Senator George Borrello Cites Comptroller’s Audit of Climate Act Planning and Implementation Failures

JAMESTOWN, NY – Senator George Borrello provided the following comments on Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s recent audit citing numerous failures of the Public Service Commission (PSC) and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) in the planning and implementation of the Climate Act. Among the criticisms contained in the audit were charges that the agencies failed to: 
 

• develop viable plans for the transition, using accurate data and updated assessments as projects were delayed and cancelled. 
• account for new energy laws and mandates which will drive up future energy needs. 
• provide a detailed cost analysis of the transition and the projected costs to ratepayers. 
   

“Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s scathing audit of the state’s planning, implementation and progress towards its Climate Act goals only confirms my view that this effort is a disaster in the making. It has been clear all along that the zero emission targets and timelines were unrealistic and often based on assumptions rather than accurate data. 

In the rush to push through this politically driven agenda, major issues were overlooked. As the audit points out, among the many issues that were not accounted for in the Climate Act was the intermittent nature of renewables, which only produce energy when the wind blows and the sun shines. Also left unaddressed were the impact of cancelled projects and expired renewable energy contracts. 

The audit criticized the lack of an accurate, detailed cost analysis of the transition and its real impact on ratepayers and taxpayers, a point I have raised from day one. If the costs are being hidden to avoid public backlash, that is wrong and doomed to fail. If the costs are impossible to calculate due to assumptions and unknown variables, that is just as bad. Blindly pursuing an energy transition plan without knowing the impact on the people who will pay for it is reckless and the very definition of bad leadership. 

Now is a good time to hit the pause button on this collapsing house of cards. A climate agenda developed primarily by bureaucrats and environmental activists was bound to be unworkable in the real world. Rather than continuing to flounder in the face of unachievable goals and burdening ratepayers, businesses, school districts and organizations with the costs of poorly supported mandates, I urge the governor and majorities in the legislature to reassess and authorize a thorough study, led by energy experts and engineers, of how our state can pursue green energy goals in a way that is affordable and achievable. New York’s economy, and the quality of life for its residents, should not be sacrificed for this corrupt and costly political agenda.”

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