Climate Action Council Testimony
Randy Wolken, President & CEO

Next Tuesday is the Syracuse Region Climate Action Testimony session. This is just one of many hearings to be held across the state to get feedback on the proposed Climate Action Plan. This plan will significantly impact your operations in the coming years. MACNY encourages you to testify or to submit written comments on the plan. We can help you prepare for this effort.

New York State has one of the most aggressive climate action plans in the nation. New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act) was signed into law in 2019. It created the Climate Action Council, tasked with developing a Draft Scoping Plan that serves as an initial framework for how the State will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve net-zero emissions.

There will be meaningful benefits to the Climate Action Plan. However, as a manufacturer and business leader, you will want to understand what is being proposed and let our elected officials know your insights and concerns. The Draft Scoping Plan seeks to decommission existing gas networks that could impact your operations. Energy reliability is also a concern as natural gas is eliminated. Natural gas is a highly reliable and resilient energy source. Beyond the reliability of the energy system, this new plan could impose significant costs on businesses and consumers. The high level of new renewable electricity generation required to be developed over the next eight years is unprecedented. Now is the time to consider what impacts the plan would have on your business and outline your concerns. (Click here to see an overview of the Draft Scoping Plan.)

This plan can only get better with your feedback. There are two ways to participate, and we encourage you to use them. On Tuesday, April 26th at 4 pm, there will be an opportunity to testify in person. There will also be virtual meetings on May 7th and May 11th. To see the complete listing of hearings, visit https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/About/Newsroom/2022-Announcements/2022-03-15-New-York-State-Climate-Action-Council-Announces-Public-Hearing-Schedule .

Oral testimony is limited to two minutes per participant, which equals about 300 words. You may also submit written testimony which must be done by June 10th. The form limits you to 2,000 characters, but you can attach longer testimony. If you have questions or would like assistance in preparing your testimony, you can contact Tiffany Latino-Gerlock at [email protected].

MACNY is committed to helping identify the impacts of the Climate Action Plan and helping you navigate to the future. The effort will take many years of hard work to put all elements of the plan into action. In addition, we will need to work with you to strengthen economic growth while making the transition to cleaner alternatives. It will not be easy, but by working together, we can achieve a better outcome. Please let MACNY know how we can help you both assess the Climate Action Plan’s impacts on your business and how to help you respond appropriately.