New York is on track to meet most of its looming climate goals, according to a report from Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's office. [emphasis, links added]
Hochul released an official review earlier this month acknowledging that the state would not meet its goal of 70% renewable electricity by 2030 due to rising electricity costs and canceled “clean” energy projects.
The 70% renewable electricity goal is expected to be one of several ambitious New York state climate goals set out in the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), but it is unlikely the state will achieve it.
“We hope this is a wake-up call for New York state,” Patrick McClellan, state policy director for the New York League of Conservation Voters, told the nonprofit news organization City Paper about Hochul's report.
Until 2023 — Four years after CLCPA’s passage and just seven years until the 2030 deadline — Less than 30% of New York’s electricity comes from renewable energyAccording to the New York State grid operator.
This slow transition has been driven largely by high energy prices, which rose 29.4% between January 2021 and March 2024, compared with a mere 4.0% rise in the first four years of the Trump administration. .
As the price of traditional energy sources such as oil and natural gas soars, Regulators have been reluctant to provide taxpayer-funded subsidies to early-stage offshore wind and onshore renewable energy developers.
Regulators were hesitant to increase taxpayer-funded subsidies, leading to the termination of two offshore wind power contracts with the New York State Department of Energy in January, according to Politico.
It also resulted in the state's failure to finalize power purchase agreements with three developers that received conditional grants in October 2023.
Delays in renewable electricity are expected to impact various other New York climate goals set by the CLCPA, including the goal of achieving zero emissions from electricity by 2040 and net-zero emissions by 2050, According to City Paper.
Failure to meet the goal of 70% renewable electricity by 2030 is also expected to impact climate initiatives under the New York City Climate Mobilization Act, particularly Local Law 97, which seeks to cap emissions from large buildings in the city.
Building emissions are closely linked to electricity consumption, which will now become a larger source of emissions as cities are likely to be powered by fewer renewable energy sources.
Recently, many countries, states, and municipalities have backtracked or missed climate goals.
Read the break from The Daily Caller
