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Coalition Letter Which Requests That Governor Cuomo Adopt a Statewide Moratorium on Fossil Fuel Project Approvals


July 7, 2016



Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo
Governor of New York
The Capitol
Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Cuomo:

We, the undersigned, write respectfully to request that you impose a statewide moratorium on granting permits, Water Quality Certifications or other regulatory approvals for transmission pipelines, power generating plants, compressor stations and fossil fuel infrastructure projects that are environmental hazards and would perpetuate New York's dependence on burning natural gas, coal and oil for energy generation.

These facilities have caused very serious personal and environmental hazards, including explosions, fires, toxic discharges, property damage and loss of life that state authorities have neither been able to prevent nor clean up according to Department of Environmental Conservation data as well as a Pipeline Safety Oversight Audit of the Public Service Commission released by the Office of the New York State Comptroller in March 2016. This problem must be resolved before more fossil fuel infrastructure is authorized.

There also can be no question that on-going consumption of large amounts of fossil fuels causes immense pollution problems in New York and contributes to global climate change. With the establishment of the Paris Climate Agreement in December 2015 and your administration’s own emissions goal of producing 50% of our electricity with renewable resources by 2030, we urge you to take comprehensive action to minimize New York's reliance on fossil fuels without further delay.

According to the New York Independent System Operator’s Power Trends 2016 report, 57% of New York energy generating capacity involves natural gas and natural gas with oil back-up. This type of power generation is proposed to rise to 70% due to a glut of cheap natural gas. Coal generates another three percent of New York's electricity.

In short, fossil fuel generates most of our state's power and is very likely to provide even more unless strong action is taken. Your State Energy Plan documents that wind and solar produces only 2.4% and 0.4% of New York's electricity, respectively. It also shows that 22.5% of New York's energy generation is from hydropower, which makes up 88% of statewide renewable energy, all produced by 50-year-old hydroelectric plants.

Despite New York's best efforts, new sustainable energy generation remains very low due to high costs and technical hurdles. As a result, it will be extremely challenging, in our view, to achieve our state’s climate goals of 50% renewable energy by 2030 if New York State continues to permit fossil fuel projects that would pollute the environment for decades to come, such as the Spectra and Algonquin Incremental Markets (AIM) pipelines and the Competitive Power Ventures (CPV), Danskammer and Cricket Valley power plants.

We note and applaud your administration's decision to deny the Section 401 Water Quality Certification required for the Constitution Pipeline to be built. With the denial of that 124-mile transmission pipeline, and your blocking of the Port Ambrose offshore Liquified Natural Gas project, and, of course, your DEC’s prohibition on hydro-fracking, we see promising first steps toward moving New York away from continued fossil fuel infrastructure build-out.

The proposed moratorium is critical in transitioning New York to a less polluting energy future. Our state must halt fossil fuel infrastructure development so coal, natural gas and oil consumption can be minimized by implementing energy efficiency efforts that are both economically viable and technically feasible.

In your 2016 Agenda, Built to Lead, you wisely proposed:

"The least expensive and most effective way to meet our state energy goals is simply to reduce the overall energy consumption of New York's homes, businesses, and institutions by making them more efficient. Increasing energy efficiency also lowers utility bills for customers and enables businesses to reduce their operating costs."

We believe this sensible policy must be implemented across New York because it would slash fossil fuel consumption, protect the environment and save money for homeowners and renters, institutions and businesses.

We believe, however, that New York can, and should, do much more in this crucial area than what has been proposed, which is to improve the "energy efficiency of 500,000 homes and 20,000 businesses by 2020..." That would only address six percent of New York's more than eight million housing units in five years.

Since all forms of energy production cause pollution and incur heavy costs, the less energy New Yorkers use, the better. We propose to cut statewide energy consumption by at least one-third through comprehensive insulation, weatherizing and retrofitting efforts unprecedented in America.

Tens of thousands of rewarding jobs could be generated using tried and true, low-cost techniques paid for by energy savings, such as blown cellulose insulation made from recycled paper. This could bolster our economy at a time of great need like the "energy conservation" programs that your father, Governor Mario Cuomo, and the Legislature championed years ago.

This is an ideal time for New York to implement this kind of large-scale demand-side energy conservation. Statewide electricity demand is expected to be "flat" for the coming decade and New York reportedly has ample energy back-up capacity according to Power Trends 2015. Moreover, our plan would not conflict with any sustainable energy alternative initiatives.

