“Less reliable. More expensive. Politically unsustainable.”
A weekly COLUMN by NY State Senator Tom O’Mara,
A recent New York Post article didn’t pull any punches on the current state of New York’s increasingly criticized climate agenda, “The Empire State’s green energy push has been a pie-in-the-sky bust as politicians hit the brakes on their alternate energy goals — and New Yorkers get sticker shock from ever-soaring utility bills, a scathing new report found. The analysis by the Democratic-leaning think tank the Progressive Policy Institute found a ‘clear and undeniable pattern of failure’ across the most critical mandates” coming out of the “Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act” (CLCPA) first approved by Albany Democrats in 2019.
The report from the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), “New York’s Climate Crossroads: Assuring Affordable Energy,” can be found on the organization’s website at: https://www.progressivepolicy.org/new-ppi-report-warns-new-yorks-climate-strategy-is-failing-as-energy-costs-surge/. It’s worth noting for its practical findings, of course, but equally important is the fact that it continues to show that concerns over the direction this state is following on energy policy keeps drawing second thoughts from experts across the political spectrum.
Regardless of your point of view, New York State’s CLCPA, as it stands today, should concern you.
The latest PPI report highlights, for example, the following key findings:
- New York’s emissions per capita are already among the nation’s lowest at 8.4 tons, more than 40% below the U.S. average.
- Electricity prices are 44% higher than the national average, and residential rates have risen 36% since 2019, nearly three times faster than the rest of the country.
- New York is behind on nearly every major climate mandate, including offshore wind, which is 1% operational, and energy storage, which is 8% operational toward 2030 goals.
- Fossil fuels still supply nearly half of New York’s electricity, and the closure of Indian Point erased a major source of zero-emission power, slowing the state’s progress.
- Utilities are pursuing additional rate hikes of roughly 20%, driven by aging infrastructure, storm repairs, and rising operating costs, adding further pressure on households already facing higher energy bills.
The report’s authors state, “New York set bold climate targets, but ignored the economic and technical realities required to achieve them. The result is an energy system that is less reliable, more expensive, and now politically unsustainable.”
Less reliable. More expensive. Politically unsustainable. It continues to become increasingly clear that New York’s direction under the existing CLCPA (largely a mandate-driven strategy) is moving in the wrong direction. It isn’t affordable, feasible, or reliable under its currently mandated requirements and timelines.
It needs to be revisited. That process can start by putting a full stop to an All-Electric Buildings Act mandate that was set to take effect at the start of the new year. The Hochul administration has agreed to delay the implementation of this specific mandate as the result of a court action, yet that move in and of itself fails to remove the uncertainty for builders, consumers, ratepayers, and everyone else who would be hit hard if it moves forward. The administration has said that the governor remains committed to the all-electric buildings law. That’s not what New York’s homeowners and ratepayers – current and future – need to hear.
The same is true for an all-electric school bus mandate set to take effect just a little over a year from now. School districts across this state continue to warn that it’s not affordable, workable, or safe. This mandate also needs to be permanently put on hold and I currently sponsor legislation in the Senate (S1908) that would delay its implementation until 2045 or until the state meets other benchmarks first.
From the PPI report, “New York’s energy system is entering an environment where policy-driven pressures are converging to make the 2019 climate goals increasingly untenable. A combination of shrinking reliable energy supply, inflated demand growth, and mounting cost pressures is creating a collision course that threatens both grid stability and consumer affordability.”
Back in August, the state Energy Board released a “Draft 2025 Energy Plan” and conducted a public comment and hearing process. The board is currently in the process of finalizing an updated energy plan that’s supposed to be forthcoming by the end of the year. That new plan will largely decide the state’s future direction.
Just last Monday in Geneva, LOCATE Finger Lakes held an energy summit to address these concerns. The summit was very well attended. The citizenry of our region has finally woken up to the train wreck that is the state’s energy policy. Concerns about affordability and reliability were at the forefront of the discussion. While it appears that Governor Hochul is finally grasping this reality, it remains unclear whether she has the fortitude to stand up to the lobbying of the climate zealots. We need more than a pause in these exorbitant climate mandates, seemingly aimed at only getting through the next election cycle. We need a full reworking, a cost-benefit analysis, and an actual plan based in reality that is feasible, affordable, and reliable. After all, New York State accounts for just 0.4% of global emissions targeted by the Albany Democrats’ CLCPA. Getting to zero emissions will have zero impact on the climate impacts that the CLCPA portends to be directed at.
It bears watching and here’s hoping that the administration will heed the warnings and take the decisive actions focused on affordability, feasibility, and reliability that should be so clear and convincing by now.
