Since the article is paywalled, I'll try to cobble together what I know about the subject.
If you go to the article's source code, you can pull the full article out of the code. I interpret this as Hochul folding to pressure from the mango mussolini administration to turn away from renewables.
Article pulled from source code:
Kathy Hochul’s administration ordered organizations contracted to promote clean energy to stop referencing New York’s 2019 climate law in January. A representative from NYSERDA, the state’s energy authority, said the authority’s communications team asked that regional clean energy hubs remove “all references to the Climate Act and Goals” in their “talking points.” The hubs were directed to use “energy transition” messaging instead, according to a screenshot of a message obtained by POLITICO. The directive, which has not been previously reported, reflects the administration’s carefully crafted rhetorical pivot on energy as Hochul presses to weaken the targets enshrined in the climate law. The governor has said the 2019 law’s goals are not feasible and could drive major energy cost increases if changes are not made. Hochul is pushing to change the law in this year’s budget, spurring pushback from some progressive Democratic lawmakers and environmental groups. State policymakers face a March 31 deadline to reach a budget deal, although it increasingly looks like they won’t finish their work on time. An organizational member of NYSERDA’s Energy Equity Collaborative steering committee said the authority’s “dangerous policy” was made without consulting with a group of community-based organizations, including partners with the regional hubs.
“This intentional decision to remove any inclusion of the Climate Law in communication to disadvantaged communities only furthers Governor Hochul’s egregious and illegal attempt to dismantle the Climate Law altogether,” said the member, who was granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. Hochul is proposing changes to the law that would allow New York to take less aggressive action to reduce emissions but would keep intact a net zero target for 2050. “We are not going to give credence to anonymous sources who are spreading misleading and outright false information,” said Ken Lovett, a spokesperson for Hochul. A judge ruled in October the state had failed to issue regulations to achieve the law’s targets, a ruling the governor has appealed. Hochul has shifted to promoting an “all of the above” energy policy as the state faces federal opposition to renewables including offshore wind. She’s embraced new nuclear energy and the potential for gas repowering, drawing praise from business groups and some labor unions. Those interests also support her effort to change the climate law.
NYSERDA gets funding from utility ratepayers. The authority spends millions on consultants and communications firms to administer and market energy efficiency, clean energy and electrification programs. “The work of our Clean Energy Hubs is focused on helping individuals and businesses participate in energy saving programs, instead of the policy driving that work,” said NYSERDA spokesperson Kate Muller in a statement in response to questions about the change.
The state in early 2025 also scrubbed references to meeting the state’s climate targets from a rebranded website about the “cap and invest” program, which Hochul shelved and ultimately got sued over.