solar

Environmentalists, others prod MTA to beat deadline, buy part of former Lawrence Aviation property

Environmentalists, others prod MTA to beat deadline, buy part of former Lawrence Aviation property

Residents, environmentalists and a bipartisan group of elected officials Monday called on Gov. Kathy Hochul to break the stalemate that has blocked the MTA's purchase of 40 acres of land for a new Port Jefferson railroad station.

Students take action at youth climate summit at Stony Brook University

Students take action at youth climate summit at Stony Brook University

Approximately 300 students from 17 local high schools and at least one middle school gathered April 4 for the first Long Island Youth Climate Summit at Stony Brook University. Organized by Students for Climate Action and Renewable Energy Long Island, the event centered on environmental education and advocacy, with students encouraged to get involved with grassroots.

How Lee Zeldin Went From Environmental Moderate to Dismantling the E.P.A.

How Lee Zeldin Went From Environmental Moderate to Dismantling the E.P.A.

He once talked about the need to fight climate change. Now, he embraces Elon Musk, lavishes praise on the president and strives to stand out in a MAGA world.

When President Trump’s cabinet secretaries clashed with Elon Musk this month over the billionaire’s chain saw approach to shrinking government, Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, made it clear where he stood.

Lee Zeldin gets to work on his agenda of shrinking EPA and cutting regulations

Lee Zeldin gets to work on his agenda of shrinking EPA and cutting regulations

WASHINGTON — EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has begun to do what President Donald Trump wanted to do in his first term but couldn’t: Shrink the Environmental Protection Agency and cut its regulations on energy and business.

In his first month on the job, Zeldin, a former Long Island congressman, has spoken less about protecting the environment in interviews and on social media than he has about his mission to "unleash energy dominance."

The ‘elephant in the room’ at Palumbo’s annual environmental roundtable: future of federal funds

The ‘elephant in the room’ at Palumbo’s annual environmental roundtable: future of federal funds

Representatives of two dozen organizations gathered Thursday for an annual environmental roundtable meeting hosted by State Senator Anthony Palumbo to discuss regional environmental issues, concerns and needs. The event went off as it does every year: a cordial, free-wheeling, pass-the-mic conversation.

If the ongoing federal staffing cuts and budget-slashing being undertaken by the Trump administration worried the environmental advocates and government officials in the room, their concerns were mostly left unspoken —even though most of the programs addressing local environmental issues substantially rely on federal funding.

Here’s what Lee Zeldin’s voting record may mean for the EPA

Here’s what Lee Zeldin’s voting record may mean for the EPA

Lee Zeldin is one Trump nominee who cannot be easily put into a box.

When Adrienne Esposito, executive director of a New York environmental group, appealed to the then-congressman to keep funding for Long Island Sound restoration in the federal budget, he and two other representatives from the state secured the reauthorization of $65 million per year in 2018.

Governor Hochul Announces Executed Contracts for 23 Large-Scale Land-Based Renewable Energy Projects

Governor Hochul Announces Executed Contracts for 23 Large-Scale Land-Based Renewable Energy Projects

Projects Will Provide More than 2.3 Gigawatts of Clean Energy: Enough to Power More than 700,000 Homes in New York State

Will Create More than 2,500 Near-Term, Family Sustaining Jobs and Generate More than $4.7 Billion In Private Investment

Reinforces the State’s Commitment to Equitable Clean Energy Development, Grid Resiliency, and Economic Development

Trump Presidency Looms Over New York’s Ambitious Climate Agenda

SOURCE:

https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/11/15/trump-zeldin-hochul-climate-environment/

BY SAMANTHA MALDONADO - November 15, 2024

With President Donald Trump set to return to the White House, New York is all but on its own to play catch-up with its ambitious, legally mandated climate goals.

The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, passed in 2019 during Trump’s first presidential term, requires the state to have zero-emissions electricity by 2040 and slash greenhouse gas emissions 85% by 2050.

While the state has made some progress — aided in large part by the Biden administration, whose friendly stance toward climate action gave way to smoother offshore wind permitting and tax incentives for cleaner vehicles — it’s got a long way to go. Even with that wind at its back, however, New York had already fallen about three years behind its own benchmarks.

“The role of the state is far more important, in that we can no longer rely on the federal government,” said Michael Gerrard, director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University. “There’s plenty we can do if we have the political will.”

