New York state Senate Republicans wrote a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday calling on her to declare a state of emergency over concerns surrounding the reliability of the state’s electrical grid and energy costs.

“The current trajectory toward an all-electric future presents serious and immediate threats to both the reliability of our power grid and the affordability of energy for New Yorkers,” the letter reads. “Just last month, the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) issued multiple Energy Warnings due to a significant decline in operating reserves - underscoring the fragility of the system under current policies.”

The caucus also asked the governor to suspend laws enacted under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) that have placed more demand on the grid and have financial burden concerns – including electric vehicle and bus mandates and bans on natural gas hookups. The 2019 law mandates the state lower greenhouse gas emissions to 40% of 1990 levels by 2030, and by 85% by 2050.

“The economic toll of the CLCPA implementation is becoming untenable. A conservative estimate places the total cost of the law’s implementation at $340 billion. Electricity rates in New York are now 48% higher than the national average and 35% higher than in neighboring Pennsylvania. Alarmingly, nearly 20% of a typical utility bill now consists of government-imposed charges, a figure likely to rise further without intervention,” the letter reads.

Senate Republicans believe the transition plan is “not only unsustainable but one that risks creating an economic and energy disaster.”

A spokesperson for Gov. Hochul likened the GOP’s letter to “grandstanding.”

“The Governor has made it clear she's taking an all-of-the-above approach to energy that prioritizes affordability, reliability, and sustainability. Rather than grandstanding, these legislators would be better off spending their time pushing back against the massive cuts their colleagues in Washington pushed through that will devastate their communities here in New York,” Ken Lovett, senior communications advisor for energy and environment for the governor, said in a statement to Spectrum News 1.

Hochul did acknowledge last week that the economic environment has changed since the CLCPA was passed under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

"It all goes back a number of years and I've had to take a close look and realize that we cannot accomplish what those objectives were back before I became governor in a timeframe that's gonna not hurt rate payers. So we're slowing things down. I wanna make sure people know that,” the governor said last Tuesday.

Doreen Harris, president and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), acknowledged the change in policy, telling Capital Tonight on Wednesday that while the achievement of the climate law is still one potential scenario, the state’s emerging draft energy plan also looks at the challenges the law is facing, including roadblocks at the federal level.