In the midst of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP21) in Paris, Governor Andrew Cuomo has directed the State Department of Public Service to design and enact a new Clean Energy Standard that requires half of all electricity used in New York State to be produced from clean and renewable energy sources by 2030.
The state has also vowed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by that same year.
“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.”
So I’m confused…New York State already gets 50% of its electricity from clean energy sources, thanks to nuclear energy and hydropower, with a little help from wind. Natural gas makes up most of the rest of the total generation since coal- and oil-fired plants are almost gone from the state. Natural gas is the major emitter of CO2 in the power sector.
James Conca – Forbes – December 8, 2015.
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