The Partial Observer by Keith Schue
New York Adopts More Balanced Plan for a Clean Energy Future
On December 16, state leaders took an important step toward a brighter future by adopting a new Energy Plan for New York—one that takes a practical approach to greenhouse gas reduction while positioning the state for economic growth in the 21st century.
Consistent with Governor Kathy Hochul’s pledge to “govern in reality,” the new plan (https://energyplan.ny.gov/) approved by the State Energy Planning Board on December 16 rejects inflexible mandates and outdated ideologies that discriminate against solutions, and instead charts a course in which innovation, energy diversity, and energy abundance underwrite success.
Over the past 12 months, NYSERDA President Doreen Harris and fellow planning board members received input from engineers, analysts, and economists on the state of energy in New York—its electric grid, fuel systems, and projected demand.
Taking a hard look at action to date and changing circumstances since passage of climate legislation in 2019, board members learned how onerous the supply chain, land, manpower, and logistical challenges are of attempting to power a state mostly with solar and wind. They also learned that underperforming intermittent resources place a disproportionate, growing and costly burden on system-level infrastructure. Importantly, the board heard loud and clear from business, industry, labor, and people across New York State that without attention to reliability, affordability, jobs, and the rights of communities, public support for action on climate change will disappear.
However, as seen in the new plan, facing reality does not require abandoning climate commitments. By aligning the pace of electrification with new generation, the 2025 plan tempers demand for electricity from fossil fuels. Moreover, by supporting the expansion of clean compact nuclear power that can deliver around-the-clock electricity, the plan begins to create a credible path forward in which deep decarbonization is no longer fantasy, nature can be respected and New York has access to abundant energy vital to its future.
C.S. Lewis once wrote, “If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn…and in that case the [one] who turns soonest is the most progressive.” While the 2025 State Energy Plan is not a complete reversal of policy and necessary change can be expected as strategies evolve, it is a much needed and informed course correction—one that creates hope for a brighter future for all of New York.
By embracing energy diversity and robust zero-emission technology, New York has matured in its quest for sustainability. We look forward to seeing what the future holds.
Keith Schue lives in Cherry Valley and has a master’s degree in electrical engineering. He is also an environmentalist, having worked for The Nature Conservancy in Florida for five years, where he gained an appreciation for finding solutions that are mutually beneficial to people and the natural world. Schue currently volunteers his time with New York Energy and Climate Advocates, a nonprofit, volunteer-based organization comprised of scientists, engineers, environmentalists, and advocates for social justice.
