GUEST COLUMN: Built here, banned here: Hochul’s energy policy contradictions

August 28th, 2025

The Guest Column by Justin Wilcox can also be found on the Daily Gazette’s website here.

In New York, we are now in the strange position of building world-class energy technology that cannot be used in our own state.

Components manufactured in Schenectady will soon help power grids around the world, but won’t be allowed to strengthen New York’s.

That contradiction says everything about the incoherent path our state energy policies have taken.

Last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that GE Vernova will invest $41 million into its Center of Excellence in downtown Schenectady, creating 50 new jobs.

This is welcome news. It strengthens New York’s role in advanced manufacturing, research and development, and it supports the infrastructure needed to meet growing global demand for electricity.

GE Vernova’s continued investments in the Capital Region have also cemented its status as the world leader in steam turbine technology, a point of pride for upstate New York.

But here’s the irony: The very gas turbine components that GE Vernova will produce cannot be used in New York under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA).

At the same time, the recently passed Climate Change Superfund Act forces fossil fuel companies to pay $75 billion for climate-related damages, treating the industry as a liability even as we rely on its products to power the world.

The contradiction is even sharper in light of the New York Independent System Operator’s (NYISO) most recent Power Trends report, which warned that the state will need additional investments in natural gas plants to ensure grid reliability.

NYISO has called for “repowering” existing plants to meet demand when renewable resources can’t carry the load.

Yet under current law, these kinds of upgrades are prohibited.

So instead of strengthening New York’s own grid, the products built here will be shipped to other states and to countries more willing to balance reliability and sustainability.

The irony should not be lost on anyone.

With a consistent, balanced energy policy, New York could celebrate both the jobs and the impact: powering our own future while still leading in clean energy innovation.

Right now, we are applauding investments made here while exporting their benefits elsewhere.

If we want to grow our economy, keep creating jobs, and secure a reliable grid, that disconnect must be fixed.

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Justin Wilcox of Rochester is executive director of Upstate United, a nonpartisan business and taxpayer advocacy coalition focused on growing the upstate economy.