Gerrard said Gov. Kathy Hochul should double down on advancing the climate law’s aims by following the sweeping policy blueprint that plots out a transition away from fossil fuels for all parts of New York’s economy, from home heating and energy sources, to what kinds of cars are on the road. But the state lacks a clear funding source or spending plan to carry that out.

“New York has taken significant steps to implement the Climate Act and we will continue our ongoing efforts to build a clean energy economy,” Paul DiMichele, a spokesperson for Hochul, said in a statement.

One person who could help or hinder Hochul’s efforts is Lee Zeldin, Trump’s appointee to head the Environmental Protection Agency. Zeldin, a former state senator and Congressman representing eastern Long Island, challenged Hochul for governor in 2022 and came within six points of winning. This summer, he called New York’s climate law “unrealistic and unobtainable,” saying its goals amounted to “pathetic political posturing.”

Zeldin said Tuesday that the EPA has the “opportunity to roll back regulations that are forcing businesses to struggle.” That echoes some groups in New York that have raised concerns over the impacts and feasibility of the state’s climate goals. The Business Council of New York gave Zeldin a “top pro-business score” in 2014 when he was a state senator, while just three years earlier, Environmental Advocates New York awarded him an “Oil Slick” award.

Still, Hochul is holding out hope that her former political rival will remember where he’s from: an area vulnerable to flooding and growing more so as sea levels rise, reliant on groundwater as its drinking source, and home to many whose livelihoods depend on a healthy environment.

“Hopefully, these are all factors that the new head of EPA will know, what was happening in his backyard, and try to help solve problems, not create more,” Hochul said this week.

Zeldin does not have a reputation as an environmental champion, though advocates who worked with him locally said he stepped up in crucial times.

Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Long Island-based Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said she asked Zeldin to publicly oppose Trump’s idea to drill for oil off the East Coast. He did, she said, in part because he recognized the harmful impact that would have had on Long Island fishermen.

“When pressed by his constituents on issues that they really cared about, he would be responsive. What I’m worried about now is that his responsiveness will turn away from the public and more towards Trump’s agenda,” Esposito said. 

Regarding Trump, Esposito added, “He traded the industry’s bottom lines for public health. When he had to choose between the two, he chose industry. What we need Zeldin to do is fight for the public need above corporate greed.” 

Rejecting Climate Science

What Zeldin ultimately decides to do if confirmed as head of the EPA may be a question of how closely he hews to Trump’s vision. 

Trump has long rejected climate science. During his first term, his administration gutted research funding, and the EPA rolled back over 100 policies and rules aimed at lowering planet-warming emissions and protecting the environment. 

Perhaps the biggest impact the EPA could have on New York’s climate aims is rolling back Biden-era rules that limit harmful tailpipe emissions. These rules aimed to slash pollution and push the U.S. vehicle market toward electric and hybrid vehicles.

This rule boosted New York’s efforts to tackle its largest source of planet-warming emissions: the transportation sector. Hochul issued a directive requiring all cars sold in the state to be zero-emissions — that is, powered by hydrogen or electricity — by 2035.

“Whether we’re able to meet the 2035 target, and what happens along the way is mostly out of our hands, it’s mostly a federal matter,” Gerrard said. “That’s the single thing that I think is the greatest problem that the election has for New York’s achievement of these climate goals.”

One person uniquely poised to nudge the Trump administration toward greater support for electric vehicles is Elon Musk, Trump’s confidant, appointee to co-lead a new proposed Department of Government Efficiency, and founder of electric car manufacturer Tesla.

Some New York environmental advocates are pushing for the state to adopt a clean fuel standard, which would require a reduction in the carbon intensity of vehicles, thereby incentivizing a switch from gasoline to a lower-emissions fuels such as biodiesel. The state Senate passed legislation to do so, but the Assembly never held a vote on the measure. Hochul could prioritize state approval of such a standard.

‘Dominance,’ Renewables Included

Zeldin also promised to “pursue energy dominance” for the U.S., without specifying what kind of energy he wants to be dominant. 

“Does that mean only fossil fuels? Trump has been outspoken in opposing offshore wind — do wind and solar and geothermal factor into that equation?” said Judith Enck, a former regional administrator of the EPA. “It’s in the EPA wheelhouse. The EPA sometimes issues permits for coal-fired power plants, fracking, pipelines.”