We are open to your suggestions and welcome an opportunity to discuss our proposal in detail with you and your staff.

Thank you very much for your consideration.

Very respectfully yours,

Total Signatory Count: 1447

Ron Bernhardt
Mr
PO Box 234
Youngsville, N.Y.
Amy Cheatle
407 Hancock st
Ithaca, Ny
Barbara
587 County Highway 18
Mt. Upton, NY
D. C. Galvin
Owner
ConText, Ink
c/o The Poinciana, 434 West 120th Street
New York,, New York
Jonathan Caslin
Owner operator
Perennial evolution farm
2238 south street
Ovid, Ny
Barbara Swartwood
4480 state route 414
Burdett, NY
Bill Metzger
Owner, New York taxpayer and business owner
Brewing News Publications
571 S Park Ave
Buffalo, New York
Holly Anderson
2618 New Road
Bovina, New York 13740
Thomas Rowan
Mr.
350.org
766 Brady Ave., #635
Bronx, NY
Elizabeth McTiernan
human being
citizen activist
56 Baylis St.
Oswego, New York
Nancy Kasper
Earth Eden Sanctuary
9393 York Settlement Rd
North Rose, NY
Margaret Zamierowski
16182 State Route 22
Stephentown, New York
Andrew Merkle
14850 No Mail Please
Ithaca, New York
Judith Johnson
po box 624
Croton on Hudson, New York,10520
Jonathan Kane
Patricia Heckart
50 E. Main St
Trumansburg, NY
Peter Cramer
13 James St
Auburn, NY
Roberta Favant
680 W 204 ST 6F
New York, NY
Susan Furey
589 Kashong Rd
Geneva, New York
Toby Stover
Founding Member
Rochester Defense Against Fracking
81 Clove Valley Road
High Falls, NY
Stephen Emlen
Professor of Behavioral Ecology, Emeritus
Cornell University
119 Eastlake Road
ITHACA, New York
Natalia J Emlen
Concerned Citizen
119 Eastlake Rd
Ithaca, NY
Eric Slater
49 East 74th Street
New York, NY
Jessica Evett-Miller
300 Bald Hill Road
Brooktondale, NY
Eric Heist
2540 New Rd
Bovina, NY
Robert Henrie
retired teacher
We are Seneca Lake
8035 hampton Rd.
Wolcott, New York
Rodney Priddle
One angle Road
Mechanicville, Ny
Cameron Brown
39 Rosman Road
Theills, NY
Gary McTiernan
50 Brompton Rd
Great Neck, NY
Larry Snider
Sierra Club Member
69 Burdette Drive
Cheektowaga, NY
Eugene Marner
1245 Oak Hill Road
Franklin, Outside Canada
David Bicknell
160 vernon Ave. #1A
Brooklyn, NY
ANNE KILEY
10184 CTY RT 76
PULTENEY, NY
Sasha Paris
Ithaca, NY
Kimberly Lemieux
Pendleton Action Team
4606 Beach Ridge Road
Pendleton, New York
Jason Brosius
7268 Ridgeview Dr. W.
N Tonawanda, NY
Jennifer Woznisk
Wheatfield Action Team
39 Skylark Lane
Niagara Falls, NY
Andrew Harrison
5710 Dunnigan Road
Lockport , NY
Wesley Brown
4053 State Route 66
Valatie, NY
Robert Seeley
85 Starks Road
Newfield, NY
Joyce Lindorff
669 County Rd 28
Fishs Eddy, NY
Karen & Philip Matsu
922 County Road 94
Fremont Center, NY
Cynthia Broughton
7107 townline road
north tonawanda, ny
Neil Broughton
888 Elmwood Ave
Buffalo, NY
Cory Broughton
888 Elmwood Ave
Buffalo, NY
Sarah Garvey
Brooklyn, NY
Peter Pazzaglini
Professor, Senior Scholar
Columbia University
2301 Jenkins Street
Endicott, New York 13760
Tammy decorse
493 Old Falls Blvd.
North Tonawanda , New York
Michelle Liberta
Homeowner
6952 lakeside dr
Niagara falls, Ny
Matthew Dorr
Homeowner
6952 lakeside dr
Niagara Falls , Ny

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