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,
nancy sheehan
110 parkway dr
cobleskill, new york |
Katherine Hawkins
pragmatic environmentalist
Citizen and voter
PO Box 201
Summit, NY |
elaine jurumbo
205 e 78 st
new york, ny |
Scott Bernstein
1010 Northern boulevard
Great neck, New York |
Karen Robinson
2534 Rt. 215
cortland, New York |
Christa Cadorette
786 Jones Road
Vestal, NY |
Candace Wadsworth
4077 Abbey road
Syracuse , NY |
Sandy Wraight
9 Redwood Lane
Ithaca, NY |
Larysa Dyrszka
PO Box 355
White Lake, NY |
James Goldstein
Town Supervisor
Town of Lebanon
5504 South Lebanon Road
Earlville , New York |
David Ethridge
215 Bryant Ave
Ithaca, NY |
Jacob Garniez
New York, NY |
Emily Trinder
Sierra Club
PO Box 157
Barker, New York |
Linda Parnes
Farmer
389 Hanley Road
Nassau, NY |
Charley Bowman
48 Sandelwood Dr
Getzville, NY |
Sandra G. Stein
Ithaca, NY |
Pamela Hughes
Chair
Sierra Club Niagara Group
350 Greenhaven Terrace
Tonawanda, NY |
Annette Gurdo
36 Old Boorne Dr, Apt E-3
Clinton, New York |
Ronald Krieg
614 S. Plain St
Ithaca, NY |
Gregory Subtelny
9211 Hatch Rd
Trumansburg, NEW YORK |
Harry Vincent
727 W. Main St.
Catskill, NY |
Robert Nickerson
69 Hart Road
Spencer, New York |
Leon Miller-Out
433 W. Buffalo St.
Ithaca, NY |
carol tansey
retired teacher, MA, artist [cartoonist], bicyclist
350, PAUSE [people of albany united for safe energy]
115 krumkill rd.
albany, ny |
Elizabeth Terwilliger
620 Elm Street Ext
Ithaca, NY |
Richard Andrews
2663 Slaterville Rd
Slaterville Springs , NY |
paul zelsnack
3177 zELSNACK RD.
Marathon, New York |
Cynthia Brock
First Ward Alderperson
City of Ithaca Common Council
324 Brookfield Road
Ithaca, NY |
robert weinberger
director
unitygroup
417 western heights blvd
endicott, New York |
Charles Burch
396 E 2nd St
Corning, NY |
Therese Wilson
28 Cherry Ave.
Aurora, NY |
Katharine Adams
Ms
236 East 12th Street
New York, NY |
Cat Cohen
Highland Pkwy
Rochester, NY |
Stacey McNeill
400 Comfort Road Apt. 1
Ithaca, NY |
Alice Saltonstall
409 Hanshaw Rd
Ithaca, New York |
Julie Kulik
Director
Earth Arts
20 elm street
Brooktondale , NY |
CYNTHIA REED
22 WEITZ ROAD
HOPEWELL JUNCTION, NY |
Paul Rubin
Hydrogeologist
HydroQuest
414 E. Kerley Corners Rd.
Tivoli, New York |
Dale Madison
Apalachin, NY |
Laura Campbell
1441 Honoco Road
Aurora, New York 13026 |
Carol and Louis Piciullo
149 Co Hwy 12
Laurens, NY |
Eugene Endres
126 Sears Street Apt. 1
Ithaca, NY |
Margaret Wright
117 e 81 St
New york, NY |
John Gephart
2080 Gee Hill Road
Dryden, New York |
Scott MacDonald
Professor of Cinema Studies, Hamilton College
Dr.
5 Sherman St.
New Hartford, NY |
Lisa Cowden
5265 Indian Fort Road
Trunansburg, New York 14886 |
John Cowden
5265 Indian Fort Road
Trumansburg, NY 14886 |
Philip Koons
Trout Unlimited
1107 North Tioga Street
Ithaca, NY |
robert h. boyle
428 Briar Hill Road
Cooperstown, New York |
tanya marquette
149 forest glen road
new paltz, new york |