FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Contact: Lee Ziesche, info@publicpowerny.org, 954-415-6228
Lawmakers call on Hochul and NYPA to Build 15 GW of Public Renewables
NYPA’s draft plan is “insufficient to meet CLCPA goals and is not in the spirit of the Public Renewables Act” 40 electeds said in letter
(Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha addressing the public at a rally before a NYPA hearing in Albany.)
Photo credit: Brittany Barnard.
Albany, New York – 40 New York State Senators and Assemblymembers called on Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to build 15 gigawatts(GW) of renewable energy in a letter led by Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha and Senator Cordell Cleare.
The letter said the state is “far off track” from meeting the legally mandated targets to get 70% of New York’s energy from renewable energy by 2030. “NYPA should build at least 15 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030 – as called for by the state AFL-CIO and Building Trades Council – to ensure that New York meets our climate goals and remains a national leader in our energy transition.” the letter said.
Legislators also said that NYPA’s current draft plan, which only proposes to build 3.5GW of renewables, is “insufficient” and “not in the spirit of the Public Renewables Act”. NYPA is currently being led by CEO Justin Driscoll, who never received confirmation from the legislature. Given Driscoll’s corporate past and initial opposition to the Build Public Renewables Act(BPRA), advocates and legislators have questioned whether Driscoll is the right person to lead NYPA.
Hundreds of New Yorkers echoed that call for more leadership from NYPA at rallies and public hearings held in November across the state, and in just over a month, 3,700 New Yorkers have submitted a written comment to NYPA demanding 15 GW of public renewables.
The Public Power NY Coalition released the following statement in response to the letter:
“New York lawmakers from across the state understand how dire the climate crisis and electric affordability crisis are, and know that the only solution is to unleash the power of NYPA and build enough renewable energy to meet our state’s climate goals, shutter harmful peaker power plants, and lower electric bills for those who need it most. This month hundreds of New Yorkers at rallies and public hearings from Buffalo to Long Island have called on Governor Hochul, Justin Driscoll and the NYPA Board of Trustees to embrace a bold vision for public power in the 21st century. We know climate action will not come from Washington D.C. over the next 4 years, we need Albany to lead the way. New York needs 15 gigawatts of public renewables.”
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Note to the editor:
About Public Power NY
Public Power NY is a movement fighting to ensure New York effectively carries out the Build Public Renewables Act by building 15 Gigawatts of public renewables by 2030. Hailed as the first statewide Green New Deal law, BPRA was written by PPNY and passed in 2023 thanks to four years of organizing by a multiracial, multi-generational movement of climate and advocacy organizations, labor unions representing millions of New Yorkers and tens of thousands of New Yorkers who have taken action from upstate, downstate, and everywhere in between. With federal climate action off the table, BPRA has enabled NY to not just play defense against Trump, but lead the way the way FDR created NYPA to do.