April 12, 2018

 

Bob Bellafiore

518-928-8471

 

Steve Greenberg

518-469-9858

 

ALBANY, NY – The New York Offshore Wind Alliance has submitted comments on the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement for the Procurement of Offshore Wind that highlight the many energy, environmental and economic benefits of developing offshore wind off the coast of New York State (PSC Case 18-E-0071).

 

In the comments filed Monday with the Public Service Commission, the Alliance said developing 2,400 MW of offshore wind energy will:

 

• Help New York meet the Clean Energy Standards goal of 50 percent renewable energy by 2030;
• Create 5,000 new jobs in manufacturing, installation and operation of offshore wind facilities;
• Generate $6 billion in economic activity for New York State;
• Avoid a costly repowering of existing, aging, polluting power plants on Long Island;
• Significantly increase the diversity of energy sources in the downstate region;
• Promote environmental justice by improving air quality and public health – lowering public health care costs – as offshore wind displaces some pollution heavy downstate electricity production; and,
• Avoid, minimize or mitigate any potential adverse environmental impacts, based on the significant measures included in the Draft GEIS.

 

New York State Offshore Wind Alliance Director Joe Martens said: “The Alliance applauds the State’s efforts – though the Draft GEIS and the New York Offshore Wind Master Plan – to explore all facets of offshore wind development so that it can move forward in New York responsibly, at the lowest cost, with the least negative environmental impact, and with the potential for huge positive economic benefits.”

 

“It will be difficult if not impossible for New York to achieve 50 percent renewable electric generation by 2030 without at least 2,400 MW of offshore wind by that date,” Martens said. “The draft environmental impact statement makes a strong case for offshore wind but it can be strengthened and expanded even further.

 

“Thanks to Governor Cuomo’s leadership on offshore wind, New York is moving to become a national leader on offshore wind. It is essential that New York play that leadership role if we want to attract the ancillary economic benefits that come from offshore wind – such as building a port facility for offshore wind construction and maintenance and all the jobs that come with it – and not lose out to other states on the Eastern seaboard,” Martens said.

A copy of the full New York Offshore Wind Alliance Draft GEIS comments can be found here.

 

# # #

 

Alliance for Clean Energy New York

AWS Truepower

Bryan Cave

Citizens Campaign for the Environment

Deepwater Wind

E2

EDP Renewables

Environment America

Environment New York

Environmental Advocates of New York

Long Island Association

Natural Resources Defense Council

National Wildlife Federation

New York New Jersey Women of Wind Energy

New York City District Council of Carpenters

New York State Building & Construction Trades Council

New York State Laborers’ Organizing Fund

Orsted (formerly Dong Energy)

Renewable Energy Long Island

Riverkeeper

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy

Sierra Club

Statoil

Suffolk County Community College

The Nature Conservancy

The Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters

University of Delaware Special Initiative on Offshore Wind

UPROSE