Governor's officeTier 1
Hochul launches an enrollment drive for the Energy Affordability Program: 1M households enrolled, state says 2.5M more are eligible after the January 2026 expansion to median-income households (up to $162K for a family of four in Con Ed territory); discounts cap a typical bill at under 6% of income
DPS will run targeted ads, direct mail, email and texts, with social-services agencies cross-referencing enrollees in SNAP, Medicaid, SSI and other programs, which are EAP-eligible but not auto-enrolled because of privacy rules. Eligibility expanded in January 2026 to households below state median income (or area median income in NYC, Westchester and Nassau). State cites $6.6B in direct utility-bill relief since 2021 plus the $1B POWER checks mailing from Sept 21. Announced one week before the POWER checks and seven weeks before the election.
More on energy
Governor's office / Attorney General James joint release · Sep 22, 2026New York leads eight states in two federal suits to void Trump administration deals paying Bluepoint Wind ($765M) and Invenergy ($653M) from the Judgment Fund to cancel four offshore wind leases, two off New YorkWXXI News (Beth Adams) · Sep 18, 2026Blakeman in Greece (Rochester): says he would sign an "emergency order" lifting the fracking ban to cut utility rates in half, calls the POWER checks "an election year trick," and says he opposes large-scale solar on farmland and offshore windNew York Post (Carl Campanile); text verified via EVSHIFT syndication · Sep 15, 2026Blakeman pledges to kill the 2035 gas-car ban (Advanced Clean Cars II) and building electrification rules if elected: "Kathy Hochul looks at middle-class commuters and sees an ATM," citing 21 toll and fare hikes and congestion pricing; Hochul campaign does not defend the mandate directly, instead ties Blakeman to Trump gas prices and tariffsSpectrum News · Aug 28, 2026State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez urges Hochul to sign a data-center moratorium bill that goes beyond her executive order
Source: Governor's office · Sep 15, 2026 · Credibility Tier 1 · Permalink https://reviewhochul.com/news/eap-enrollment-drive-2-5m-households
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