Cuomo announces green new deal included in 2019 executive budget

Last week, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced the “Green New Deal,” a nation-leading clean energy and jobs agenda that will “aggressively put New York state on a path to economy-wide carbon neutrality,” is included in the 2019 executive budget. The plan provides for a transition to clean energy that “spurs growth of the green economy and prioritizes the needs of low- to moderate-income New Yorkers.”

"Climate change is a reality, and the consequences of delay are a matter of life and death. We know what we must do. Now we have to have the vision, the courage, and the competence to get it done,"  Cuomo said. "While the federal government shamefully ignores the reality of climate change and fails to take meaningful action, we are launching the first-in-the-nation ‘Green New Deal’ to seize the potential of the clean energy economy, set nation's most ambitious goal for carbon-free power, and ultimately eliminate our entire carbon footprint."

During Cuomo's first two terms, New York banned fracking of natural gas, committed to phasing out coal power by 2020, mandated 50 percent renewable power by 2030, and established the U.S. Climate Alliance to uphold the Paris Agreement. Under the “Reforming the Energy Vision” agenda, New York has held the largest renewable energy procurements in U.S. history, solar has increased nearly 1,500 percent, and “offshore wind is poised to transform the state's electricity supply to be cleaner and more sustainable. Through Gov. Cuomo's ‘Green New Deal,’ New York will take the bold next steps to secure a clean energy future that protects the environment for generations to come while growing the clean energy economy.”

100 Percent Clean Power by 2040, Coupled with New Nation-leading Renewable Energy Mandates

The “Green New Deal” will statutorily mandate New York's power be 100 percent carbon-free by 2040, the most aggressive goal in the U.S., and five years ahead of a target recently adopted by California. The cornerstone of this new mandate is a significant increase of New York's successful Clean Energy Standard mandate from 50 percent to 70 percent renewable electricity by 2030. This ramp-up of renewable energy will include:

•Quadrupling New York's offshore wind target to 9,000 megawatts by 2035, up from 2,400 megawatts by 2030

•Doubling distributed solar deployment to 6,000 megawatts by 2025, up from 3,000 megawatts by 2023

•More than doubling new large-scale land-based wind and solar resources through the Clean Energy Standard

•Maximizing the contributions and potential of New York's existing renewable resources

•Deploying 3,000 megawatts of energy storage by 2030, up from 1,500 megawatts by 2025

Develop Implementation Plan to Make New York Carbon Neutral

The “Green New Deal” will create the state's first statutory Climate Action Council, comprised of the heads of relevant state agencies and other workforce, environmental justice, and clean energy experts to develop a comprehensive plan to make New York carbon neutral by significantly and cost-effectively reducing emissions from all major sources, including electricity, transportation, buildings, industry, commercial activity and agriculture. The Climate Action Council will consider a range of possible options, including the feasibility of working with the U.S. Climate Alliance to create a new multistate emissions reduction program that covers all sectors of the economy, including transportation and industry, and exploring ways to leverage the regional greenhouse gas Initiative to drive transformational investment in the clean energy economy and support a just transition.

The “Green New Deal” will also include a strategy to move New York's statewide building stock to carbon neutrality. The agenda includes:

•Advancing legislative changes to strengthen building energy codes and establish appliance efficiency standards

•Directing state agencies to ensure their facilities uphold the strongest energy efficiency and sustainability standards

•Developing a net zero roadmap to chart a course to statewide carbon neutrality in buildings

Multibillion ‘Green New Deal’ Investment in Clean Tech Economy that will Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

“Demonstrating New York's immediate commitment to implementing the nation's most ambitious clean energy agenda and creating high-quality clean energy jobs,” Cuomo is announcing $1.5 billion in competitive awards to support 20 large-scale solar, wind and energy storage projects across upstate New York. These investments will add over 1,650 megawatts of capacity and generate more than 3,800,000 megawatt-hours of renewable energy annually – enough to power nearly 550,000 homes and create more than 2,600 short and long-term jobs. Combined with the renewable energy projects previously announced under the Clean Energy Standard, New York has now awarded more than $2.9 billion to 46 projects statewide, enough to power over 1 million households.

