Dedicated to supporting access to cleaner, reliable and affordable sources of energy for residential and business consumers.

Daniel Ortega is a founding member of New Yorkers for Affordable Energy (NYAE), serving as its Executive Director since 2022 and President since 2025. Through his work with NYAE, Ortega has helped build a bipartisan consensus around the importance of energy affordability and reliability. He has worked to ensure that the rising costs facing families and businesses remain central to New York’s energy and climate policy discussions. His approach emphasizes collaboration, bringing together labor, business leaders and elected officials to advance pragmatic and economically sustainable energy solutions. In recognition of his leadership, City & State has named him one of the most influential people in Albany for three consecutive years.

At the Engineers Labor-Employer Cooperative (ELEC 825), he advocates for stronger investment in public infrastructure across the New York Metropolitan area. In this role, he engages regularly with government officials, agencies and public authorities on behalf of a broad coalition of construction industry leaders and union stakeholders. His work continues to shape conversations around energy policy, economic competitiveness and infrastructure development.

Ortega has led major advocacy efforts on key policy issues. He played a central role in opposing the NY Heat Act, organizing stakeholders and policymakers to highlight its potential impacts on affordability, reliability and consumers. He also helped coordinate a broad coalition that successfully called on the New York Public Service Commission to hold a hearing on the implementation timeline of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), pushing for greater transparency around costs and feasibility.

In addition, Ortega has been a strong advocate for critical infrastructure projects, including the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE), emphasizing its importance for regional energy reliability and economic growth. Most recently, he has opposed a proposed moratorium on data center development, continuing to advocate for policies that balance environmental goals with economic competitiveness.