Dear Governor Cuomo,

We, the undersigned elected officials from across New York State, thank you for your leadership in protecting our public health and environment and addressing the climate crisis. We commend the critical work your administration has done, including banning fracking, setting energy efficiency standards, contracting for offshore wind, land-based wind, and solar energy, developing electric vehicle infrastructure, and setting an ambitious plan to transition to 70 percent renewable energy by 2030 with the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). In order to meet these goals, we urge you and your administration to update and change state policies to phase out the use of fossil fuels and ramp up renewable energy and energy efficiency.

New York State is now positioned to become a national climate leader. To realize its potential, the state and its agencies including NYSERDA and PSC must fully align their respective policies with your administration’s ambitious and visionary goals. For example, the New York’s Clean Energy Standard needs to be revised to require 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040 to align with the CLCPA. Yet, the state currently gets only 5% of its electricity from wind and solar.1 By contrast, California has shifted 21% of its electricity to wind and solar in the last decade.2  While 29% of New York’s electricity comes from renewable resources, four-fifths of this electricity is generated by hydroelectric sources that have been operating for decades.3 

To reach our state’s goals and CLCPA mandates, wind, solar, geothermal, and energy efficiency must be immediately and significantly prioritized, incentivized and expanded. The pace of renewable energy review and permitting, and transmission upgrades must be increased. Our reliance on fossil fuels for heating, electricity, and transportation must be significantly reduced. 

As officials representing communities across the state, we are eager to work with you to make New York the national and global leader on the climate crisis. To meet our state’s goals, we must:

  1. Significantly increase state funding, support, procurement, and permitting to deploy large-scale renewable energy across the state. For instance, NYPA now has expanded authority to procure renewable energy and bond for investments in renewable energy and storage, which should be used to large-scale solar to help meet the 70% by 2030 mandate, and to support community solar by selling to municipal Community Choice Aggregation programs to help meet the CLCPA target of 6,000 MW of distributed solar by 2025.
  2. Invest in large numbers of good, clean energy jobs in low-income communities and communities of color by ensuring that distributed solar is deployed in underserved communities, large-scale renewable energy benefits host communities, and prioritizing environmental justice issues and communities as part of the clean energy transition, including green job training programs. 
  3. Increase investments in NYSERDA programs, local governments, and community-based organizations across the state to support institutional, business, municipal, and community efforts to rapidly deploy renewable energy, energy efficiency, heat pumps, electric vehicle charging stations, and other needed infrastructure and create incentives for communities to welcome and host grid-scale renewable energy projects. 
  4. Reject permits for all new fossil fuel infrastructure, including new gas-fired power plants and small gas pipelines for residential gas expansion, and ensure a swift move off natural gas, including a new rulemaking to prohibit utilities from investing ratepayer funds in gas projects.
  5. Work with utility providers to create a more resilient 21st-century electricity grid to handle increased renewable interconnections, electric vehicles, and electrification. This would include PSC directing utilities to invest in the infrastructure necessary to support widespread vehicle charging and New York State planning and permitting transmission to move renewable energy throughout the state. 

In addition to these changes, our local governments and institutions need support in phasing out fossil fuels and making the transition to 100% clean electricity. Most of our local governments do not have the expertise or capacity to navigate the complex issues raised when renewable energy companies propose large-scale renewable projects. NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities coordinators have lent crucial expertise to communities in such matters. We must continue and significantly increase funding for the program and others like it to provide the support we need to adopt policies to help achieve New York State’s goal of 100% clean energy.  

Lastly, to meet our climate goals, we emphasize the need for New York to phase out fracked gas from out of state. We urge your administration to prohibit new fossil fuel infrastructure projects including pipelines, compressor stations, peak-demand power plants, gas-fueled microgrids, gas plants, and gas storage facilities. As New York rapidly ramps up renewable energy, the state should seek every possible way to reduce reliance on gas. 

