ACE NY Kicks-Off 2021; Legislature in Session Jan 6
By Executive Director, Anne Reynolds
Welcome to 2021, a year we hope will be healthier and more peaceful. The ACE NY Team has returned from our holidays ready to get back to work, and as usual, we area already off to a busy start. The NYS Legislature kicks off its new session on Jan 6 and Governor Cuomo is scheduled to deliver his State of the State speech on Jan 11. We will be engaged with the lawmakers and listening intently to the Governor for initiatives to further clean energy in New York.
Behind everything these days is the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, the historic climate law passed in 2019. In order to meet the climate law’s ambitious clean energy goals, we helped advocate for successful passage in 2020 of the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth Act. As a result, the state should be finalizing new siting rules for wind and solar projects soon. By law, they are due by April 1, and the new Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES), set up to improve the siting process, has already held public hearings, is hiring staff and will soon be open for business.
We have yet to see the results of the two transmission studies (offshore wind and rest-of-state) that were due, as part of the accelerated siting law by the end of the year, but expect they will be released soon. Public comments on the utilities’ proposed investments in local transmission are also due in late January, so it promises to be a busy month and year for transmission decision-making. Meanwhile, our issues at the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) include capacity market rules, transmission planning, storage + renewables rules, the interconnection process, and carbon pricing.
And let’s not forget offshore wind. With the changeover of administrations in Washington, D.C., many of the roadblocks that have been thrown up should be lifted. To reach the 9,000 megawatt offshore target in the climate law, we need to move forward now, and ACE and the New York Offshore Wind Alliance will press for strong progress in 2021.
In the Legislature, our priority issue for renewable energy is taxation. We are aiming to get a measure introduced and passed that will direct the state to publish a standard method for assessing property taxes on wind and solar projects. This is critical for developers to plan and build the number of projects New York needs to meet its ambitious goals.
ACE is also urging the Legislature will take up clean transportation measures in a serious way. We will be working in various coalitions to push for a clean fuel standard, better electric rates for fast charging for electric vehicles, incentives for electric school buses, and the ability for New Yorkers to buy their cars directly from electric manufacturers at retail stores. Our legislative agenda is rounded out by a call for new efficiency standards for appliances.
