The rural opposition has been so strong that earlier this year, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo added a provision, known as Article 23, to the state budget that effectively strips local communities of their ability to stop big renewable-energy projects from being built in their jurisdictions. ...New Englanders like the idea of wind energy they just don’t want any wind turbines in New England. So they are putting them in New York.

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Borrello said the new Article 23 policy basically says the state government has the ultimate authority on approving renewable energy projects, which silences local opposition. “It ensures those impacted by this will have no opportunity and say,” he said. “It bulldozes local zoning laws. It allows someone in Albany to OK a project without even seeing it.”

Energy Policy New York

The current process New York uses to site large renewables was last amended in 2011, and observers say it is cumbersome to navigate because it has no standard set of requirements for projects to meet. The new law calls for establishing regulations and uniform standards to address issues common to large renewables and identifying mitigation measures to address those impacts.

Energy Policy Zoning/Planning New York

Legislation approved in the 2021 state budget on Thursday included the controversial quicker, streamlined process to approve renewable energy projects, replacing Article 10. While some changes were made, decision-making is still taken from local jurisdictions.

Energy Policy New York

Cuomo intends to crush local, home-rule-based opposition. Under the guise of the state’s budgeting process, he intends to declare an “emergency” that will allow him to revamp the process for approving green-energy projects. To wit, the projects are to be fast-tracked, with no regard for local opinion. The state will also acquire needed land, build the necessary infrastructure, including transmission lines, and hand it all over to developers. ... And if a town objects? The state can — and surely will — respond with the legal equivalent of an extended middle finger. 

Energy Policy New York

Legislator Mark Odell, R-Brocton, said if Cuomo’s proposal is approved it would limit local public input into renewable energy projects, which includes wind turbine farms. He opposes the governor’s attempt to fast track renewable energy projects. “This is very inappropriate,” he said.

Energy Policy New York

New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has unveiled the details of the awards for 21 large-scale solar, wind and energy storage projects across upstate New York, totaling 1,278 MW of new renewable capacity.

Energy Policy New York

Gov. Andrew Cuomo late last month amended his state-budget proposal to let him ram through approval of wind and solar “farms” over local objections. It’s a classic Cuomo power grab — outrageous both on the merits and in how he aims to pull it off.

Energy Policy New York

"It eliminates the role of local zoning laws, allows for eminent domain takings of land, guts critical environmental review, and limits a town’s taxation and assessment powers and ability to negotiate host community agreements," Simon and Dewart said in a prepared statement.

Energy Policy New York

Advocates for local governments are pushing back against a Cuomo administration plan to speed up the siting process for renewable-energy generating plants. ...supporters of local scrutiny say such projects shouldn't be forced into communities that object to them and they fear Cuomo's plan could alter the character of towns that want to have a say in the siting of proposed industrial-scale power generating stations.

Energy Policy New York

Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants 70% of the state's electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030. That's got state agencies looking at ways to speed up permitting for wind and solar projects, worrying opponents of larger developments. Permitting for big wind farms could get a lot faster under new Cuomo proposals

Energy Policy New York

But while energy and capacity market prices can go up and down, REC prices in New York are currently fixed when developers bid for projects through NYSERDA, the state agency responsible for centralized procurement of RECs. The difference with the new order is that instead of staying fixed, the indexed REC price will go up or down, depending on the direction of prices in the energy and capacity markets, to ensure there's a consistent amount of revenue for developers and projects always get what they need, Katofsky explained.

Energy Policy New York

Gov. Andrew Cuomo just can’t seem to resist slamming Upstate simply to pander to the greens. The latest pain: His drive to build vast “wind farms” off Long Island will zing upstaters’ electric bills to the tune of more than $1 billion — and that’s just for the first round of subsidies.

Energy Policy New York

The developer of one of the largest of three proposed wind farms contemplated for the waters off the Hamptons has withdrawn its tentative plan in favor of sites to the west, and is urging the federal government to restrict turbines from East End waters, according to the Germany-based developer's top U.S. official.

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The state wants to get its electricity from carbon-free sources, but expanding renewable energy faces a range of hurdles.

Impact on Birds Energy Policy New York

In fact, most of New York’s “renewable” energy comes from hydropower, which is tough to scale up. Plus, alternative energy faces a growing transmission problem: You have to get the electricity to the customers, which means major new power lines to connect new solar and wind plants to the grid.

Energy Policy New York

The Sierra Club’s founder, John Muir, founded the group in 1892 to help protect the environment. Muir must be rolling over in his grave at the current Sierra Club’s diversion away from the group’s intended mission. The Sierra Club’s support of industrializing vast swaths of land with industrial wind sprawl is directly opposed to their Mission Statement “to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment.” 

Energy Policy New York

Cuomo’s plan, which is adamantly opposed by commercial fishing groups, will require covering hundreds of square miles of some of the most heavily fished and navigated waters on the Eastern Seaboard with hundreds of wind turbines. The potential environmental damage to offshore fisheries is obvious. So, too, is the likely cost to ratepayers. In January, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority estimated that building the first 800 megawatts of offshore wind will cost about $4.3 billion, or about $5.4 million per megawatt.

Energy Policy New York

Energy Policy New York

Energy Policy New York