Business is booming on Long Island — finally! There are more jobs Island-wide than pre-pandemic, with major growth in sectors like food manufacturing, civil engineering construction and e-commerce. However, the economic challenges faced in recent years have highlighted the fragility of our economy. Businesses need certainty that there’s a future for growth on Long Island, and our residents need certainty that the Island will be an affordable place to live and find good-paying jobs.

With this in mind, we worry that a proposal circulating in Albany to begin diminishing the use of natural gas could have significant unintended consequences that jeopardize both reliability and affordability of energy, which businesses and residents alike both need to thrive.

The NY HEAT Act would end the obligation for utilities to provide new natural gas hookups to customers who want it, and require state regulators to explore options to eventually decommission the gas network forcing off existing customers. As local officials representing coastal communities, we are well aware of the environmental concerns underpinning the proposed transition away from natural gas, and broadly support the state’s climate goals. However, it’s premature to force the transition when enough clean electricity is not yet available to meet the needs of residents and businesses.

Job creation and investment is dependent on reliable, cost-effective energy, and it would be irresponsible for lawmakers to proceed until we have a complete roadmap for how an affordable transition can occur. After all, replacing existing gas infrastructure with electric alternatives is a lengthy and expensive process. We risk facing unreliable power outages, further disrupting our lives and businesses.

We saw how precarious our energy system was during Superstorm Sandy and the vital role the more reliable gas network played. Yet despite investments to shore up the energy system and build resiliency in the storm’s aftermath, there are clear warning signs that the current electric grid lacks the capacity to handle a complete shift away from natural gas – at the same time that network is being asked to take on additional loads to electrify transportation and to electrify homes on oil and propane.

According to the New York Independent System Operator, New York City could experience a 446-megawatt power supply shortfall as early as summer 2025 due to increasing demand paired with the removal of power-producing plants from the system. The vulnerability of our energy system underscores the need for a significant increase in the availability of clean electricity to enable a reliable transition – and more than have to triple in size to accommodate projected future electric loads.

We must also be mindful of the impact that forcing customers off the gas network will have on regular families who are already contending with an affordability crisis. Families in Nassau and Suffolk counties not only pay some of the highest property taxes in the state, but the entire nation. We fear the significant financial undertaking of replacing existing gas infrastructure with expensive retrofits will only add to the steady exodus of people off of the Island, many of them young people.

Transitioning away from natural gas is a complex issue with no easy answers, and Long Island cannot afford to be a casual spectator to this proposal. Only by fostering open transparent dialogue and prioritizing a reliable and affordable energy transition for all, can we chart a course toward a cleaner and more resilient future.