NYS Draft Energy Plan Lacks Needed Changes for the Future

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Submitted by SusanGalloway, Anna Sears and New Yorkers Against Fracking on Fri, 2014-04-18 02:10
In January the Cuomo administration released a draft of its New York State Energy Plan. Despite words about “clean” energy and colorful pictures of solar panels and wind farms, the document fails to lead New York to a sustainable future built on renewables.


 Although the draft plan claims to support a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2050, it lacks any strategy for accomplishing this.
 Instead, the plan maintains New York’s dependency on dirty fossil fuels—especially natural gas produced by fracking—and fails to transition the state to truly clean renewables like wind and solar.
 The plan supports a massive build-up of gas infrastructure including more gas-fired power plants, pipelines, compressor stations, and LNG facilities.
 And the plan leaves the door open to FRACKING here in New York—making any meaningful reduction in greenhouse gas emissions impossible.

The deadline for public comments is April 30th, so please submit your comment today! Tell Governor Cuomo to ban fracking and lead on climate change with a real plan for the future that replaces fossil fuels with sustainable, clean renewable energy.

Additional, more detailed key points:

  • The plan claims to support a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% below 1990 levels by 2050, but fails to say how this will be accomplished and proposes an interim target that only considers carbon dioxide. This ignores methane (natural gas) which is a far more potent driver of climate change (34 times worse than carbon dioxide over 100 years and 86 times worse over 20 years according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). The plan should establish a schedule of measurable reduction targets for ALL greenhouse gas emissions.
  • The plan says natural gas is “clean”. Not true. Natural gas is an unsustainable fossil fuel that accelerates climate change, and its primary method of extraction—fracking—poisons land, air, and water, and makes people sick. The plan should define “clean” energy to mean renewables (water, wind, and sunlight)—not fracked gas.
  • The plan perpetuates New York’s dependency on dirty fossil fuels by forecasting major growth in natural gas and no growth in renewables after 2020. As a result, it endorses a massive buildup of gas infrastructure including new gas-fired power plants, pipelines, compressor stations, and LNG facilities. Instead of issuing dismal forecasts, the plan should proactively develop an aggressive strategy for phasing out fossil fuels and transitioning quickly to renewables.
  • The plan lacks long-term targets for renewables and energy efficiency. The plan should commit to meeting at least 50% of New York’s electric power needs with renewables by 2025, with a goal of switching entirely to renewables by 2050. Furthermore any lost capacity due to the closure of nuclear facilities should be replaced with renewable energy—not with more fracked gas. Ongoing efficiency targets should be defined and specific improvements to building codes, appliance standards, and vehicle mileage identified.
  • The plan should eliminate counter-productive initiatives, incentives, and subsidies that promote natural gas infrastructure or the expanded use of natural gas, such as programs for oil-to-gas heating conversion and funding for CNG or LNG vehicles. Instead incentives should be expanded for high-efficiency heating systems and appliances.
  • The plan includes in-state production forecasts that leave the door open to fracking in New York. Greenhouse gas emission goals cannot be met if fracking is permitted. The plan should clearly state that fracking has no place in New York’s future.
  • The plan largely ignores the negative environmental, economic, and health impacts of continued dependency on fossil fuels, especially natural gas, and neglects the far greater benefits of job-creation with renewables. All of these factors must be comprehensively evaluated.
  • Recently two buildings blew up, eight people died, and many more were injured in NYC because of a natural gas explosion. The plan must not ignore the public safety problems of gas and the increased threat of terrorism from LNG facilities, pipelines, and other gas infrastructure.
 
Videos:
 
R-cause has some suggested resources and websites to go to to make it easier to comment on the draft NYS energy Plan:
 
 Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy has drafted over 20 different letters, each targeting a specific aspect of the Plan that needs to be revised. Please take a minute to submit all of the letters to ensure that New York adopts an energy plan that favors clean, renewable energy, not dirty fossil fuels.
 
For greater impact, customize your letters. All the letters can be edited, and we are encouraged to rewrite them and make them our own. Unique letters carry a lot more weight than form letters. 


HINT: Copy each letter before you hit the submit button – then use them to create your own comments which can be submitted via New Yorkers Against Fracking's website: 
 
More information is available here: http://www.r-cause.net/2014-draft-nys-energy-plan.html
 
"We now know that the threat of fracked gas in New York is as much an issue of gas infrastructure as it is gas wells. Our air, water, bodies, and souls will not be made cleaner by a plan that relies on fossil fuels extracted in nearby states or foreign lands to the detriment of other human beings or to the environment that we all share. Furthermore, fighting for a sustainable future means not only objecting to ruinous fossil fuels, but also advocating for renewable sources of energy that are truly clean. Thank you all for spreading that message." Keith Schue
 
 
Also check out this local Rochester group:

 

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