WEST SENECA, N.Y. — It's no secret Western New York can be home to severe winter weather.

Rep. Nick Langworthy said without commonsense energy solutions, it leaves his district vulnerable.

"I wanted to stand in front of this snowbank to have people understand just how much winter weather impacts us here in Western New York and we were faced with a windstorm and then two back-to-back snowstorms," Langworthy said.

The congressman met with Republican town supervisors Thursday to discuss the potential impacts of the state's current policies. He said he's particularly concerned about a law on the books that will ban natural gas hookups for new builds in the coming years. 

"The importance of reliable energy during New York winters cannot be overstated," Langworthy said. "It saves life."

He believes the state's move away from natural gas and toward full electrification of buildings and vehicles is short-sighted. Langworthy said Democratic state lawmakers don't appear to be adequately considering how to produce more electricity or to harden the grid, even as experts talk about the necessity.

"There's been a lot of federal money sent to Albany for infrastructure. The grid is critical infrastructure. Perhaps they should spend some of that towards that," he said.

Langworthy also disagrees with the governor's decision to continue the previous administration's ban on fracking natural gas in the Southern Tier region he represents. 

"My district sits on the Marcellus Shale. I represent counties that have essentially the Saudi Arabia of natural gas underneath our feet. God gave us that energy in the ground and bureaucrats in Albany won't allow us to harness that gas," he said.

He continues to advocate for federal solutions like HR1, the Republican energy plan, which Langworthy said promotes both renewable and traditional energy sources. He said if the Senate will not pass the legislation, the federal government should at least consider bipartisan permitting reform and policy that allows more pipelines to cross state lines.

He also sponsors a bill that would prohibit states or local governments from banning an energy service's connection, reconnection or modification, like what New York has in place with natural gas.

"We're always looking for those solutions,” Langworthy said. “We have legislation we're working with a lot of western state partners on to try to get to the finish line, but elections have consequences and energy is on the ballot in 2024.”