, and state revenue out of New York and into other more competitive states.”

O.H. Skinner is the executive director of the Alliance for Consumers, a Phoenix-based nonprofit committed to ensuring consumer protection efforts, class action lawsuits, and attorney general enforcement actions are consistent with the rule of law. He is also a member of the Washington, D.C.-based Federalist Society. 

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Skinner called the bill “the latest attempt by left-wing politicians in New York to drive reliable energy production out of existence and force everyone to abide by their preferred Progressive Lifestyle Choices.”

“This policy will do nothing except raise energy prices for hardworking Americans and decrease our standard of living, while progressive elites pat themselves on the back for punishing disfavored industries,” Skinner told Fox.

The sun rises on the skyline of Midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building in New York City. (Gary Hershorn)

“Whether it’s charging citizens to drive into their own city, banning new gas appliances, or foisting a massive new tax bound to significantly raise the price of energy, hardly a day goes by that New York government doesn’t implement ESG policies that make their citizens’ lives quantifiably worse,” said Consumers’ Research Executive Director Will Hild.

Fox News contributor David Webb said that the bill is “going to cost New Yorkers.”

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“If you’re an energy company, you’re already guilty. They’re just going to decide over the next decade how they’re going to charge you for your guilt,” Webb told “Fox & Friends First,” calling Hochul a “far left governor” that is “bound to this ideology.”

However, proponents praised the legislation for requiring companies to pay for fossil fuel pollution in the state.

“By signing the Climate Change Superfund Act, Gov. Hochul is addressing the financial burden placed on New Yorkers by the fossil fuel companies,” said Richard Schrader, Director of New York Government Affairs at Natural Resources Defense Council, a nonprofit environmental organization. “It’s a key example of what putting fiscal fairness and environmental justice front and center looks like.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul is up for re-election in 2026. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket)

In total, 38 firms reportedly deemed carbon polluters will be on the hook, such as American oil giants Exxon and Chevron, as well as the UK’s Shell and BP.

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Vermont remains the only other state to adopt similar pieces of legislation.

The bill comes just weeks after Hochul rolled out a plan to offer payments of up to $840 to New York residents who switch out their washing machines for a green alternative.

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Northeast

Murder suspect in Baltimore robbery spree was on probation, records show

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Murder suspect in Baltimore robbery spree was on probation, records show

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A Baltimore man faces first-degree murder and multiple armed robbery charges after authorities say he carried out a nine-day crime spree that left a convenience store clerk dead.

Baltimore police said 52-year-old Brian Burrows was arrested in connection with a commercial armed robbery and the fatal shooting of Khaled Saleh Mohamed Alshariki on Feb. 13.

Court records show Burrows has been charged in three separate cases stemming from incidents on Feb. 6, Feb. 13 and Feb. 15. In total, he faces 21 charges, including one count of first-degree murder, three counts each of armed robbery, first-degree assault, use of a firearm in a violent crime and handgun on person.

He also faces two counts each of robbery and second-degree assault, along with charges including reckless endangerment, theft and discharging a firearm.

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Brian Burrows faces first-degree murder charges, among numerous others, after police say a nine-day robbery spree left a convenience store clerk dead. (Baltimore City Police)

According to police, officers responded to reports of a shooting around 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 13 and found a 36-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound to the torso. The victim, later identified as Alshariki, was transported to a nearby hospital where he died.

FOX45 News in Baltimore reported it obtained charging documents in the cases, which state surveillance footage captured a suspect approaching Alshariki as he worked behind the counter, pulling out a gun, demanding money and firing a fatal shot.

Court records show investigators used facial recognition technology to identify Burrows as a possible match.

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A Baltimore man faces first-degree murder and 20 other charges. (Getty Images)

Two days later, another armed robbery was reported at Family Grocery and Tobacco, about a half mile north of the Broadway store.

Police said witness statements and surveillance footage helped identify Burrows, and investigators allege the video evidence also linked him to the fatal shooting.

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Burrows was arrested Feb. 19 after detectives executed a warrant. (iStock)

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Burrows was arrested Feb. 19 after detectives executed a warrant at a home in Linden Heights. He was taken to an intake facility and charged.

Court records also show Burrows had an outstanding probation violation warrant issued in September 2025 in a prior armed robbery case. In that case, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with 13 years suspended, and placed on supervised probation before his release.

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Burrows remains held without bond as prosecutors pursue the murder and robbery charges, while the probation violation from his prior armed robbery case remains pending.

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Boston, MA

Red Sox rotation contender strikes out four in dominant outing

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Red Sox rotation contender strikes out four in dominant outing


FORT MYERS, Fla. — Johan Oviedo’s first outing of the spring last week didn’t go great, as the right-hander walked three over 1 2/3 innings in a performance manager Alex Cora described as “erratic.”

His second outing on Monday went much better.



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Pittsburg, PA

Record number of peregrine falcons counted in Allegheny County

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Record number of peregrine falcons counted in Allegheny County



In the early 1960s, the peregrine falcon population declined so sharply that the raptors weren’t even nesting in Pennsylvania. But now, the National Aviary says a record number have been counted in Allegheny County.

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The National Aviary says six peregrine falcons were recorded in the county during the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count. The nation’s longest-running citizen science project collects data on bird populations for ornithologists, the aviary says. It also plays a role in guiding conservation action, like what was needed to bring peregrine falcons back from the brink of extinction. 

Because of the use of DDT, peregrine falcons were no longer nesting in the state of Pennsylvania by the early 1960s, the aviary said. But after the harmful pesticide, which negatively affects reproduction rates in birds, was banned in 1972, conservation efforts have helped the peregrine falcon rebound. It was removed from the federal endangered species list in 1999 and Pennsylvania’s list in 2021. 

The record number of peregrine falcons in Allegheny County is thanks in part to the nest on top of Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning in Oakland. For the past two years, biologists with the Pennsylvania Game Commission have banded chicks born in the nest. Three were banded last year, and two the year before that. 

People can watch Carla and Ecco raise their family in the nest on a livestream camera run by the National Aviary. Carla laid her first egg of the breeding season on March 16 last year, so the aviary says the start of another season isn’t too far away. 

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