One clue: When Zeldin ran for governor, he vowed to overturn New York’s ban on fracking and said New York was not “tapping into” a supply of energy, suggesting the state could extract natural gas, which he said would also create jobs.

But clean energy has been a job creator nationwide, and years earlier, Zeldin had recognized its benefits.

“The key is to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, to become more environmentally friendly and pursue clean and green energy,” Zeldin said during a 2016 congressional campaign debate against his Democratic challenger.

Environmental advocates say that fulfilling Zeldin’s “energy dominance” pledge will have to include renewables in the mix at some level.

“I don’t see how the country is energy dominant or energy secure and less reliant on the roller coaster ride of the oil markets if we’re not getting more of our energy, including for our vehicles, from electricity and renewable sources,” said Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters. 

Zeldin, however, voted against the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, which have been credited with spurring investment in clean energy and manufacturing — including in New York.

Trump has vowed to rescind unspent dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act — a big risk for the state. Already, his transition team is seeking to repeal the IRA’s electric vehicle tax credit.

“New York needs to be cognizant of that when it comes to prioritizing the resources it does have to maximize greenhouse gas reduction,” said Patrick Orecki, director of state studies at the Citizens Budget Commission, in an email. 

He emphasized that while federal dollars and incentives help advance the climate law, the state is ultimately on the hook to find its own funding.

New York is slated to establish a program, known as “cap-and-invest,” that would charge polluters for emissions they spew in an effort to incentivize them to emit less and to raise money to pay for climate-related investments. But the state has yet to write regulations for the program — one of several key deadlines in the Climate Act its missed. 

“If the state keeps missing climate law milestones, nobody else is coming to our rescue,” said Eddie Bautista, executive director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance. “We’re all disappointed and waiting to see if she will start taking climate change mitigation and adaptation with the urgency we need.”

Lee Zeldin Knows How to Defend Trump. Will He Defend the Environment?

Lee Zeldin Knows How to Defend Trump. Will He Defend the Environment?

The choice of Mr. Zeldin, a former Republican congressman of New York, to be the next E.P.A. administrator caught even some of his closest allies by surprise.

When he ran for governor of New York two years ago, fellow Republicans privately exhorted former Representative Lee Zeldin to distance himself from Donald J. Trump and his debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

Congressional Candidates Talk Climate

Congressional Candidates Talk Climate

When it comes to climate change, “if ever there was a Ground Zero for Long Island, it’s really the First Congressional District,” says Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, of the district that encompasses the entire East End. “It’s very critical to hold our congressional leaders accountable for climate change. People still actually don’t believe in climate change, as if it’s a faith based system. You can’t believe or not believe in gravity. You have to understand it is real.”

Energy company wants green light for battery storage facility on site next to Phillips Avenue Elementary School

Energy company wants green light for battery storage facility on site next to Phillips Avenue Elementary School

An energy company seeking an exemption from Southampton Town’s moratorium on battery energy storage facility applications faced scrutiny by Town Board members and strong opposition from the Riverhead Central School District Board of Education during a hearing on its exemption application last night at Southampton Town Hall.

North Hempstead will hold second vote on battery storage ban

North Hempstead will hold second vote on battery storage ban

The North Hempstead town board will reconsider a one-year moratorium on large battery storage systems in October, nearly two months after a similar vote failed.

In August, the board voted 3-1 on the resolution, with two abstentions. To pass a law in North Hempstead, a majority of four votes is required. North Hempstead became the first Long Island town to reject a proposal for a battery storage site.

Southampton extends battery energy ban, angering environmentalists

Southampton extends battery energy ban, angering environmentalists

Southampton Town has extended a moratorium on new battery energy storage systems for the second time as officials seek more time to bolster safety codes, but over the objections of environmentalists.

