When New York lawmakers passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act — CLCPA for short — in 2019, the legislation set some ambitious emissions-related targets.
The state is supposed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and by 85% by 2050, with 1990 serving as the emissions baseline. By 2030, the state’s utilities must get 70% of their electricity from renewable sources, and by 2040, the state aims to have an emissions-free electricity sector.
The challenge is how to get there.
The state is already investing hundreds of millions of dollars into efforts to expand renewable energy development, grid-scale energy storage projects, and electric vehicle infrastructure.
It’s also working to advance offshore wind projects off Long Island.
But grid reliability and energy costs have become concerns for many. The New York Independent System Operator, the agency that oversees and manages the state’s power grids, has cautioned that since CLCPA, there has been a loss of power generation capacity in the state. It says that’s because new renewable power sources that have come online do not produce enough power to fill the gap created by the retirement of several fossil fuel and nuclear power plants.
Some of the harshest critics see renewables as either a boondoggle or inadequate to meet the state’s power needs without a renewed focus on nuclear energy.
The conservative-leaning Empire Center has argued that the state underrepresented the legislation’s potential costs. But it’s also said that the Legislature could make it easier to meet the state’s goals by allowing “zero-emission” technologies such as hydroelectric, biogas, and nuclear to count toward the 2030 objectives.
Meanwhile, environmental groups and climate action advocates have urged the state to press ahead with CLCPA efforts. And they’ve urged lawmakers to pass additional climate-focused legislation, such as the NY HEAT Act.
If passed, the NY HEAT Act would curb subsidies for expanding natural gas infrastructure and would require state utilities regulators to develop a plan for lessening the state’s reliance on natural gas.
It also would establish a statewide goal of protecting low- to moderate-income households from spending more than 6% of their incomes on energy costs, including the additional costs of purchasing and operating electric appliances.
State lawmakers also passed a measure prohibiting gas hookups in new buildings. That’s part of a broader strategy to electrify homes and commercial buildings alike. Critics have taken to calling it a gas stove ban, which is not accurate.
