Politics

New York doubles down on war on gas appliances over opposition from unions

Published

11 months ago

February 19, 2024

New York doubles down on war on gas appliances over opposition from unions

Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul released her fiscal year 2025 budget which included provisions to further curb the state’s reliance on natural gas as part of her administration’s climate agenda.

The governor’s proposed budget would include provisions taken directly from the NY HEAT Act, also known as the Affordable Gas Transition Act, which “supports responsible, equitable, and effective gas system transition planning,” according to her office. While Hochul’s office said the proposal wouldn’t force any resident to transition away from gas, the bill would empower state regulators to indirectly push such a transition.

“The Affordable Gas Transition Act would not force any existing customers to get rid of their gas service,” a spokesperson for Hochul told Fox News Digital. “Governor Hochul continues to prioritize the health and safety of New Yorkers by reducing harmful emissions and ensuring all New Yorkers have continued access to affordable and reliable utility service.”

But, if passed by the state’s legislature, Hochul’s budget would require utilities to provide incentives encouraging customers to adopt green alternatives, pushing them to discontinue existing gas service.

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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks during her State of the State address in Albany, New York, on Jan. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

In addition, the budget would eliminate New York’s so-called “100-foot” rule which mandates that utility providers install a gas hookup for any customer whose home is located within 100 feet of an existing pipeline. The law has been the subject of intense criticism from environmentalists who argue it encourages new customers to rely on gas service rather than electricity.

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“We applaud the Governor’s inclusion of this necessary policy, which will give the Public Service Commission the authority and direction to align gas utility regulations and system planning with the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act,” Earthjustice, a left-wing climate advocacy organization, said in a statement.

“Importantly, it will eliminate the unjust 100-foot rule, which forces everyday New Yorkers to pay for the expansion of the gas system to the tune of more than $200 million every year. It also removes a mandate to provide fossil fuel to residential customers,” the group added. “This language, which obligated utilities to serve gas to residential customers, blocked the state’s transition to healthy, inexpensive heating and cooling.”

Hochul’s proposal is the governor’s latest salvo in her fight to reduce the state’s overall carbon footprint, and greenhouse emissions generated from the building and residential sector in particular.

In 2022, more than 58% of all New York households relied on natural gas for heating while another 17% used heating oil, according to the Energy Information Administration. (AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle, File)

Last year, she reached an agreement with the state legislature to finalize a budget mandating that all new construction of smaller buildings is zero-emissions by December 2025 and all new construction of other buildings is zero-emissions three years later. The law, which effectively initiates a ban on gas hookups in new construction, is the first statewide law of its kind.

Hochul has also expanded the New York Power Authority’s control over renewable energy development and fossil fuel power shutdowns.

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However, her actions have faced criticism from state Republicans, power providers and labor unions who say the state isn’t ready for such a rapid transition to green energy. Both the New York Power Authority and New York Independent System Operator warned Hochul’s plans could be detrimental to the state’s electric grid, while unions warned there isn’t a large enough green energy supply in the state yet.

According to state data, the buildings and residential sector has the largest carbon footprint of any economic sector in New York. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

“We need to have enough alternative energy that is readily available and affordable across the state before proposals like the NY HEAT Act are considered. As of now, that is not the case,” Mario Cilento — the president of the New York State AFL-CIO, which represents millions of workers across 3,000 affiliated public sector, private sector and building trades unions — told Fox News Digital.

“We believe the State of New York can lead by supporting the development of more clean energy generation alternatives, including transitioning to proven thermal energy networks,” he continued. “This, along with strong labor standards on construction, maintenance, operations and supply chain, will help meet the CLCPA emission reduction goals while creating good union jobs.”

Overall, in 2022, more than 58% of all New York households relied on natural gas for heating while another 17% used heating oil, according to the Energy Information Administration. Additionally, 15% of households in the state were heated with electricity, the largest share of which was generated by natural gas power plants.

At the same time, the buildings and residential sector produces 32% of New York’s total emissions, more than any other sector, the most recent New York Department of Environmental Conservation data showed.

Thomas Catenacci is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

Politics

Trump Begins Selling New Meme Coin Days Ahead of Inauguration

Published

5 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Trump Begins Selling New Meme Coin Days Ahead of Inauguration

President-elect Donald J. Trump and his family on Friday started selling a cryptocurrency token featuring an image of Mr. Trump drawn from the July assassination attempt, a potentially lucrative new business that ethics experts assailed as a blatant effort to cash in on the office he is about to occupy again.

