Letter to Governor Cuomo on Needed RGGI Reforms

To Governor Andrew Cuomo, On behalf of the organizations and businesses signed below, we thank you for your leadership in moving New York toward a 21st century renewable energy economy. In your 2015 New York State Energy Plan, your administration set a goal of reducing economy-wide climate pollution 40 percent by 2030. Since then, your commitment to move New York beyond coal, coupled with bold renewable energy initiatives such as NY-SUN, Reforming the Energy Vision (REV), the Clean Energy Fund, and the pending Clean Energy Standard, has helped put this goal into action and has positioned New York as a national leader on climate and clean energy. 

Report

April 26, 2016

Hon. Andrew M. Cuomo Governor of New York State New York State Capital Building Albany, NY 12224

To Governor Andrew Cuomo,

On behalf of the organizations and businesses signed below, we thank you for your leadership in moving New York toward a 21st century renewable energy economy. In your 2015 New York State Energy Plan, your administration set a goal of reducing economy-wide climate pollution 40 percent by 2030. Since then, your commitment to move New York beyond coal, coupled with bold renewable energy initiatives such as NY-SUN, Reforming the Energy Vision (REV), the Clean Energy Fund, and the pending Clean Energy Standard, has helped put this goal into action and has positioned New York as a national leader on climate and clean energy.

This year, New York has another opportunity to lead the nation and take a major step forward in achieving its climate targets by advocating for a stronger Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). As you know, RGGI is the pioneering, market-based program launched by New York and other Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states, to cut carbon pollution from the electric sector.

RGGI has helped New York reduce climate pollution while creating jobs in the clean energy sector. RGGI has helped participating states reduce carbon pollution in the electric sector by 35 percent, even as the regional economy grew by more than 21 percent.1 New York has invested the majority of revenues raised through RGGI in the state’s energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, which have boosted economic growth, resulting in over $700 million in value added to the state’s economy and more than 9,000 job-years.

On top of these economic gains, RGGI has produced public health benefits of more than $1.1 billion to New York by reducing emissions of dangerous pollutants in addition to carbon pollution — including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter — that pour out of power-plant smokestacks.

In 2016, New York and its regional partners are undertaking a review of the RGGI program to determine the carbon pollution cap that the region’s power sector must meet between 2020 and 2030. This 2016 review is a significant opportunity to achieve New York’s State Energy Plan goals by making further progress through RGGI. With the federal Clean Power Plan on hold, it has also never been more important for climate leaders like New York to take the reins and lead the Northeast—and the nation—toward truly ambitious action on climate and renewable energy.

If New York wants to stay on track to seriously cut carbon and grow our economy, we must take the lead in advocating for a new RGGI cap that aligns with New York’s economy-wide goal of reducing climate pollution by 40 percent by 2030. We urge you to support a RGGI emissions cap that continues to decline from 2020 to 2030, and to consider annual cap reductions equivalent to 5 percent of 2020 emissions. A 5 percent annual reduction aligns with average annual reductions achieved in the region since RGGI’s inception, and is consistent with studies showing that the power sector must cut emissions further and faster than other sectors in order to achieve the economy- wide long-term climate goals in a cost-effective manner. According to a recent analysis by Synapse Energy Economics, a cap reduction of this level would also help create 36,958 jobs above business as usual in New York by 2030, saving consumers more than $3 billion and reducing carbon pollution by 37 million short tons that year – as much as adding 6.8 million electric vehicles powered by wind and solar energy. 

A stronger RGGI must also acknowledge that the impacts of power generation and of climate change often fall disproportionately on underserved communities. New York can lead the way in making sure an environmental justice analysis is central to the RGGI planning during the current program review. It is critical that the communities burdened by the impacts of climate change have a say in how RGGI is implemented and how funds are distributed to ensure that RGGI funds benefit communities on the front-lines of the climate and environmental crisis, and ensure racial and economic equity in the application of emission reduction policies.

With New York’s record of clean energy leadership, we are confident that we can lead the Northeast in negotiating a stronger and more just RGGI. New York’s families and businesses will thank you for your continued renewable energy and climate leadership.