Governor Hochul Announces New Large-Scale Renewable Energy Solicitation to Deliver Clean Electricity Across the State

Governor Hochul Announces New Large-Scale Renewable Energy Solicitation to Deliver Clean Electricity Across the State

Final Proposals for Large-Scale Land-Based Renewable Energy Projects Due in August 2024

Supports Progress Toward Achieving New York’s Climate Act Goal to Obtain 70 Percent of its Electricity from Renewable Sources by 2030

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a new large-scale renewable energy solicitation to deliver clean electricity to New Yorkers. Building on New York’s 10-Point Action Plan, this solicitation seeks proposals for the development of new large-scale land-based renewable energy projects which are expected to spur billions of dollars in clean energy investments and create thousands of family-sustaining jobs in the State’s green economy. Today’s announcement supports progress toward achieving the State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal to obtain 70 percent of New York’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

Two Agreements Announced On Underutilized Sites for Renewable Energy Development

Two Agreements Announced On Underutilized Sites for Renewable Energy Development

Memorandums of Understanding Will Allow State to Explore Feasibility of Hosting Build-Ready Renewable Energy Projects on Underutilized Sites in the Southern Tier and Western New York

Governor Hochul Announces the Finalization of New Contracts for Empire Wind 1 and Sunrise Wind

Governor Hochul Announces the Finalization of New Contracts for Empire Wind 1 and Sunrise Wind

Once in Operation in 2026, Offshore Wind Projects Will Be the Largest Power Generation Projects in New York State in Over 35 Years

Supports Progress Towards Achievement of the State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act Goal for 9,000 Megawatts of Offshore Wind by 2035

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the finalization of new contracts for Empire Wind 1, a planned 810-megawatt project (developed by Equinor), and Sunrise Wind, a planned 924-megawatt project (developed by Ørsted and Eversource) as the result of New York’s fourth offshore wind solicitation. The two offshore wind projects, totaling over 1,700 megawatts, will produce enough clean energy to power over one million New York homes and will be the largest power generation projects in New York State in over 35 years once they enter operation in 2026. Today’s announcement is part of New York’s 10-Point Action Plan to support the growing large-scale renewable energy industry, and represents progress toward the achievement of the State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act) goal to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy by 2035.

Governor Hochul Announces Steps Forward to Support New York’s Clean Energy Industry

Governor Hochul Announces Steps Forward to Support New York’s Clean Energy Industry

Next Phase of the State’s Supply Chain Activities Released in the Form of $200 Million Supportive Manufacturing and Logistics RFP

Request for Information Also Announced to Inform Fifth Offshore Wind Solicitation and $300 Million Major Component Supply Chain RFP

Steps Support Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act Goal to Develop 9,000 Megawatts of Offshore Wind by 2035

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced definitive steps in support of the growing clean energy industry in New York and the State’s 10-Point Action Plan. As part of the next phase of the State’s $500 million commitment to offshore wind supply chain activities, a $200 million Supportive Manufacturing and Logistics Request for Proposals is now open to support investments in infrastructure and manufacturing to grow the domestic offshore wind supply chain in New York. In addition, a Request for Information (RFI) will be issued to inform the development of New York’s fifth offshore wind project solicitation (NY5) and design of a coordinated $300 million RFP focusing on major component offshore wind supply chain investments. Today’s announcements support continued progress toward achieving New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035.

GOVERNOR HOCHUL ANNOUNCES GROUNDBREAKING FOR NEW YORK STATE’S LARGEST SOLAR CARPORT AND BATTERY STORAGE SYSTEM AT JFK AIRPORT

GOVERNOR HOCHUL ANNOUNCES GROUNDBREAKING FOR NEW YORK STATE’S LARGEST SOLAR CARPORT AND BATTERY STORAGE SYSTEM AT JFK AIRPORT

Parking Lot Canopy with Solar Panels and Accompanying Battery Storage System Will Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Approximately 6,000 Metric Tons Annually

Three Agreements Announced for Potential Renewable Energy Development

Three Agreements Announced for Potential Renewable Energy Development

Memorandums of Understanding Will Allow State to Explore Feasibility of Hosting Build-Ready Renewable Energy Projects on Underutilized Sites in the Southern Tier, Western NY, and Long Island

Governor Hochul Announces Completion of South Fork Wind, First Utility-Scale Offshore Wind Farm in the United States

Governor Hochul Announces Completion of South Fork Wind, First Utility-Scale Offshore Wind Farm in the United States

All 12 Turbines Powered Up and Will Deliver Electricity Across Long Island and the Rockaways

Represents Progress Toward State’s Climate Act Goal to Develop 9,000 Megawatts of Offshore Wind Energy By 2035

Governor Kathy Hochul today, alongside the United States Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and other elected officials, announced the completion of the landmark South Fork Wind project, with all 12 offshore wind turbines constructed and the wind farm successfully delivering power to Long Island and the Rockaways. Today marks a historic milestone as New York becomes home to America’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm.