Senate Republican Leader Ortt And Republican Members Of The Senate Energy Committee Urge PSC To Consider Additional Energy Sources In Definition Of ‘Zero Emissions Sources’

Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt, Senator Mario Mattera, ranking member of the Senate Energy Committee and Senators Tom O’Mara and Mark Walczyk, members of the Senate Energy Committee, today submitted public comments to the Public Service Commission (PSC) urging them to include additional energy sources and new technologies in the definition of “zero emissions sources” when it comes to the state meeting mandates laid out in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). 

“As a Conference, we have advocated for a comprehensive reliability study to ensure the State’s electricity grid can handle the mandates under the CLCPA and recommendations made in the Climate Action Council’s Scoping Plan for transitioning to a zero emissions electricity grid by 2040.  We have also advocated for an approach of using any energy source which will help the State reduce emissions,” the Senators wrote. 

NYISO recently released their  Short-Term Assessment of Reliability Report for Quarter 2, which confirms what the Senate Republican Conference has been warning since the passage of the CLCPA in 2019: the mandates under the CLCPA are not realistic and threaten the reliability of the electricity grid and thus the health and safety of New Yorkers.  

The NYISO report predicts a deficiency of up to 446 megawatts in New York City by 2025 during times of high demand (95 degrees Fahrenheit).  Blackouts during the hottest days of the summer will put our most vulnerable population at risk.  For these reasons, the Republican Conference is advocating the Public Service Commission include any source of energy that will reduce emissions in the definition of 'zero emissions sources.'

Today’s public comments come in response to the PSC’s May 18, 2023 Order Initiating Process Regarding Zero Emissions Target.  In it, the Senators urge the PSC to consider the following energy sources, among others, for inclusion in the definition of ‘zero emissions sources’: hydrogen, nuclear, renewable natural gas, carbon capture and sequestration, bio-energy, long duration storage and sewer heat recovery systems.

The Senators also expressed support for the PSC’s intent to convene a technical conference to determine what may qualify as zero-emissions under the CLCPA, and encouraged that all stakeholders be included in the discussion including power producers, utilities, ratepayers and agency heads. 

“New York has made great strides over the past decades in reducing its carbon footprint but we have done so in a smart and responsible manner.  We can achieve a clean energy future, but we must do so taking into account the reliability needs of the power grid and the health and safety of all New Yorkers,” said Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt. 

A copy of the public comments is attached. 

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