Buffalo News Letter to the Editor: State is moving too fast on climate change initiative

March 22nd, 2023

Click here to read the full letter by visiting the Buffalo News.

The state’s chaotic approach to achieving the goals of the CLCPA is putting the reliability of our grid at risk and making energy unaffordable.

We’ve experienced enough deadly weather in Western New York to know the importance of energy reliability. Yet, rushed decisions being made to comply with the CLCPA are pushing reliability margins to historic lows, and the costs are being disproportionately passed onto Upstate consumers.

To supply New York City and the downstate region with renewable energy, the Public Service Commission has approved two bulk transmission projects and 62 local transmission upgrades. Also in the works are Long Island offshore wind and transmission projects.

The two bulk transmission projects alone are expected to increase National Grid bills by 9% and impacts on large commercial customers may increase twice that amount. Rate hikes for the 62 transmission upgrades approved in February are between 3-16%.

These projects, when combined with the costs of the offshore wind projects, could result in increases of over 50% for the largest energy customers.

However, Upstate energy generation is already 91% zero emissions. Downstate is a meager 9%.

So why is Upstate once again being forced to subsidize Downstate? What is the true cost of the CLCPA? How much should customers expect bills to increase at the end of all this?

There must be a more equitable and organized approach to reducing emissions. The state must do more to protect the grid and our families and small businesses who are already struggling to make ends meet.

Justin Wilcox, Executive Director, Upstate United