Republican candidate for governor Bruce Blakeman and Republican attorney general candidate Saritha Komatireddy are advocating for local control amid what they call “intrusive energy projects” they said are impacting upstate New York farmlands.

“I was with the energy secretary just the other day and we were talking about solar in New York state and how unproductive it is, and how it doesn’t produce the kind of energy we need to be competitive,” said Blakeman. “Those are things that Kathy Hochul ignores. She ignores the science.”

On Thursday, GOP lawmakers spoke out against New York’s energy initiatives at Hessian Hill Farm in Berne, in Albany County.

It’s a fourth-generation farm that’s been operating for more than 60 years.

“My role will not be to set energy policy, but it will be to ensure that whatever state agencies do they are not cutting corners, they are not ignoring local voices, they are not bypassing, they are in fact transparent and honest and acting with integrity,” said Komatireddy.

GOP lawmakers say since being introduced years ago and reinforced through state budgets since 2019, the Renewable Action Through Project Interconnection and Deployment Act, along with mandates stemming from the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, were anticipated to streamline renewable energy projects.

Instead, they said they’ve laid the foundation for the large-scale conversion of farmland into industrial energy sites, many with solar panels, they said often have little to no benefit to their surrounding local communities.

“New York’s so-called green energy experiment is quietly paving over the very green space that it claims to protect,” said Republican state Assemblymember Chris Tague. “Democrats ran through the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act late into the night at the very end of the 2019 legislative session. They acted like they had to pass it to find out what was in. No real debate, minimal public input, just another Albany power play.”

Republicans are calling for what they believe is a more balanced “all-of-the-above energy strategy.” This includes renewables alongside nuclear and natural gas to help preserve the state’s agricultural resources and green space, affordability, and reliability.

“Agriculture has been a way of life for generations in this state,” said Assembly Minority Leader Ed Ra. “There are nearly seven million acres of farmland in New York. We’re watching that decrease quickly. New York has lost approximately 365,000 acres of farmland and 2,800 farms in the five years between 2017 and 2022.”

In addition to Thursday’s press conference, a group of GOP lawmakers sent a letter to the New York Public Service Commission to address their concerns. In their letter, lawmakers warn that the CLCPA’s mandates, which include 70% renewable electricity by 2030 and a zero-emission grid by 2040, are proving to be “increasingly difficult to achieve in practice.”

“Families and businesses are already struggling with skyrocketing energy costs, and the CLCPA is making affordability worse, not better,” said GOP Assemblyman Matt Simpson. “We cannot continue pretending these mandates are working when they threaten reliable power and drive up bills for hardworking New Yorkers. It’s time for honesty about the real costs and for the Legislature to reconsider unworkable timelines before ratepayers pay the price.”

State Senate Environmental Conservation Committee Chair Pete Harckam said there is a cost to not implementing the CLCPA.

“By doubling down on solar as opposed to doubling down on fossil fuels yes we can meet the goals when it comes to clean energy,” said Harckam.

Thursday’s event comes on the heels of the Democratic state Snate majority introducing a new bill package on Wednesday they said is aimed at delivering relief for New Yorkers, including increasing bill transparency, increasing customer protections and help with paying their utility bills.

“This bill would make re-enrollment for HEAP an automatic uniform re-enrollment in every local service district in the state for those who maintain their eligibility,” said Democratic state Sen. Chris Ryan.

Democratic lawmakers said this package will help build off the momentum Senate Democrats built earlier this year when they passed a package specifically addressing transparency to the rate making process.

Capital Tonight reached out to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office for comment for this report and has not heard back.