We look forward to working together to achieve New York’s swift and just transition to 100% renewable energy, which will be a win-win for public health, the environment, and the economy as we create good-paying jobs throughout the state and lead the nation and the world in clean energy. 

Sincerely,

Vanessa Agudelo
Councilmember
City of Peekskill
Westchester County

Rachel Barnhart

Legislator
Monroe County

Adam Bello

County Executive
Monroe County

Harry Bronson
Assemblymember
State Assembly of District 138
Monroe County

Christopher Cannon
Councilmember
Town of Arkwright
Chautauqua County

Molly Clifford
Councilmember
City of Rochester
Monroe County

John Deer
Councilmember
Town of Manlius
Onondaga County

Elaine Denton
Board Member
Town of Manlius
Onondaga County

David Dukler
Councilmember
Town of New Paltz
Ulster County

Sam Fein
Legislator
Albany County

Anthony Grice
Councilmember
City of Newburgh
Orange County

Ronny Hardaway
Trustee
Village of Lansing
Tompkins County

Sarah Jones
Board Member
Town of Pine Plains
Dutchess County

Anne Koreman
Legislator
Tompkins County

Sabrina LaMar
Legislator
Monroe of County
Monroe County

Scot Lueck
Councilmember
Town of Butternuts
Otsego County

Gordon McClelland
Councilmember
Town of Guilderland
Albany County

Kris Munn
Legislator
Dutchess County

Steve Noble
Mayor
City of Kingston
Ulster County

Michelle Ostrelich
Legislator
Schenectady County

Doug Plummer
Mayor
Village of Sharon Springs
Schoharie County

Kerin Rigney
Councilmember
Town of DeWitt
Onondaga County

Tim Rogers
Mayor
Village of New Paltz
Ulster County

Loretta Scott
Councilmember
Rochester of City
Monroe County

Kathie Talbot
Councilmember
City of Peekskill
Westchester County

Howard Tupper
Councilmember
Town of Van Buren
Onondaga County

Lovely Warren
Mayor
City of Rochester
Monroe County

Rebecca Wolff
Alderman
City of Hudson
Columbia County

Sam Young
Councilmember
Town of DeWitt
Onondaga County

Beverly Alves
District Member
School District of Johnstown
Johnstown County

Tracey Bartels
Legislator
Ulster County

Bonnie Bennett
Mayor
Village of Aurora
Cayuga County

Matthew Brown
Trustee
Village of Fairport
Monroe County

Valerie Cartright
Councilmember
Town of Brookhaven
Suffolk County

Christine Corrado
Board Member
Town of Brighton
Monroe County

Anthony Del Plato
Trustee
Village of Interlaken
Seneca County

Vincent DeSantis
Mayor
City of Gloversville
Fulton County

Rebecca Edwards
Legislator
Dutchess County

Ernest Flagler-Mitchell
Legislator
Monroe of County
Monroe County

Mitch Gruber
Councilmember
City of Rochester
Monroe County

Torrance Harvey
Mayor
City of Newburgh
Orange County

Anna Kelles
Legislator
Tompkins County

Gary Koutnik
Vice Chair
Otsego County

Beatriz LeBron
Commissioner
School District of Rochester
Monroe County

Mary Lupien
Councilmember
City of Rochester
Monroe County

Jodi McCreedo
Councilmember
City of Beacon
Dutchess County

Gary Mutchler
Supervisor
Town of Scipio
Cayuga County

Sean O’Brien
Trustee
Village of Clayton
Jefferson County

Jose Peo
Councilmember
City of Rochester
Monroe County

Karen Pollard
Supervisor
Town of Marcellus
Onondaga County

Angela Riley
Councilmember
City of Binghamton
Broome County

Yversha Roman
Legislator
Monroe County

Omari Shankur
Councilmember
City of Newburgh
Orange County

Ellen Tillapaugh
Mayor
Village of Cooperstown
Otsego County

Damian Ulatowski
Supervisor
Town of Clay
Onondaga County

Heather Waters
Councilmember
Town of Manlius
Onondaga County

Tom Wood
Councilmember
Town of Plattsburgh
Clinton County

John Zaccaro
Mayor
Village of Saltire
Suffolk County

Dorcey Applyrs
Auditor
City of Albany
Albany County

Josh Bauroth
Legislator
Monroe of County
Monroe County

Shawna Black
Legislator
Tompkins County

Doug Bullock
Former Legislator
Albany County

Franco Carucci
Councilmember
Town of Gardiner
Ulster County

Brendan Coyne
Mayor
Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson
Orange County

