ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Advocates rallied in Rochester on Friday, urging state lawmakers to stay the course when it comes to New York’s clean energy goals.
The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) has been a hot topic during budget negotiations in Albany. Governor Kathy Hochul, citing the cost, wants to delay the timeline to implement mandates that require 70% of the state’s electricity be generated from renewable sources and a 40% reduction in emissions by 2030.
“New York does face an affordability crisis particularly when it comes to energy bills and we agree with the Governor that something needs to be done about it, but delaying the CLCPA will have the opposite effect,” says Graham Hughes with Climate Solutions Accelerator, “accelerating our state’s transition to a clean energy economy is the best path forward for lowering our energy bills, creating energy independence and building a New York that works for all its people.”
Ultimately, it will be up to state lawmakers to determine whether we continue to move full speed ahead toward these green goals or pump the breaks, even just a bit, like the Governor is asking.
Last month, NYSERDA, the state agency responsible for implementing the CLCPA warned that adhering to the current timeline could cost upstate households an extra $4,000 in energy costs, raise gasoline prices by $2.23 per gallon by 2031 and businesses could see a 13% to 46% increase in energy costs.
When that NYSERDA memo came out, Assembly Member Harry Bronson told News10NBC Investigative Reporter Jennifer Lewke that goals were aspirational, and he might be open to some flexibility. But standing among climate activists at the rally on Friday, Bronson didn’t seem open to much flexibility. “This is a time for leadership; this is not a time to backtrack. This is the time to hunker down on what CLCPA is all about,” Bronson said.
Bronson said he believes the NYSERDA memo is based on misinformation, “a perspective of cap and invest that does not exist.”
Jennifer Lewke (News10NBC): “If you don’t believe the numbers in the NYSERDA letter are accurate, do any of you have any information about how much it would cost an average household, if this does go through?
Graham Hughes (Climate Solutions Accelerator): “The main reason why the numbers in the NYSERDA memo are inaccurate is because they only capture the potential increase in the cost from a cap and invest program, it says nothing about the dividends that would be paid back to ratepayers…Realistic programs in California or out west suggest that a more realistic amount would be about half of that and if that was the case, the cost that ratepayers might see would be half of that.”
Jennifer Lewke: “About half of what NYSERDA’s projections were then?”
Graham Hughes: “That would be my best guess, I haven’t read studies or reports to give you a specific number though.”
Climate advocates push back against Gov. Hochul’s push to delay New York clean energy goals WHEC.com.
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