Green Energy To Fuel New York's Post-Coronavirus Future: Cuomo

LONG ISLAND, NY — As New Yorkers focus on reconstruction after waging a battle against the coronavirus, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the focus is on a green economy — and environmentalists are lauding the sea of initiatives rolled out Wedneday.

On Long Island, those plans include the two largest offshore wind projects in the nation, 60 miles offshore from Montauk and 20 miles off Jones Beach, Cuomo said. And training for new, green jobs is slated to take place right on Long Island, Cuomo added.

During the third of his 2021 State of the State addresses, Cuomo talked about a focus on a new green energy program that will create 12,400 megawatts of green energy, power 6 million homes, create, more that 50,000 jobs, and kickstart $39 billion in private investment.

Plans also include construction of a green transmission superhighway that will bring energy created upstate to more densely populated areas downstate. Battery storage facilities will store the renewable energy to be used when needed.

Integral to the plan is green job creation, Cuomo said.

"Our planet is in crisis. By every metric it is clear: Sea levels are rising; ice caps are shrinking. California is burning, the Arctic is melting and deserts are flooding," Cuomo said. "Green energy is a pressing moral imperative and a prime economic opportunity."

Discussing the wind farms, Cuomo said New York will contract with Equinor Wind US LLC; the two offshore wind farms will yield a combined 2,490 megawatts of carbon-free energy, bring another $8.9 billion in investment, and create more than 5,200 jobs, he said.

Once the large-scale renewable and offshore wind farms are complete, more than half of New York's electricity will come from renewable sources; his goal has long been to reach 70 percent renewable energy by 2030, he said.

Other plans include five dedicated port facilities, including the nation's first offshore wind tower-manufacturing facility, which will be constructed at the Port of Albany; an offshore wind turbine staging facility and maintenance hub at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal; enhanced use of the Port of Coeymans for turbine foundation manufacturing, and buttressing operations and maintenance out of Port Jefferson and Montauk on Long Island.

For every $1 of public funding, almost $3 of private funding will be leveraged, equalling a $644 million investment in port facilities that will result in 2,600 short- and long-term jobs in the offshore wind industry.

The transmission superhighway

The $2 billion, 250-mile project will bring green energy to parts of the state still dependent on fossil fuels, Cuomo said. Construction has already started on the New York Power Authority's 86-mile Smart Path project from Massena to Croghan, and will soon commence on projects in western New York, as well as the mid-Hudson, and capital regions, he said.

Transmission arteries will bring renewable energy from Canada and upstate New York to New York City, he said. Those plans will spur the creation of more than 1,000 jobs and $5 billion in public/private investment, Cuomo said.

In addition, New York will kick off 24 other new, large-scale renewable energy generation projects in 2021, bringing the total to almost 100. The new projects will include 23 solar farms and one hydroelectric facility, Cuomo said.

Training the green workforce on Long Island

To help fuel the creation of new, green jobs, New York will invest $20 million in a new offshore wind training institute based at SUNY Stony Brook and Farmingdale State College, where at least 2,500 New Yorkers will be trained for careers focused on wind and renewable energy.

Also, Cuomo said, $700 million will be invested in heat pump technology.

The goal across the board will continue to be to level the playing field for disadvantaged and disenfranchised communities hit hard by the pandemic, Cuomo said. Those same disparities exposed by the "low tide"of the coronavirus echo in the environmental realm, with communities of color unfairly impacted by harmful emissions and higher incidences of asthma, Cuomo said.

"Our green economy must also work for people of color," he said.

Environmentalists cheer

Environmentalists lauded Cuomo for his green energy vision.

“Preparing New Yorkers for the jobs of the future is central to Farmingdale State College's mission. Wind energy is a vital for the future of our economy and environment. For Long Island, the Offshore Wind Training Institute is a key part of that future," said John S. Nader, president of Farmingdale State College.

Added Peter M. Iwanowicz, executive director of Environmental Advocates NY: “New York must have an economy that is completely powered by renewable energy, and today Governor Cuomo confirmed that is the direction we are moving," he said. "New Yorkers are ready to take advantage of the opportunities to come. Let’s get to work.”

As the State University of New York and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority launched New York’s Offshore Wind Training Institute, State University of New York Chancellor Jim Malatras said: “As we rebuild the post-COVID economy, we must focus on up-and-coming industries that are primed for growth."

Earlier in the week, Cuomo discussed legalization of recreational marijuana and betting in his first address, and reopening the arts, in his address on Tuesday.