Disclosed just days before his second inauguration, the venture is the latest in a series of moves by Mr. Trump that blur the line between his government role and the continued effort by his family to profit from his power and global fame. It is yet another sign that the Trump family will be much less hesitant in this second term to bend or breach traditional ethical boundaries.

Mr. Trump himself announced the launch of his new business on Friday night on his social media platform, in between announcements about filling key federal government posts. He is calling the token $Trump, selling it with the slogan, “Join the Trump Community. This is History in the Making!”

The venture was organized by CIC Digital LLC, an affiliate of the Trump Organization, which already has been selling an array of other kinds of merchandise like Trump-branded sneakers, fragrances and even digital trading cards.

But this newest venture brings Mr. Trump and his family directly into the world of selling cryptocurrency, which is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Mr. Trump recently disclosed he intended to name a cryptocurrency advocate as S.E.C. chairman.

A disclosure on the website selling the tokens says that CIC Digital and its affiliates own 80 percent of the supply of the new Trump tokens that will be released gradually over the coming three years and that they will be paid “trading revenue” as the tokens are sold.

The move by Mr. Trump and his family was immediately condemned by ethics lawyers who said they could not recall a more explicit profiteering effort by an incoming president.

“It is literally cashing in on the presidency — creating a financial instrument so people can transfer money to the president’s family in connection with his office” said Adav Noti, executive director of Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit ethics group. “It is beyond unprecedented.”

Eric Trump, who helps run Trump Organization business operations, said on Saturday that this offering was part of a new and growing business sector that the Trump family has entered.

“I am extremely proud of what we continue to accomplish in crypto,” Eric Trump said in a statement to The New York Times. “$Trump is currently the hottest digital meme on earth.” He added: “This is just the beginning.”

But even some in the cryptocurrency industry were quick to criticize the new token.

“Trump owning 80 percent and timing launch hours before inauguration is predatory and many will likely get hurt by it,” wrote Nick Tomaino, a crypto venture capitalist and former executive at Coinbase, one of the largest crypto trading platforms, in a social media posting on Saturday.

The president-elect and his three sons had, as of late last year, already lent their name to another cryptocurrency startup called World Liberty Financial, an arrangement that included a cut of token sales for the Trump family in exchange for helping promote the new brand.

But the members of the Trump family, with World Liberty Financial, were not actually owners of the platform or officers in the company.

There are other crypto currency coins in the marketplace based on Mr. Trump that are not directly affiliated with his family like the new Trump Meme. Typically, these so-called meme coins — which were born when coins were created as a joke inspired by an internet meme or cartoonish animal faces — are largely worthless and traded more like a hobby.

With this new venture, companies associated with Mr. Trump’s family have a direct financial stake in the value of the new tokens and in the volume of their sales, which quickly surged after going on the market.

“GetTrumpMemes.com is not political and has nothing to do with any political campaign or any political office or governmental agency,” the venture’s website says, adding, “Trump Memes are intended to function as an expression of support for, and engagement with, the ideals and beliefs embodied by the symbol ‘$TRUMP.’”

The legal disclosures say the tokens are not intended to be seen as “an investment opportunity, investment contract or security of any type.” But trading of them on cryptocurrency markets began immediately, driving up the value of each token from $7 to nearly $30 as of noon on Saturday.

This suggested that the so-called fully diluted value of all the tokens as of Saturday at noon was $30 billion, a number achieved less than a day after the token went on the market, according to CoinMarketCap, a site that tracks cryptocurrency trading.

Mr. Trump and his family are clear in the marketing of the new token that the image picked for the coin had been inspired by the July assassination attempt in Butler, Pa.

“President Trump faced death and came up fighting!” the website promoting the tokens says.

Cryptocurrency markets tend to be highly volatile, in part because tokens are not backed by any tangible assets. The website for Mr. Trump’s new venture includes an extensive collection of disclaimers limiting the ability of anyone buying the token to file a class-action lawsuit related to it and warning buyers that “Trump Memes may be extremely volatile, and price fluctuations in cryptocurrencies could impact the price.”

Mr. Trump has already made clear that he will be working to promote the cryptocurrency industry.

He has announced his intention to appoint regulators who will lift restrictions on the sale of new tokens and ties between cryptocurrency companies and other more traditional financial enterprises.

This stands in contrast to efforts by Biden-era regulators to tightly regulate the industry, out of a concern that a sudden crash in the value of cryptocurrency could potentially lead to a future financial crash.

Politics

Thousands of left-wing demonstrators descend on Washington to protest Trump inauguration

Published

6 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Thousands of left-wing demonstrators descend on Washington to protest Trump inauguration

Thousands of mainly female protesters descended on Washington, D.C. to protest President–elect Trump’s inauguration on Monday. However, the crowd is only a tenth of the half a million who turned out for the “Women’s March” in 2017.

