Emily Pomilio (480) 286-0401, emily.pomilio@sierraclub.org
Sean Sarah, (330) 338-3740, sean.sarah@sierraclub.org
Lisa Dix (631) 235-4988, lisa.dix@sierraclub.org
NEW YORK CITY—Governor Cuomo with former Vice President Al Gore repudiated the Trump administration's plans to open waters off of New York’s coast for offshore drilling and announced that New York would request an exclusion from the federal government’s oil and gas leasing program. The Governor also recommitted to phasing coal out of the state by 2020 and building 2.4GW of offshore wind by 2025, supporting his goal of sourcing 50 percent of the state’s electricity from renewable energy by 2030. Additionally, he advocated for increased investments in the Environmental Protection Fund and other programs related to necessary land, air and water protections.
In conjunction with reaffirming his vision for New York, the Governor announced the first renewable energy contract winners under the Clean Energy Standard (CES). The State selected 26 wind, solar and other renewable energy projects in the latest competition held by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), a $1.4 billion investment, which will create over 3,000 new jobs and spur over $3 billion in direct investments. The Governor also committed to contracts for at least 800 megawatts of offshore wind by 2019 and the State is now moving forward on a long term offshore wind program to achieve the Governor’s target to build at least 2.4 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030.
In response Lisa Dix, New York Senior Representative for the Sierra Club said the following:
“We applaud the Governor today for his continued commitment to advancing New York as a renewable energy economic powerhouse and creating good, family-wage jobs in renewable energy. His stand against Trump is clear, New York will be a leader in clean energy no matter what is happening at the federal level. Today was an excellent first step towards investing in renewable energy at the scale needed to address the climate crisis, and we urge the Administration to rapidly move more renewable energy projects forward including locking in a long-term offshore wind program this year.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.