New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has directed the State Department of Public Service to design and enact a new Clean Energy Standard mandating that 50 percent of all electricity consumed in New York by 2030 result from clean and renewable energy sources.
The Clean Energy Standard is part of Cuomo’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) project expected to result in lower costs for renewable energy and create new opportunities to scale large renewable energy projects. The standard will play a significant role in the state’s previously announced plan to reduce carbon emissions by 40 percent from 1990 levels.
The regulatory process to develop the Clean Energy Standard will include the opportunity for full and complete public and stakeholder participation. The new standard, which will be developed by the Department of Public Service to complement the governor’s REV plan, is expected to be presented to the Public Service Commission by June 2016.
“Climate change is one of the defining issues of our time, and we must act now,” said Governor Cuomo.
“As discussions continue in Paris, we are taking real, enforceable actions in New York to lay the foundation for a thriving clean energy economy. With one of the most aggressive renewable energy goals of any state in the nation, we are leading by example to ensure the possibility of a bright future for generations to come.”
Back in November, Cuomo vetoed the Port Ambrose Liquefied Natural Gas Deepwater Port project, saying that it could negatively impact offshore wind development.
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