Memorandum in Strong Opposition A. 2162
A.2162 (Galef) - AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to expanding the products which may be purchased for public use
The Independent Power Producers of New York, Inc. (IPPNY) is a trade association representing companies involved in the development of electric generating facilities, the generation, sale, and marketing of electric power, and the development of natural gas facilities in the State of New York. IPPNY represents almost 75 percent of the electric generating capacity in New York.
IPPNY strongly opposes the passage of A.2162. In contravention of existing law, this bill would restrict unnecessarily the choices that local governments can make when purchasing renewable energy resources.
Under existing New York State Energy Law, renewable energy resources are defined as sources that are capable of being continuously restored by natural or other means or are so large as to be useable for centuries without significant depletion and include but are not limited to solar, wind, plant and forest products, wastes, tidal, hydro, geothermal, deuterium, and hydrogen. This bill would exclude hydro, all biomass including plant and forest products, wastes other than methane waste, deuterium, and hydrogen from a definition of renewable energy resources. Obviously, these excluded resources are capable of being continuously restored by natural or other means or are so large as to be useable for centuries without significant depletion.
For the reasons stated above, IPPNY opposes A.2162.
