Hochul's pipeline ponderance could prompt new legislation
And New York's 140-year-old Scaffold Law is the target of a new coalition.
Good afternoon — it’s Thursday and Wildlife Day.
In today’s CapCon:
Gov. Kathy Hochul convened nuclear energy stakeholders Thursday to discuss how the state can prepare for an expansion.
Lawmakers said Thursday that New York’s fresh consideration of two already-rejected pipelines could prompt new legislation.
New York’s 140-year-old Scaffold Law is the target of a new coalition seeking to lower construction costs.
New York will soon beginning collecting demographic information on the victims and perpetrators of hate crimes.
SUNY tuition this fall is flat with few exceptions, the new schedule shows.
Two more bills have been introduced to give the state Department of Health more authority over vaccines in New York.
Names in today’s CapCon: Kathy Hochul, Donald J. Trump, Liz Krueger, Michelle Hinchey, Anna Kelles, Brad Hoylman-Sigal, John Liu, Micah Lasher
🔋 Hochul is setting the groundwork for a nuclear energy expansion
It’s been a year since Gov. Kathy Hochul hosted an energy summit in Syracuse that had a surprising focus on nuclear energy.
Hochul marked the occasion Thursday by convening a roundtable on that topic with officials from the state, unions, the nuclear energy industry and even Canada. The focus was on how to train workers in preparation for a nuclear energy expansion.
“We must begin the effort now to ensure we have a sufficiently trained workforce ready to go when we start building and operating a nuclear plant,” Hochul said.
It’s become clear that Hochul plans to lean on nuclear energy as a way to both reduce emissions from fossil fuels and provide a consistent source of energy for what’s projected to be an incredible increase in demand for electricity.
Hochul ordered the New York Power Authority in June to develop a new nuclear energy facility with the capacity to generate one gigawatt of energy.
The estimates on how many homes that would power vary greatly depending on the source of that information. It could be as few as 200,000 homes, some sources say. Others claim it could power more than a million homes.
But that new facility is expected to take years to develop and come online. It’s also expected to be incredibly expensive, which is why the state is planning to pursue a private-public partnership.
That doesn’t mean nuclear power isn’t feasible as a source of energy in New York. The state already has three nuclear reactors along Lake Ontario that, as of today, generate 3.2 gigawatts of energy, according to the New York Independent System Operator.
New York City used to receive a lot of its power from the Indian Point nuclear energy facility in Westchester County — about 2.3 gigawatts, which was a quarter of the energy produced downstate in 2020. Indian Point closed in 2021.
That’s since been replaced by power produced using fossil fuels, though solar energy continues to grow and a new offshore wind project is slated to be completed in 2027.
That’s why nuclear has appealed to Hochul and some environmental advocates. Losing it drove up the demand for the same fossil fuels the state is now trying to dismiss.
It’s also a chance to create jobs, which is where the training comes in. Hochul had leaders from the New York State Building Construction Trades and IBEW at the roundtable. They represent union workers.
Hochul also invited Ontario Power Generation to the roundtable, which is interesting because it’s a different model than we have here in New York.
Ontario Power Generation, which is owned entirely by the government of Ontario, provides about half of the electricity used in the province. More than half of that comes from nuclear energy, according to its website.
“With many decades safely operating nuclear power generation, jurisdictions are looking to Ontario as it advances new nuclear power,” said Ontario Power Generation President Nicolle Butcher.
I don’t know how many people it takes to operate a nuclear energy facility. But organizing a roundtable to build a bigger workforce might imply that Hochul plans to expand her plans for nuclear beyond the single facility she’s already ordered.
The roundtable wasn’t on her public schedule or open to the press so I can’t tell you exactly how that discussion went.
🔥 Hochul’s consideration of new pipelines could spur new legislation, lawmakers say
Environmental advocates and Democrats in the state Legislature have kept up a steady drumbeat in recent months against two proposed pipelines in New York.
They’re not new projects. But they’re getting fresh consideration by the state Department of Environmental Conservation after Hochul discussed the state’s energy future with President Donald J. Trump earlier this year.
The pipeline expected to be decided first is the Northeast Supply Enhancement Project, which would run under New York Harbor. The other is the Constitution Pipeline, which would run from Pennsylvania to Schoharie County.
Proponents have argued that they could lower energy bills by providing ratepayers with less expensive gas from out of state. Opponents claim energy bills would actually be higher because the cost of construction would be passed on to consumers.
Both have previously been rejected by the state for environmental reasons, which is why advocates have been particularly upset about them being considered again.
But they don’t have a lot of power over the process at this point. All they and lawmakers can really do is try to apply public pressure on the Hochul administration.
Three of those lawmakers — Sen. Liz Krueger, Sen. Michelle Hinchey and Assemblywoman Anne Kelles — joined advocates for a virtual press briefing on the pipelines Thursday, urging Hochul to reject them again.
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