Previously Published in The Messenger
New York’s energy policies are nothing short of backwards.
Let us be clear: there is absolutely nothing wrong with pursuing clean energy initiatives. We’re all for it, but as long as it makes sense.
That’s why the current policies, we find, are pathological at worst, and overly-virtuous at best. The proverbial generator is being put before the horse, especially as it relates to the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA).
Setting goals is important, but trying to shoehorn our resources and citizenry into meeting those goals for the sake of itself is entirely regressive, not progressive.
The natural gas moratorium for new buildings under seven stories in height is set to kick in on December 31 this year. The wait is over and it will likely further exacerbate already-rising energy costs and the oppressive housing market. It will apply to all new buildings by 2029.
Senator Mario Mattera (R-St. James), no stranger to energy production, is correct on this issue. New York needs to entertain an all-of-the-above approach. A healthy mix of all energy sources is needed to diversify production and cool the various markets, all of which are invariably linked to energy costs. Phasing out fossil fuels in favor of renewable energy is a laudable goal, one of which we approve, but it needs to be done gradually, not in the “ready, fire, aim” method that Albany has applied. How are we supposed to finance these expensive and even experimental forms of energy production while New Yorkers continue to flee the state and while Executive Budgets continue to balloon year-over-year?
This is what happens when people with actual skin in the game and experts with a boots-on-the-ground perspective aren’t consulted, and instead, academics and lobbyists are instead taken as the oracles on New York’s energy future. We can have them at the table as well, but we can’t just sit in an echo chamber one or the other. Even Comptroller Tom DiNapoli (D-Great Neck Plaza) hasn’t ignored the energy deficit, another win for a statewide official who is willing to call balls and strikes.
Moreover, the NESE and Constitution Pipelines need to come online, and we’re hearing rumblings that Governor Kathy Hochul (D) is now warm to the idea – an interesting inflection point as she mounts what will appear to be the most contentious gubernatorial race in this state since 1994. Not only would it expedite natural gas to New York, but also bypass the costly and, at times, dangerous process of refining it, while relieving our roadways from damaging and polluting trucks that spew seven pounds of CO2 per mile per truck.
It’s interesting to hear that the so-called environmentalists won’t give credence to that particularly startling detail, although we also hear from our sources that even that point is now being considered.
It seems that Albany is trying to strangle taxpayers at every end, and while the energy bill continues to be one of the most oppressive in the nation, it affects all other markets. Experimentation is fine, but not on our dime to this extent.
We need a plan, not a ban, indeed.