Petition to PSC for the Establishment of a Zero Emissions Energy Systems Program Under the Clean Energy Standard
Today, the Independent Power Producers of New York (IPPNY), the New York State AFL-CIO, and the New York State Building and Construction Trades Council filed a joint petition with the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC), urging the Commission to establish a program to encourage the development of zero-emission dispatchable energy systems and to develop a market for these resources, in order to meet the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act’s (CLCPA) requirement of having a zero-emitting statewide electrical demand system by 2040 (100 by 40 target) while maintaining electric system reliability.
The petition also requests that the Commission include within the program the prevailing wage, project labor agreements, and Buy American provisions that were enacted in this year’s State Budget for renewable energy systems, along with an apprenticeship training program. Under this petition, the PSC would establish a new proceeding or a new Clean Energy Standard Tier for a competitive program to encourage private sector investment to develop 1 gigawatt of dispatchable technologies.
Today’s filing builds upon the Senate’s unanimous passage of S.4264-A (Parker) / A.6967 (Cahill) during this year’s legislative session. While session ended before the Assembly could act on the bill, its progress highlights the critical need for these resources and for PSC action.
Consistent with that need, the document points to:
- The recent announcement of a hydrogen pilot program at the New York Power Authority’s Brentwood facility, showing that the State has begun to actively work to develop zero-emission technologies consistent with this petition;
- The provisions of studies that shows the need for zero-emission dispatchable technologies to reach the CLCPA’s targets and maintain reliability; and
- The recommendations received by the State’s Climate Action Council from its Power Generation Advisory Panel, which highlighted the need for dispatchable generation in meeting the law’s benchmarks.
No specific timeframe is required for PSC action on the petition, but IPPNY and the labor unions urge prompt action. As a next step, the PSC could conduct a comment period on the petition before it decides what additional decisions it may make.