James Delaune
Legislator
Ulster County

Joseph Driscoll
Councilmember
City of Syracuse
Onondaga County

David Englert
Mayor
Village of Sodus
Wayne County

Amber Grant
Councilmember
City of Beacon
Dutchess County

Beau Harbin
Legislator
Cortland County

Patrick Hogan
Councilor
City of Syracuse
Onondaga County

Jean Kessner
Former Councilmember
City of Syracuse
Onondaga County

Katelyn Kriesel
Councilmember
Town of Manlius
Onondaga County

Lynne Lekakis
Legislator
Albany County

Amy Maloy
Commissioner
School District of Rochester
Monroe County

Karen Mejia
Councilmember
City of Newburgh
Orange County

Terry Nelson
Councilmember
City of Beacon
Dutchess County

Jackie Ortiz
Councilmember
Rochester of City
Monroe County

Laura Petit
Legislator
Ulster County

Marion Porterfield
Councilmember
City of Schenectady
Schenectady County

Edmond Roberts
Councilmember
Town of Rhinebeck
Dutchess County

Thomas Salamone
Board Member
School Board of Minisink Valley Central School District
Orange County

Heather Staley
Councilmember
Town of Union
Broome County

Tom Tkachuk
Councilmember
Town of Ava
Oneida County

Kathryn Vernay
Trustee
Village of Tully
Onondaga County

Joseph Wetmore
Board Member
Town of Lansing
Tompkins County

Jere Wrightsman
Board Member
Town of Austerlitz
Columbia County

Frits Zernike
Legislator
Dutchess County

Rachelle Armstrong
Councilmember
City of Plattsburgh
Clinton County

Quantel Bazemore
Trustee
Village of Ossining
Westchester County

Drew Boggess
Board Member
Town of Olive
Ulster County

Shawn Cahill
Board Member
School Board of Minisink Valley
Orange County

Michael Chameides
Supervisor
Columbia County

Deborah Dawson
Legislator
Tompkins County

Thomas Delehanty
Clerk
Town of Hardenburgh
Ulster County

Richard Driscoll
Supervisor – Retired
Town of Newfield
Tompkins County

Malik Evans
Councilmember
City of Rochester
Monroe County

Manna Jo Greene
Legislator
Ulster County

Ronny Hardaway
Trustee
Village of Lansing
Tompkins County

Christopher Johnson
Legislator
Westchester County

William Kinne
Legislator
Onondaga County

Mary Kuhn
Legislator
Onondaga County

Willie Lightfoot
Councilmember
City of Rochester
Monroe County

David Mayo
Legislator
Albany County

Matthew Miller
Legislator
Albany County

Steven Noble
Mayor
City of Kingston
Ulster County

Linda Ostempowski
Trustee
Village of Sloan
Erie County

Victoria Plotsky
Legislator
Albany County

William Reinhardt
Legislator
Albany County

Martha Robertson
Legislator
Tompkins County

Christopher Schaeffer
Councilmember
Town of Fredonia
Chautauqua County

Debra Stapleton
Clerk
Town of Elbridge
Onondaga County

Stephanie Townsend
Councilmember
Town of Pittsford
Monroe County

Patty Waldron
Legislator
Clinton County

Robin Wilt
Councilmember
Town of Brighton
Monroe County

Gregory Young
Supervisor
City of Gloversville
Fulton County