The “Green New Deal” also includes new investments to jumpstart New York's offshore wind energy industry and support the state's target of 9,000 megawatts by 2035. New York will invest up to $200 million in port infrastructure to match private sector investment in regional development of offshore wind. This multi-location investment represents the nation's largest infrastructure commitment to offshore wind.

These new investments build upon a $250 million commitment to electric vehicle infrastructure by the New York Power Authority's “Evolve” program, $3.5 billion in private investment in distributed solar driven by NYSERDA's “NY-Sun” program, and “NY Green Bank” transactions mobilizing nearly $1.75 billion in private capital for clean energy projects.

A Just Transition to a Clean Energy Economy

•Deliver Climate Justice for Underserved Communities: The “Green New Deal” will help historically underserved communities prepare for a clean energy future and adapt to climate change by:

• Giving communities a seat at the table by codifying the Environmental Justice and Just Transition Working Group into law and incorporating it into the planning process for the “Green New Deal's” implementation.
• Directing the state's low-income energy task force to identify reforms to achieve greater impact of the public energy funds expended each year in order to increase the effect of funds and initiatives that target energy affordability to underserved communities.
• Directing each of the state's 10 Regional Economic Development Councils to develop an environmental justice strategy for their region.

Finance a Property Tax Compensation Fund to Help Communities Transition to the Clean Energy Economy:  Cuomo is introducing legislation to finance the state's $70 million property tax compensation fund to continue helping communities directly affected by the transition away from dirty and obsolete energy industries and toward the new clean energy economy. Specifically, this funding will protect communities impacted by the retirement of conventional power generation facilities.

Protect Labor Rights: To ensure creation of high-quality clean-energy jobs, large-scale renewable energy projects supported by the “Green New Deal” will require prevailing wage, and the state's offshore wind projects will be supported by a requirement for a project labor agreement.

Develop the Clean Tech Workforce: To prepare New York's workforce for the transition, New York will take new steps to support workforce development, including establishing a New York State Advisory Council on Offshore Wind Economic and Workforce Development, as well as investing in an offshore wind training center that will provide New Yorkers with the skills and safety training required to construct this clean energy technology in New York.

Richard Kauffman, chairman of Energy and Finance for New York, said, "Gov. Cuomo's ‘Green New Deal’ will advance New York state further into the clean energy future, and we won't let the Trump administration push us backwards. Gov. Cuomo's new commitments ensure New York is the undisputed national clean energy and climate leader, and we will continue to build upon the foundations of the ‘REV’ agenda to achieve a sustainable economy and healthy environment for generations of New Yorkers to come."

Alicia Barton, president and CEO of NYSERDA, said, "Climate scientists have made frighteningly clear that averting the worst effects of climate change will require bold action, not incremental steps, and Gov. Cuomo's ‘Green New Deal’ boldly goes where no others have before. His unwavering climate agenda includes the most aggressive clean energy target in U.S. history, the largest commitments to renewable energy and to offshore wind in the nation, a massive mobilization of clean energy jobs and an unprecedented investment in offshore wind port infrastructure. Together, these actions make New York the clear national leader in the fight against climate change, and will show the world that New York can and will achieve a clean energy future for the sake of future generations."

Gil C. Quiniones, president and CEO of New York Power Authority, said, “Gov. Cuomo’s ‘Green New Deal’ puts New York on the fast track to realizing the goal of a carbon neutral energy system. Under the governor’s ‘Reforming the Energy Vision’ strategy, the Power Authority has dedicated $250 million through 2025 in energy storage and demand response programs, and $200 million-300 million a year in energy efficiency measures and customer-sited renewables in public buildings across to lead by example. We are excited to further build on this momentum under the ‘Green New Deal.’ ”