Manufacturers Need to Participate in Cap-and-Invest Stakeholder Session
Randy Wolken, President & CEO

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) have announced a series of stakeholder information sessions on the development of the State’s economy-wide Cap-and-Invest Program. The Cap-and-Invest Program was recommended by the Climate Action Council’s final Scoping Plan and was proposed in Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2023 State of the State Address and Executive Budget. DEC and NYSERDA are developing the program to meet the greenhouse gas emission reduction and equity requirements under the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act).

The first phase includes pre-proposal webinars that are scheduled throughout June. These webinars will provide an overview of New York’s potential program, and similar programs, designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in other states and jurisdictions. The webinars will present an opportunity for key stakeholders and the public to provide feedback on program design features. In addition, the presentation will include a link to a webpage where stakeholders can access the outline and questions and provide comments. All stakeholder input will be considered by staff as part of the program development.

These webinars will focus on obtaining input regarding anticipated program design details such as applicability and thresholds, allowance allocation and auction, stability mechanisms, compliance and enforcement, and reporting and verification. A second round of pre-proposal stakeholder outreach is expected to be held later this year.

For a full list of scheduled webinars, please see below. To register for the events, go to  https://capandinvest.ny.gov/Meetings-and-Events.  Recordings of the webinars will be posted online following the meetings.

• June 1, 1 to 3 p.m.– Cap-and-Invest Overview
• June 6, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.– Natural Gas-focused webinar
• June 8, 1 to 3 p.m.– Liquid Fuels-focused webinar
• June 13, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.– Energy Intensive and Trade Exposed Industries-focused webinar
• June 15, 1 to 3 p.m.– Waste-focused webinar
• June 20, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.– Cap-and-Invest Analysis Inputs and Methods
• June 22, 1 to 3 p.m.– Electricity-focused webinar

(Additional information on the Cap-and-Invest program is available at capandinvest.ny.gov).

I highly recommend that all members become familiar with the elements being discussed and offer their comments and insights regarding Cap-and-Invest.  Our energy future will be influenced greatly by the efforts being undertaken through the Cap-and-Invest program.

Energy is the lifeblood of manufacturing.  Its availability, affordability, accessibility, and reliability are critical to every manufacturer in New York State.  MACNY and our members need to be engaged at every stage of the development and implementation of the Climate Act.  MACNY is assembling a cohort of member companies who will be reviewing the impacts of the Climate Act and related efforts such as Cap-and-Invest.  If you would like to join us, please get in touch with me at [email protected] or Matt Geitner, our Government Relations Director, at [email protected].  Now is the time to get involved.  Together, we can construct an effective effort to successfully engage in this process. Thanks in advance for your efforts.