ALBANY – Gov. Hochul abandoned a controversial proposal Wednesday to change how New York restricts methane emissions — as budget talks looked set to drag into next week over her push to overhaul the Empire State’s controversial bail laws.

Though Hochul did not explicitly link the two policy areas during an impromptu news conference at the state Capitol, the move gives the governor one less issue to fight about with progressives in the state Senate and Assembly.

Left-wing lawmakers and environmentalists pushed back against the methane proposal — which would have allowed more future natural gas use by changing the official method of tallying how much of the greenhouse gas gets emitted — soon after it became public earlier this week.

“It didn’t seem to be a well thought out plan,” one Albany insider said of Hochul trying to shoehorn the idea into budget talks. “The whole thing makes no sense.”

At least one progressive sensed weakness on the governor’s part in response to her announcement.

“How about dropping bail reform rollbacks too?” tweeted democratic socialist Assemblywoman Marcela Mitaynes (D-Brooklyn).

After missing an initial April 1 deadline to pass a new spending plan, Albany Democrats have until April 10 to ink a budget deal without needing to pass another spending bill to keep the state government funded.

Hochul acknowledged Wednesday that a second so-called extender may be necessary due to outstanding differences between herself, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx), and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) — as well as the upcoming Passover and Easter holidays.

“It’s more important to get it right – and I’m committed to getting it right,” the governor told reporters.

“I’m here every day – not going anywhere – been here a long time.”

The main sticking point so far has been Hochul’s insistence on changes to limits on cash bail that took effect in 2020.

Those changes include removing a requirement that judges give defendants the “least restrictive” conditions ahead of their trials, which some jurists say forces them to release dangerous people who might commit additional crimes.

“I support the fundamental premise behind the bail laws. But we need to make sure that judges understand that they have the discretion to make the right decision in the right case,” said Hochul, who has said her proposals would address fears New Yorkers have about rising crime.

Stewart-Cousins and Heastie, whose reps did not provide comment Wednesday, have argued that statistics do not support the idea that bail reform contributed to rising crime.

However, data has highlighted how the implementation of bail reform has coincided with increases in the arrest rates of people charged with serious crimes.

Reform critics have also claimed tougher requirements on prosecutors for handing over evidence to defendants, approved alongside bail reform in 2019, have led to a spike in dropped cases.

Hochul sidestepped a question from The Post Wednesday about whether ongoing budget talks have included discussion about overhauling criminal justice reforms beyond bail laws specifically.

“We’ve been talking about public safety in general and that’s where we’ll be looking forward to making progress on public safety,” she said.

“We’re looking at public safety,” she said when pressed a second time.

There have been signs in recent days that the “three people in a room” who traditionally haggle over the budget have broadened their discussions to topics other than bail and Hochul’s much-criticized housing plan.

“We just talked about the totality of what a budget would take, and so there’s no agreement on any of that,” Heastie said Wednesday following what he called a “productive” three-way meeting.

Meanwhile, administration officials said Wednesday they would still push for the methane change, which has been formally proposed in both chambers, during the regular legislative session that ends June 8.

“If we can make advancements in the next few weeks, fantastic. If it takes longer than that, all the better, as long as we get a program that is ultimately affordable,” Basil Seggos, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation, told reporters.

Hochul signaled Wednesday that she is also sticking to her guns on her controversial plan to get 800,000 new housing units built across the state in the next decade, with local governments required to meet growth targets each year.

Suburban lawmakers have argued the plan would undermine local zoning control because projects could get approved by the state if housing targets are not met by local governments.

Hochul also wants to require more housing density in areas near subway and commuter rail stations.

“We have an opportunity to put the state in a whole new stratosphere in terms of being welcoming to people,” she said. “[The plan allows] businesses and families to thrive here. So that’s the message I’m giving them. Work with us. The plan is not what you think it is.”