NYers support renewables but also gas plants if costs will decline
ALBANY — New Yorkers are overwhelmingly concerned about rising electricity costs and place significant blame on utility companies that have a monopoly on the energy system, according to a new poll of registered voters commissioned by the Independent Power Producers of New York.
The poll conducted by Mercury Public Affairs also found that 71% of those surveyed view renewable energy favorably, but 77% would support building more natural gas plants if they would help reduce soaring electricity costs.
More than 71% of the respondents — people who are likely to vote in this year’s general election — said their utility bills increased over the last year, including half of whom said those bills increased significantly and 68% who agree energy costs are “out of control.”
“New Yorkers are sending a clear message: affordability comes first,” said Gavin Donohue, president and CEO of Independent Power Producers of New York, which is hosting its 40th annual Clean Energy Spring Conference in Albany this week. “Voters understand that competition keeps prices down, while monopoly utility control of power generation drives costs up. This poll clearly demonstrates that New Yorkers want clean energy, but they also want affordable energy. By keeping markets competitive and removing unnecessary barriers to new infrastructure, we can achieve both.”
The poll results underscore the concerns of many voters and others in New York, with 57% identifying “affordability” as more important than environmental goals or reliability. That result varied a bit among political affiliations, with 66% of Republicans, 54% of independents and 51% of Democrats listing utility costs as a leading priority.
It comes as Gov. Kathy Hochul last week proposed adjusting some of the mandates of the 2019 Climate Act due to multiple factors. They include a slow rollout of New York’s renewable energy sources that she partially blamed on supply chain issues during the pandemic, and the federal government’s retreat on wind and solar energy projects in favor of more reliable fossil fuel sources.
Hochul’s administration has predicted that annual utility costs could increase more than $4,000 per household across upstate New York if the mandates are not adjusted. They include reducing New York’s greenhouse gas emissions 40% from 1990 levels by 2030. Many Democrats and advocacy organizations that favor renewable energy sources are at odds with the governor and oppose changing the 2019 legislation.
In the backdrop of the political standoff, the poll released Tuesday indicates that voters are opposed to utility-owned energy monopolies and want more competition in that marketplace. Nearly 80% of the respondents said state policymakers should prioritize increasing competition in New York’s energy market. That result is driven by the fact 70% of the respondents believe competition would trigger more pricing options and a wider array of energy choices.
As expected, voters surveyed gave every major utility company in New York a “net-negative” favorability rating, reflecting the blame that many customers place on those companies for higher costs and service disruptions.
Business and energy sector leaders have for years warned that the mandates of the 2019 Climate Act are unattainable. They and others have also long called for the state to conduct a cost analysis of the mandates.
The state also has not formulated a detailed plan for pulling away from a power grid that’s more than 70 years old, and more than 85% of electricity being supplied to New York City and Long Island is from gas and oil.
Donohue, a former longtime deputy and executive deputy commissioner with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, has said the goals of the 2019 legislation, which are supported by his organization, were “well-intentioned but not well-planned-out mandates.”
Liz Moran, an environmental lobbyist for the advocacy organization Earthjustice, recently called the timing of the Hochul administration’s prediction about rising utility costs tied to the Climate Act’s mandates “shady.”
“And despite what the governor’s administration wants you to believe, rolling back our nation-leading climate law is only going to do the opposite,” Moran said, asserting that utility costs will increase if the mandates are delayed.
Managing Editor
Brendan J. Lyons is a managing editor for the Times Union overseeing the Capitol Bureau and investigations. Lyons joined the Times Union in 1998 as a crime reporter before being assigned to the investigations team. He became editor of the investigations team in 2013 and began overseeing the Capitol Bureau in 2017. You can reach him at blyons@timesunion.com or 518-454-5547.
Poll: High utility costs a priority as NYers support broad energy plan
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