It’s starting to feel like an Empire State war on drivers.
Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to announce an anti-pollution push in her State of the State speech Tuesday that critics warn may hike home-heating costs and send gas prices soaring by as much as 22 cents on the gallon.
The sweeping “cap and invest” program — which comes on the heels of a new $9 congestion toll to enter Manhattan — aims to reduce carbon emissions by forcing oil companies to pay for greenhouse gases, a move that the industry giants are likely to pass onto consumers.
“They have to raise the price of petroleum products. I don’t know how raising the costs makes New York affordable,” said John Howard, a former member of the Public Service Commission, the state’s utility regulator…