Brian Lair on WNYC, now a segment for the Health and Climate Tuesday section of the show,

which we've been doing every week this year.

We'll be on the climate side today.

Governor Hokel is under fire from climate advocates the last two days, big time, a few days,

after two major moves, approving the long-disputed Williams-Northeast supply enhancement gas pipeline.

I know that's a mouthful.

It's a project that state regulators had

rejected several times on environmental grounds and agreeing to delay implementation of New York's

all-electric buildings law, which begins phasing fossil fuel hookups out of new construction.

Earth justice and other groups say these decisions are

political favors for fossil fuel interests that will raise bills and worsen pollution. The governor

argues she's protecting reliability and affordability and giving courts time to resolve outstanding

legal questions. A recent New York Times story is also

raising questions about potential conflicts of interest involving clients of the law firm where the

governor's husband works. And there's a new advocacy group report out today detailing a sharp

increase in lobbying by utilities and fossil fuel companies under Hockel,

including firms that have pushed to weaken the state's climate laws in various ways.

So we are joined by Liz Moran, policy advocate in Earth Justice's Northeast Office,

to talk about what these decisions could mean for New Yorkers' bills,

the state's climate goals, and the politics around all of this from an environmental

advocate's point of view. Liz, thanks for joining us for this. Welcome back to WNYC.

Thanks so much for having me, Brian. Happy to be here. And I will ask you some pushback questions as we go from people on the other side of these issues. But how would you characterize what these two decisions, approving the gas pipeline and delaying the all-electric buildings law, signal about Governor Hockel's current approach to climate and energy policy.

...