Sincerely,

Marilyn Vasta, 350NYC

Kate Fish, Energy Coordinator, Adirondack North Country Association

Anne Reynolds, Executive Director, Alliance for Clean Energy New York

Mike Seilback, Vice President of Public Policy & Communication, American Lung Association of the Northeast

Adam Flint, Southern Tier Solar Works Program Manager, Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition

Brian Eden, Associate Executive Director, Campaign for Renewable Energy

Afreen Alam, Executive Director, Chhaya CDC

Brian Smith, Associate Executive Director, Citizen’s Campaign for the Environment

Roger Cook, Climate Justice Coalition of Western New York

Peter Shattuck, Director, Clean Energy Initiative Acadia Center

Matt Ryan, Executive Director, ALIGN: The Alliance for a Greater New York

Jessica Azulay, Program Director, Alliance for a Green Economy

Valerie Strauss, Director, Policy & Regulatory Affairs Association for Energy Affordability

Peter Bardaglio, President, Black Oak Wind Farm, LLC

Stephen Edel, Policy Director, Center for Working Families

Kristina Andreotta, Deputy Organizing Director, Citizen Action

Barbara Warren, Executive Director, Citizen’s Environmental Coalition

Taleigh Smith, Cooperative Owner, Concrete Green, member of the Bronx Green Contraction Association 

Marie McCrae, Dryden Resource Awareness Coalition

Steve Cowell, President, E4TheFuture

Eben Bayer, CEO/Co-founder, Ecovative

Conor Bambrick, Air and Energy Director, Environmental Advocates of New York

Irene Weiser, Member, Fossil Free Tompkins

Interfaith Climate Action Network Steering Committee

Lisa Tyson, Director, Long Island Progressive Coalition

Catherine Bowes, Senior Manager, National Wildlife Federation

Jackson Morris, Director, Eastern Energy Natural Resources Defense Council

Karl R. Rábago, Executive Director, Pace Energy and Climate Center

Diana Wright, Facilitator, People of Albany United for Safe Energy (PAUSE)

Clarke Gocker, Director of Policy & Initiatives, PUSH Buffalo

Francis Pullaro, Executive Director RENEW Northeast

Sarah Kelsen, Marketing, Renovus Solar

Lisa Dix, Senior New York Representative, Sierra Club

Margaret McCasland, Member, Earthcare Working Group of New York Yearly Meeting, Religious Society of Friends

Abigail Dillen, Vice President of Litigation, Climate and Energy, Earthjustice

Heather Leibowitz, Executive Director, Environment New York

Tara Bono, Marketing Manager, Empower Solar

Yvonne Taylor, Co-Founder & Vice President, Gas Free Seneca

Jeffrey Sales, Managing Principal, JSA Financial Group

Lisa Marshall, Organizer, Mother’s Out Front

Rabbi Glenn Jacob, New York Interfaith Power and Light

Sam Magavern, Co-Director, Partnership for Public Good

Larysa Dyrszka, Board Member, Physicians for Social Responsibility

Euphemia Martin, Southern Tier Representative, Public Policy and Education Fund

Gordian Raacke, Executive Director, Renewable Energy Long Island

Guy Kempe, Vice President, Community Development RUPCO

Leon Miller, CEO Singlebrook Technologies

Robert Eklund, Outreach Coordinator, Solutions Grassroots Project 

Adrian Kuzminsky, Moderator, Sustainable Otsego

Lou Vogel, President Taitem Engineering

Peter Bardaglio, Coordinator
Tompkins County Climate Protection Initiative

Mevrian Thomas, Board Member, United for Action

Lynda Schneekloth, Advocacy Chair, Western New York Environmental Alliance

Nancy Norton, President, Stone Quarry House

Gay Nicholson, President, Sustainable Tompkins

Ormsby Dolph, President, Tiny Timbers, Inc.

Reena Kondo, Member, Unitarian Universalist Women’s Association, Metro NY District

Sean Garren, Northeast Regional Manager, Vote Solar

Cc:
The Honorable Eric Schneiderman, New York Attorney General
Audrey Zibelman, Chair, New York State Public Service Commission
Basil Seggos, Acting Commissioner, Department of Environmental Conservation
Richard Kauffman, Chairman of Energy and Finance for New York, Office of Governor

John Rhodes, President and CEO, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
Jim Malatras, Director of State Operations, Office of Governor
Rosemary Powers, Deputy Director of State Operations for Programs, Office of Governor
Venetia Lannon, Deputy Secretary for the Environment, Office of the Governor
Kara M. Allen, Assistant Secretary for Energy, Office of Governor
Kate Dineen, Assistant Secretary for the Environment, Office of Governor

Jared Snyder, Assistant Commissioner, Department of Environmental Conservation
Lois New, Director, Office of Climate Change, Department of Environmental Conservation
Michael Meyers, Assistant Attorney General, New York State Office of Attorney General
Jeremy Magliaro, New York State Office of Attorney General