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New York state is at a crossroads regarding our response to climate change. What’s at stake is whether or not we will be part of a responsible team of states and nations leading the world to a more sustainable and less catastrophic future. The people of New York want the state to lead, as expressed in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), passed in 2019. The CLCPA set a goal of reducing fossil fuel emissions 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2050, compared to 1990 levels. This is the same time frame adopted by 10 other states and Washington, D.C., along with key U.S. allies France, Germany, the UK, Japan, Australia and Canada.
But now, some state leaders, including Rochester Chamber of Commerce CEO Bob Duffy, state Sen. Pam Helming, and Gov. Kathy Hochul herself, argue the state should abandon that leadership role, citing concerns about energy reliability and affordability. They’d like New York to hold off on its commitment to electrify new buildings and reconsider its timeline for emission reductions. That would be a terrible mistake.
All three officials base their reliability concerns on two recent New York Independent Systems Operator (NYISO) reports, which discuss grid issues that could arise due to retirements of aging generators, transmission system deficiencies, and increasing demand, especially from large load projects, like data centers. Neither report recommends backing off on the state’s climate goals, nor do they single out new building electrification as a major problem. They call for action in the near term to address these concerns, through energy efficiency improvements, transmission upgrades, demand management, energy storage, and new power generation. This is consistent with NYS’s CLCPA-required Climate Scoping Plan, which requires full exploration of zero-emission solutions when grid reliability issues are raised. While some of the NYISO-recommended measures are already in the works, we could be doing much more at both the state and local levels, if we prioritize.
What’s missing in recent discussions of grid reliability is an acknowledgement that there is no easy button in energy and climate decisions. Every pathway is accompanied by threats to energy availability and economic stability. Allowing unfettered expansion of data centers and cryptocurrency mining will no doubt strain our grid and pocketbooks. Continued unchecked burning of fossil fuels and consequent planetary warming will bring more severe storms and wildfires, which already cause the large majority of power outages nationwide.
Climate change also threatens New York with increased heat waves, droughts, and air pollution alerts, putting our food and health systems in danger, not to mention the integrity of key economic and recreational resources, such as Adirondack forests, the Finger Lakes, and Lake Ontario. Climate action decisions must consider affordability and reliability issues, but delaying progress poses these same risks, plus a whole lot more!
Decades have gone by since we first learned about human-caused climate change. Meanwhile, emissions continue to climb worldwide, and we’re now approaching key global temperature redlines. Enacting effective policy has been extremely difficult partly because the fossil fuel industry continues to frame the debate. It should be noted that here in New York, lobbying by the fossil fuel industry has climbed substantially since the CLCPA passed.
These realities may underlie Gov. Hochul’s reluctance to implement her administration’s most impactful climate strategy, a Cap, Trade, and Invest (CTI) Program, despite its potential affordability and reliability benefits. CTI involves setting emission limits and then auctioning off emission allowances to large emitters, thus incentivizing actions throughout the economy to burn less fossil fuels. Revenue generated from the sale of these allowances would be used to provide a dividend to households statewide, additional relief based on household income and regional energy costs, and funding for projects that expand clean energy and further reduce emissions. A study by an independent government research institute recently found that this program would pose no net cost — or a financial gain — to low-income households earning less than $200,000/year. Indeed, prominent among the organizations who successfully sued the state for not enacting Cap, Trade and Invest were several groups with a primary focus on economic justice. If this policy would hurt low-income New Yorkers, these organizations would have sued the state for implementing it, not for hindering it!
With its protections for low-income households and steady funding for zero-emission technologies, CTI would stimulate economic activity while reducing emissions and strengthening the grid. California’s CTI program has already achieved these kinds of results, having raised and invested over $33 billion and greatly reduced the need for energy conservation alerts.
Delaying action is both harmful and misguided. Every time someone purchases a gas furnace or gasoline-powered vehicle, or a developer constructs a new building, or a local government approves a project based on an expectation that fossil fuels are going to remain available indefinitely, regardless of their environmental cost, that’s another missed opportunity, a new burden to our future efforts, and a step closer to more severe climate change.
Political support for climate action is strong. Recent polling found that over two-thirds of Monroe County residents support the state’s climate goals. And statewide, the constitutional amendment protecting our air, water, and environment passed with broad support. We owe it to ourselves and our future to show some resolve and implement the climate strategies we’ve developed with built-in affordability benefits and funding for reliability improvements. No more delays! It’s time for leadership.
Bill Maier is a member of Rochester’s chapter of Citizen’s Climate Lobby and volunteer for Color Fairport Green’s 40×30 committee. This letter was also signed by members of Color Your Community Green groups from Fairport, Penfield, Pittsford, and Irondequoit. Color Your Community Green is an initiative of the Climate Solutions Accelerator of the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region.
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