New York advances 26 large-scale renewable energy projects

New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, joined by former Vice President Al Gore, announced that New York has formally requested that it be excluded from the new five-year federally administered National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program.

In the same statement, Governor Cuomo also reported the single largest commitment to renewable energy by a state in U.S. history, at $1.4 billion, which will advance 26 large-scale renewable energy projects across New York.

In January 2018, the federal government unveiled the Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas program, under which more than 90% of total offshore acreage in the United States could be made available to oil and gas drilling. Pertinent to New York, the plan would open two areas of the North Atlantic coast adjacent to the state for fossil fuel exploration. In seeking an exemption from the program, New York is following in the footsteps of Florida, which was granted an exclusion from offshore drilling rights soon after the program was launched, on the grounds that Florida relies heavily on tourism to drive one of the nation's top ocean economies.

Elaborating on New York's position in seeking a similar exclusion from the expanded offshore drilling plan, Governor Cuomo stressed that New York ranks as the No. 3 ocean economy in the nation, such that the state stands to lose nearly 320,000 jobs and billions of dollars generated through tourism and fishing industries should the exemption not be granted and offshore drilling activities proceed.

In addition, the governor remarked that Long Island and the New York Harbor are home to 11.4 million people, with 60% of the state's population living along nearly 2,000 miles of tidal coastline. Governor Cuomo likewise noted that the Port of New York/New Jersey is the largest on the Atlantic seaboard, such that a major spill could disrupt operations and be devastating to the national economy.

From a policy perspective, the governor pointed out that offshore drilling endangers New York's progressive efforts to move toward cleaner, smarter energy solutions, as represented by New York's nation-leading $1.4 billion investment dedicated to renewable energy projects.