Every business, from local shops to\u00a0big box\u00a0retailers, depends on reliable energy to keep the lights on, doors open, and employees\u00a0on the job. But our aging energy infrastructure\u00a0needs attention to ensure\u00a0businesses can thrive\u00a0and\u00a0our\u00a0daily\u00a0needs are met now and\u00a0in\u00a0the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over 70% of long-distance transmission lines in service today were built before 1980 and with electricity demand expected to increase by 50 to 90% over the next 20 years, the strain on our aging and current system will only get worse. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
If we do not modernize, we risk more frequent power disruptions, higher energy costs and added challenges that make it harder for businesses to grow, create jobs, and stay competitive. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Recently,\u00a0the state\u2019s grid operator warned that\u00a0New York\u00a0was entering\u00a0the\u00a0summer with razor thin reliability margins.\u00a0Grid reliability margins have fallen 80 percent in the last four years, reaching some of the lowest levels in recent history. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Business\u00a0owners know a thing or two about\u00a0operating\u00a0with thin margins and the uncertainty, challenges and\u00a0difficult decisions\u00a0that often come along with them. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Small businesses, restaurants, retail shops, and manufacturers all depend on affordable, reliable electricity to serve customers and stay in business. A single unexpected outage can mean spoiled food for a restaurant, lost revenue for a retail shop, or stalled production for a local manufacturer \u2014 setbacks that have real life implications.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why projects like Propel NY Energy are so important. The initiative will build 90 miles of new underground transmission lines that reinforce the grid, ease congestion, and improve reliability, all while supporting continued economic growth.<\/p>\n
For Bronx businesses, this kind of forward planning is essential. It gives owners the certainty they need to invest confidently, expand operations and ultimately thrive.<\/p>\n
But it is not\u00a0only\u00a0about helping businesses.\u00a0This project will create\u00a0good-paying jobs right here in our\u00a0backyards. Construction alone\u00a0means supporting jobs and services for\u00a0our\u00a0area\u00a0unions,\u00a0contractors, suppliers, and\u00a0coffee shops, restaurants,\u00a0convenience stores\u00a0and gas stations, injecting money directly into our economy. \u00a0<\/p>\n
We also know that hospitals and healthcare\u00a0facilities\u00a0are among the largest employers in the Bronx, and\u00a0most importantly,\u00a0they depend on uninterrupted power to provide life-saving care. From operating life-support equipment to\u00a0storing\u00a0vital medications\u00a0and\u00a0performing\u00a0procedures reliable\u00a0energy\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0a\u00a0luxury,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a necessity.\u00a0Propel NY will\u00a0help\u00a0ensure that hospitals have the reliable energy they need to continue\u00a0providing critical\u00a0care.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
While this project is\u00a0essential to modernizing our grid, the Propel NY Energy team also knows that engaging with the community is vital to ensuring it is built with the Bronx\u2019s needs in mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The project recently launched a survey for business owners along the route to provide feedback as detailed construction plans are developed. This survey is an opportunity for businesses to get directly involved in the process and share information about their operations, including hours they are open, parking, business\u00a0seasonality\u00a0and more. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Infrastructure projects like this are not just beneficial \u2014 they are necessary. Without investment in our electric grid, we risk reliability, increased costs, and lost opportunities for economic growth. The time for action is now, we must invest in a thriving future in the Bronx for generations to come.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lisa Sorin is the President of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Every business, from local shops to\u00a0big box\u00a0retailers, depends on reliable energy to keep the lights on, doors open,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":377172,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[6168,13911,109518,64067,9,11,10,3212,138728,118676],"class_list":["post-377171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-bronx-chamber-of-commerce","tag-electric","tag-high-electricity-demand","tag-lisa-sorin","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-power-grid","tag-power-grid-strain-nyc","tag-propel-ny-energy-project"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=377171"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377171\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/377172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=377171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=377171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=377171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}