NY State Senator George Borrello reacts
NY State Senator Tom O’Mara: “Every New Yorker will pay a heavy price”
Climate activists celebrate plan
By Andrew Harris, photo from NYSDEC of the Climate Action Council applauding the vote
Today the NYS Climate Action Council voted by a large majority to approve the final draft of the “Scoping Plan” for bringing NYS toward carbon neutrality within two decades. Climate activists are cheering the aggressive plan for converting the state away from fossil fuel energy. Skeptics along with the oil and gas industry are not happy and warning that the plan is totally unrealistic.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation(NYDEC) released this statement today:
“A historic day and monumental achievement for New York! After three years of collaboration and effort, the Climate Action Council voted to approve and adopt the Scoping Plan, which will serve as New York’s roadmap to meet our aggressive climate targets, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and ensure equity and a just transition. Our climate agenda will help to improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers and future generations.”
The basics of the new plan are hard to imagine for the average New Yorker: No more gas hookups for new construction beginning in 2025. All homes must be converted to electric energy by 2030. Home appliances that use natural gas will be unavailable for retail sale by 2035. Only electric vehicles will be sold after 2035. The plan is as ambitious and aggressive as any in the nation. Here is the link to that full plan, now approved by the council, but not yet the law of the land:
https://climate.ny.gov/-/media/project/climate/files/2022-12-15-Draft-Final-Scoping-Plan.pdf
The NYS Senators who will be representing Allegany and Steuben Counties in the next session of state government are not just skeptics, they are outraged opponents of the plan. Read the full statements from Senators George Borrello and Tom O’Mara:
STATEMENT FROM SENATOR GEORGE BORRELLO ON CLIMATE ACTION COUNCIL
APPROVAL OF FINAL SCOPING PLAN
ALBANY – Senator George Borrello issued the following statement today in response to the Climate Action Council’s 19-3 vote approving the Final Scoping Plan, the blueprint for achieving the transition to a carbon neutral economy as mandated by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.
“With today’s vote by the Climate Action Council to approve the ‘Final Scoping Plan,’ New York State has taken another step away from the affordable and reliable sources of energy that power homes, businesses and automobiles across our state and towards an energy future clouded by unknown costs and questionable benefits.
The core of the Scoping Plan are bans on the most common energy sources used by New York consumers and businesses. Bans on new natural gas, propane and heating fuel oil systems will start as soon as 2025 for new construction and in 2030 for existing buildings. Starting in 2035, consumers will no longer be able to purchase natural gas, propane or fuel oil appliances for heating, cooking, or clothes drying. Gasoline-powered automobiles will be banned for sale in New York starting in 2035. These are just a few of the changes coming down the pike for taxpayers and ratepayers in New York.
Left unaddressed in this 445-page plan are the costs of this massive conversion. None of these mandates should move forward until a comprehensive cost benefit analysis is completed and made public. Legislation that I co-sponsor with many of my Republican colleagues would require this. By some estimates, the conversion to all-electric will cost as much as $40,000 per household while others indicate it could be up to $100,000 per household. Leaving New Yorkers in the dark on these costs and many others buried in this plan is simply unacceptable.
Reducing emissions is an important goal and one that we should continue to pursue. However, our path to that goal should be responsible, achievable and cost-effective. Racing headlong into a complete overhaul of our energy sector without full transparency and clarity on the costs to New York residents and businesses is a dereliction of duty and an economic disaster in the making.
Just as irresponsible is New York’s increasing reliance on importing power from other states and nations to meet New York’s energy needs, while claiming to be pursuing a zero-emission goal. This is nothing but a costly and fraudulent shell game that will not reduce global emissions and may actually increase them.
With a new session just weeks away, we have the opportunity to craft energy policies that make sense for our state, our families and the environment. Let’s make that a goal for 2023.”
O’MARA: EVERY NEW YORKER WILL PAY A HEAVY PRICE UNDER STATE’S NEW CLEAN ENERGY MANDATES
Elmira, N.Y., December 19, 2022—State Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C,I-Big Flats) renewed his warnings following today’s move by New York’s “Climate Action Council” (CAC) to approve a final plan to impose far-reaching clean energy mandates on all New Yorkers.
The CAC met in Albany earlier today to vote on and approve its final draft plan to implement the nation’s most aggressive set of short- and long-term renewable energy mandates. The council was created under a 2019 law, the “Climate Leadership and Climate Protection Act” (CLCPA), enacted by then-Governor Andrew Cuomo and the Legislature’s Democrat majorities. When she took the reins after Cuomo resigned, O’Mara said that Governor Kathy Hochul continued full speed ahead on this radical remaking of energy policy.
Among many recommendations, the CAC’s plan calls for:
- No natural gas within newly constructed buildings, beginning in 2025;
- No new gas service to existing buildings, beginning in 2030;
- No replacement natural gas appliances for home heating, cooking, water heating, clothes drying beginning in 2035;
- No gasoline-automobile sales by 2035; and
- Installing onsite solar or joining a community renewables program by 2040.
Following today’s release of the CAC’s final draft plan, O’Mara released the following statement:
“Governor Hochul’s ambition to impose far-reaching clean energy mandates on all New Yorkers keeps moving forward, yet her unwillingness to explain how much it will cost or how the state intends to pay for it remains shocking. Consumers have no idea what’s coming. The Climate Action Council’s plan has never been accompanied by any cost-benefit analysis of the impact of these actions on energy affordability, reliability, or sustainability.
“I have joined legislative colleagues and many others over the past three years to sound the alarm, particularly over how these irrational and unsustainable mandates will come at great costs and consequences. Far too many New Yorkers remain in the dark about these potential costs and consequences, largely because Governor Hochul and her clean energy czars either don’t truly know or really don’t want to shine any light on it.
“The plan will require a total electric grid generation capacity of 111 gigawatts (GW) including 95GW of new, not currently existing generation. It further calls for 27GW of dispatchable zero emissions generation, none of which exists today, nor does the technology, nor does the plan even define what zero emissions generation can be. To put this massive generation capacity buildout in perspective, since 1999, New York State has only added 12.9GW of new generation capacity.
“Many of us in the Senate and Assembly Republican conferences have steadfastly highlighted the plan’s extreme efforts to eliminate reliable, affordable sources of energy that are vital for the citizens and communities we represent. We have also fully encouraged New York’s past efforts to increase cleaner and renewable power, efforts that have been astoundingly successful. New York State is already a national and worldwide leader accounting for just 0.4% of global carbon emissions. Nevertheless, New York’s ongoing leap into the energy unknown will have no impact on the actions of neighboring states or, even more critically, on China, India, or Russia, which account for 40% of global emissions. In other words, even if New York State does reach zero emissions, there will be zero impact on our own climate or the global climate at large, yet all New Yorkers will pay a heavy, heavy price.
“While I believe New York State should continue to be a leader on reducing emissions, it remains important to keep sounding the alarm that the state’s strategy as it stands is not realistic or achievable, and unreasonably risks energy grid reliability and affordability.
“It remains important for more citizens, communities, businesses, families, and workers to fully understand where New York’s energy future is headed and to demand a desperately needed rethinking and slowing down of this process.”
