FIRST, SOME ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS AT THE CAPITOL THIS WEEK.

THE HOCHUL ADMINISTRATION IS PUSHING A CHANGE IN THE STATE'S ENERGY TRANSITION THAT THEY SAY WILL REDUCE COSTS FOR CONSUMERS OVER THE NEXT FEW DECADES, BUT ENVIRONMENTALISTS SAY IT WOULD DOWNPLAY THE IMPACT OF EMISSIONS FROM METHANE, THE MAIN COMPONENT OF NATURAL GAS.

IT ALL GOES BACK TO 2019 WHEN NEW YORK PASSED ITS LANDMARK CLIMATE LAW.

THAT LAW SET THE STATE'S AMBITIOUS CLIMATE TARGETS OVER THE NEXT THREE DECADES.

THOSE INCLUDE A 40% REDUCTION IN GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS BY 2030 AND AN 85% REDUCTION BY 2050 AND TO GET THERE, THE LAW OUTLINED A WAY TO MEASURE CARBON EMISSIONS.

RIGHT NOW, EMISSIONS FROM METHANE WOULD BE MEASURED OVER 20 YEARS, BUT THE HOCHUL ADMINISTRATION, THROUGH NEW LEGISLATION, WANTS TO CHANGE THAT TO 100 YEARS, AND THAT'S A BIG CHANGE, BUT STATE DEC COMMISSIONER BASIL SEGGOS GOES SAY, WITHOUT IT, THE COST FOR CONSUMERS WILL BE HIGHER.

WHAT THAT TRANSLATES INTO IS UPWARDS OF 62 CENTS A GALLON OF GASOLINE INCREASE, AN 80% INCREASE IN HOME HEATING COSTS AND THAT'S OBVIOUSLY GAVE US CAUSE FOR CONCERN.

BEFORE WE EXPLAIN HOW IT WOULD SAVE CONSUMERS MONEY, I WANT TO BREAK DOWN THE SCIENCE OF IT AND WHY ENVIRONMENTALISTS ARE AGAINST IT.

METHANE IS A REALLY POTENT FOSSIL FUEL.

ACCORDING TO THE U.S. EPA IT'S 25 TIMES STRONGER THAN CO2, ANOTHER GREENHOUSE GAS.

BUT THE THING ABOUT METHANE IS THAT IT BREAKS DOWN IN THE AIR RELATIVELY FAST.

AFTER ABOUT 12 YEARS METHANE DISSIPATES AND LEAVES BEHIND CO2 AND WATER.

SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE CLIMATE IMPACT OF METHANE, OVER 20 YEARS, IT'S GOING TO LOOK REALLY STRONG BECAUSE A LOT OF IT WILL STILL BE IN THE ATMOSPHERE, BUT IF YOU MEASURE IT OVER 100 YEARS THE EMISSIONS FOR METHANE LOOK SMALLER BECAUSE MOST OF IT WILL HAVE BROKEN DOWN, AND THAT'S WHY ENVIRONMENTALISTS ARE AGAINST THE CHANGE.

ASSEMBLY MEMBER ANNA KELLES.

WHAT THIS BILL WILL DO IS IT WILL WATER DOWN OUR ESTIMATION OF METHANE.

METHANE IS IN THE ATMOSPHERE FOR A MAXIMUM OF 12 YEARS BUT THIS IS SAYING THAT WE WILL MEASURE IT ON A HUNDRED YEARS, WHICH MEANS THAT FOR 90 YEARS OF IT WHERE IT HAS ZERO IMPACT, IT WILL WATER DOWN THE TEN YEARS THAT IT HAS A TREMENDOUS IMPACT.

SO THAT'S THE SCIENCE SIDE OF IT.

NOW THE COST.

BASICALLY, WE KNOW THAT REDUCING EMISSIONS TO MEET THE STATE'S CLIMATE GOALS WILL BE EXPENSIVE ESPECIALLY FOR POWER PRODUCERS AND DISTRIBUTORS AND THOSE COMPANIES CAN PASS ON THOSE COSTS TO CONSUMERS.

SO AS THE STATE CHANGES HOW METHANE IS MEASURED AND THAT SHOWS EMISSIONS IS LOWER OVER A LONGER TIME, THOSE COMPANIES DON'T HAVE TO WORK AS HARD TO MEET THEIR EMISSIONS GOALS.

SO IN OTHER WORDS, GOOD FOR THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY BUT LESS GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, AND THE HOPE, THE STATE SAYS, IS THAT IT WOULD BE CHEAPER FOR CONSUMERS.

NYSERDA CEO DOREEN HARRIS.

SO WHEN YOU PUT THAT ALTOGETHER, IT MEANS THERE ARE SUBSTANTIAL COSTS THAT WILL BE BORNE BY NEW YORKERS THAT THEY OTHERWISE WOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY.

THAT'S A CENTRAL ASPECT OF WHY WE'RE ADVANCING THIS CHANGE SO THAT IT'S AFFORDABLE FOR NEW YORKERS TO REALIZE THE CLIMATE ACTS GOALS.

THEN THE HOCHUL ADMINISTRATION WALKED BACK THAT PROPOSAL SAYING IT'S STILL ON THE TABLE BUT THAT THEY WON'T PUSH FOR IT IN THE BUDGET.