Blakeman, GOP candidate for governor, promises to cut utility costs in half for New Yorkers

By RICK MILLER

Olean Star

OLEAN — Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman said in Olean Friday that New York’s utility rates are too high and if elected he would cut them by 50%.

Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, met with local businessmen and elected officials at the Bartlett Country Club before a press conference at the gazebo in Lincoln Park with other GOP elected officials and candidates.

Blakeman, who is challenging Gov. Kathy Hochul in the November election, focused on lifting New York’s fracking ban to bring down energy prices for New Yorkers. 

He criticized the state’s approach to green energy and said increased energy production and economic development in neighboring Pennsylvania is an indication of what can happen in New York.

New York’s utility costs are 70% higher than the national average, Blakeman told reporters and supporters who gathered for the press conference at Lincoln Park. Taxes, excessive delivery fees and the green energy scam are to blame, he said. The answer is to “drill, baby, drill.”

Blakeman said the Southern Tier has “one of the largest national gas reserves in the world. “The way to create economic development is through cheap energy, and we have that great resource here in New York state.”

The Southern Tier “is one of the poorest regions in America,” Blakeman said. “We can create economic prosperity, create good jobs, good benefits and lower everybody’s utility bills in New York state.”

Blakeman illustrated the difference fracking for oil and natural gas has had in Pennsylvania. “Wehn I come across the border from Pennsylvania to New York state, it’s a stark contrast, very stark. In Pennsylvania, they’re driving around in brand new Cadillac Escalades. Here on the New York side of the border, they are driving around in 25-year-old rusty pickup trucks.

Cheap energy could also be used to power new data centers needed for AI, which he said is the future. “We’re going to have data centers here in New York,” Blakeman said. “We don’t have to shove it down people’s throats and put it in communities that don’t want it.” But, communities should share in the prosperity created by data centers, he added.

Blakeman also introduced his running mate, lieutenant governor candidate Todd Hood, the Madison County sheriff, and Republican comptroller candidate Joseph Hernandez

State Sen. George Borrello and Assemblyman Joe Sempolinski echoed Blakeman’s energy comments.

Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, said, “We import more power than we produce in New York state. That’s shameful. We need to unleash the power of natural gas that’s right under our feet here.”

Sempolinski, R-Canisteo, said electing Blakeman will open up energy exploration in New York and create economic development from the responsible extraction of oil and gas. “If we can get the right leadership in the governor’s office to allow us to build our own economy here in the Southern Tier, every one of my constituents, every one of George’s constituents will all benefit.”

Also speaking was Mary Gilstrap, president of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York, who endorsed Blakeman. She said fracking is being done in 14 states and is safer than when it started two decades ago and there were concerns over water contamination.

“The technology has changed,” Gilstrap said. “Horizontal drilling and high volume hydro fracturing has advanced through regulations and innovations. The concerns that shaped the 2015 bans were real, but the industry of 2026 is not the same industry as the 2010 industry. Modern well casing standards, lined drilling sites, frack water reuse and real-time environmental monitoring have transformed operations.”