Saturday’s march, rebranded as the “People’s March,” is taking place at three different locations with demonstrators advocating for a wide range of left-wing causes and showcasing a united front to the new administration.

This morning, a kickoff event took place in Franklin Park for “gender justice” and bodily autonomy, and then demonstrators walked downtown before making their way towards the Lincoln Memorial for the day’s main event.

Demonstrators participate in the “People’s March” on Washington January 18, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Activists were rallying in opposition to the incoming Trump administration’s policy objectives two days before the presidential inauguration. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

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“It’s really healing to be here with all of you today in solidarity and togetherness, in the face of what’s going to be some really horrible extremism,” Mini Timmaraju, the head of advocacy group Reproductive Freedom for All, told the crowd as events kicked off.

Other protesters gathered at two other parks also near the White House, with one group focused on democracy and immigration and another on local Washington issues,

Vendors hawked buttons that said #MeToo and “Love trumps hate,” and sold People’s March flags for $10. Demonstrators carried posters that read “Feminists v. Fascists” and “People over politics.”

Lillian Fenske, 31, drove six hours from Greensboro, North Carolina, to participate. Her signs expressed concern over oligarchs and the disunity. “America is not for sale,” said one, while another said simply, “Divided We Fall.”

Protestors representing a variety of rights groups attend the "People's March on Washington" on January 18, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Protesters representing a variety of rights groups attend the “People’s March on Washington” on January 18, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Activists were rallying in opposition to the incoming Trump administration’s policy objectives two days before the presidential inauguration. (Bryan Woolston/Getty Images)

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There is a heavy police presence, although law enforcement is not expecting a repeat of the violent scenes seen across the city ahead of Inauguration Day in 2017, where protesters shattered glass storefronts and torched cars, with police arresting more than 200 people in demonstrations that spanned several days.

The enthusiasm behind the so-called resistance movement to Trump has waned somewhat, with many progressive voters expressing feelings of exhaustion and disappointment following Trump’s landslide win in November. He dominated both the Electoral College and the popular vote to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris after a historic campaign cycle.

Demonstrators during the People's March,

Animated pro-choice and cliamte protesters holding signs at the march. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

The 2017 Women’s March took place on the day after Trump’s inauguration. Celebrities like America Ferrera, Madonna, Ashley Judd, Cher, Katy Perry, Amy Schumer, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Michael Moore, Debra Messing, Patricia Arquette and others attended the march.

President-elect Trump is expected to leave Mar-a-Lago later today and head to Washington.

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Trump’s advisers have not detailed how he will spend the first part of the day, and the only public event on Trump’s schedule is an evening reception and fireworks show at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.

Donald Trump giving his inaugural address in 2017

President-elect Trump delivers his inaugural address on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017,, in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

On Sunday, there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery and a “Make America Great Again” rally, at which Trump will deliver remarks, followed by a candlelit dinner.

Monday is Inauguration Day when Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance will participate in the swearing-in ceremony, which has been moved indoors due to the forecasted frigid temperatures.

Fox News’ Brooke Singman, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.

You can send tips to michael.dorgan@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.

Politics

Harris joins a decades-old tradition for vice presidents in her final days in office

Published

6 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Harris joins a decades-old tradition for vice presidents in her final days in office

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris, in one of her last public appearances in the role, signed her ceremonial desk drawer at the White House on Thursday, a tradition that dates back nearly a century.

As a crush of current and prior staffers gathered in Harris’ formal office at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, she thanked them for their “extraordinary commitment” to public service and prioritizing the hopes and dreams of the American people.

“We have each taken on a life and a calling that is about doing work in the service of others, and doing it in a way that is fueled yes with ambition, yes with a sense of almost stubbornness about not hearing no and knowing we can make a difference,” Harris said.

Kamala Harris’ and other vice presidents’ signatures on a desk drawer in Harris’ office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

(Susan Walsh / Associated Press)

Then, as Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff snapped pictures, Harris used a Sharpie to sign her desk drawer, a tradition that dates back to the 1940s and has been carried on continuously since the Ford administration. The vice president noted that she has met every one of her predecessors who signed the desk with the exception of Presidents Eisenhower and Truman.

As onlookers chanted, “MVP! MVP!” Harris, who unsuccessfully challenged President-elect Donald Trump for the White House in 2024, was asked what she planned to do next. Speculation about whether she would run for governor of California has been swirling.

“I’ll keep you posted,” she said, smiling.