ALBANY, New York — Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration has acknowledged the state won’t hit its renewable energy targets on schedule, but some skeptics of the state’s progress want an official delay.
Two members of the state’s Climate Action Council, set up under the 2019 climate law to develop a road map to achieve the state’s goals, have asked the Public Service Commission to hold a hearing to delay the law’s mandate for 70 percent renewable electricity by 2030 and a zero emissions electric grid by 2040.
Why it matters: The request for a formal delay comes as the state faces major federal opposition to a clean energy buildout. Hochul has cited hostility from President Donald Trump and affordability concerns as reasons to pause climate policies and reexamine timelines in the 2019 law.
Details: That law included a provision allowing the commission, after a hearing, to delay the electric sector targets if it finds the program “impedes the provision of safe and adequate electric service.”
