Sierra Club Applauds Governor Cuomo for Massive New Clean Energy Solicitation Announcement

Solicitation totalling 12 million MWh largest ever in U.S history

NEW YORK -- Today, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a massive new call for clean energy projects including a 2020 NYSERDA Tier 1 RFP for 1.6 million MWh under the Clean Energy Standard; a new RFP for 2 million MWh of land based wind or solar power; and a $400 million combined 2020 Offshore Wind RFP and Port Investment RFP. 

The governor’s office expects the combined projects to spur $7 billion in direct investments and 4,500 new jobs that are required to pay the prevailing wage.

In response to the announcement, Lisa Dix, Senior Campaign Manager for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, released the following statement: 

“With today’s announcement, Governor Cuomo has again met the demands of the day when it comes to climate action. This enormous solicitation will not only jumpstart the state’s transition toward reducing climate pollution and meeting the goals of the nation-leading climate law passed last year, but it will also help boost the state’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. These projects will create family supporting jobs for New Yorkers and specifically target low-income communities to benefit from the investments. This is the kind of climate leadership the nation desperately needs and New York is, once again, leading the way.”

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About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, 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.