Community leaders, elected officials and dozens of local residents attended two public hearings this week in Long Island where they reinforced the critical need for New York to invest in large-scale offshore wind to meet Governor Cuomo’s clean energy goals.
Notably, the Governor has committed to sourcing 50 percent of the state’s electricity from renewables by 2030. The hearings, hosted by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), provided a public forum to discuss the proposed lease of over 81,000 acres of ocean in the New York Wind Energy Area, located near the Rockaways, for offshore wind development
“The BOEM process is critical to ensure that offshore wind can be successful in Long Island and New York,” Dan Sherrell , Organizing Representative for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign said. “A large-scale commitment to offshore wind power is necessary to ensure New York becomes a global climate and clean energy leader and is critical to ensuring that Governor Cuomo meets the state’s renewable energy goal while providing thousands of jobs throughout the state.”
Along with ensuring renewable power generation off the coast of Long Island, a large investment in offshore wind will provide thousands of manufacturing, development and management jobs to the area, helping to ensure that renewable energy is a key engine of economic growth for New York both up and downstate. Earlier this month Governor Cuomo and his administration showed much-needed leadership by signaling his intent to pursue the development of an offshore wind project in New York.
“Offshore wind development presents us with a tremendous opportunity to combat climate change head-on while creating thousands of good, green jobs and capitalizing on Long Island’s potential to lead the transition from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy sources,” Representative Kathleen Rice said. “I look forward to gathering input from constituents and stakeholders throughout this process, and I’m eager to work with BOEM to move the proposal forward this year and make offshore wind a reality off of our district’s shoreline.”
In December 2015, Governor Cuomo directed New York’s Public Service Commission (PSC) to create a Clean Energy Standard requiring New York to power 50 percent of the electric sector with renewable energy by 2030, moving the state closer to its goal of reducing climate pollution 40 percent by 2030. In early 2016, the PSC put forward the first proposal for the Clean Energy Standard with a goal of finalizing it by mid-year. Investing in offshore wind could transform Long Island into a regional clean energy hub — jump-starting the industry, bringing high-paying, local jobs and manufacturing opportunities to the community and supercharging our economy while ensuring reliable, affordable energy all while protecting our environment.
“A comprehensive offshore wind program is essential to building a strong, clean-energy economy, and to meeting carbon reduction goals so that New York remains a responsible, conscientious player in tackling climate change,” Senator Todd Kaminsky said.