New York State senators Liz Krueger and Brad Hoylman released a letter signed by 20 state senators to Governor Andrew Cuomo and Audrey Zibelman, Chair of the New York State Public Service Commission, calling for the inclusion of an offshore wind tier in the forthcoming Clean Energy Standard.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) recently published a white paper outlining the governor’s new Clean Energy Standard (CES), which mandates that the state source 50% of its energy from renewables by 2030.
In response, senators Krueger and Hoylman and their senate colleagues urged Cuomo to include a separate offshore wind tier in the CES to jump-start large-scale offshore wind production to meet the 50 by 30 goals. Their letter has also been submitted to the PSC’s official public comment docket for the CES.
“The Governor’s commitment to creating an enforceable Clean Energy Standard gives New York a strong claim to being the national leader on climate,” said senator Krueger.
“But to meet our ambitious 50 by 30 goals, offshore wind must be a significant component of our energy mix. Offshore wind is a win-win for our state, with the potential to stabilize our energy prices, clean our air, and create thousands of jobs, all while putting us on track to avert climate catastrophe. I urge Governor Cuomo and the PSC to go all in for our climate future, and include an offshore wind tier in the Clean Energy Standard.”
In the letter, the senators argue that harnessing New York’s abundant offshore wind resources, some of the strongest and most reliable in the world, is critical to meeting the state’s climate and clean energy goals, and a dedicated offshore wind tier in the CES would create the certainly and longevity needed to get the industry off the ground and up to scale.
A recent report by the University of Delaware found that a strong commitment to a phased-in series of offshore wind developments is the single most important action New York State can take to achieve significant cost reductions in over time. In addition to helping meet the 50 by 30 goals, offshore wind would also have tremendous economic benefits, with the potential to power millions of homes and create thousands of jobs, while stabilizing electricity rates and reducing airborne pollution.
“Enhancing New York State’s efforts to better utilize off-shore wind power is crucial to addressing climate change and moving us forward towards a clean, green, renewable energy economy,” said senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. , a member of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee.
“One of the reasons I so strenuously opposed the now-vetoed Port Ambrose Liquefied Natural Gas Facility, which posed a serious environmental and public safety threat to the Rockaway Peninsula, is that it would have interfered with a highly promising offshore wind project now being pursued by the New York Power Authority, Long Island Power Authority, and Consolidated Edison in the same area.”