New York State has officially ordained the destruction of its electricity system and its economy with a mad dash to energy utopia, as prescribed by a 2019 statute called the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act). The Climate Act mandates a completely unachievable 70% of electricity generation from “renewables” by 2030, with even more draconian mandates following in quick succession thereafter. New York City has piled on with its own fantasy energy statute called Local Law 97, mandating, among other things, forced conversion to electric heat by 2030 of most residential buildings over 25,000 square feet. A so-called “Scoping Plan” on how to do all this, issued by the State in 2022, contains no bona fide feasibility analysis, and equally no bona fide cost analysis. Everybody with over a sixth-grade education who has taken any time to look at this knows that it can’t possibly work. The only question is how much destruction will befall us before the whole thing crashes to the ground.
Can anyone save New York from the coming self-inflicted climate and energy disaster?
In the category of people making futile efforts to try to save New York from its own folly, or at least from some portion of it, we have none other than yours truly, the Manhattan Contrarian. As reported here back on February 23, I had just filed, along with co-counsel Cameron Macdonald, an amicus curiae brief at the New York Court of Appeals in support of the plaintiffs in a case called Glen Oaks Village Owners, Inc. v. City of New York. In this case, owners of a large group of co-op buildings in Queens had sued seeking to have the City’s Local Law 97 declared invalid as pre-empted by the State’s Climate Act. Note that victory by these plaintiffs would not have ended the folly of the State’s Climate Act and its associated destruction of our electricity system; but their victory would have eliminated the mandate to convert to electric heat without sufficient electricity, and therefore would at least have made it possible for residents of large buildings to avoid freezing in the winter when they have converted to electric heat and there is no electricity.
In the Glen Oaks case, the trial court had dismissed the plaintiffs’ complaint, finding that it had no basis in law. But an interim appellate court, known as the Appellate Division, had reversed, and said the the plaintiffs should have a chance to prove their case. New York City appealed that ruling to the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, asking to have the trial court’s dismissal re-instated.
In my February 23 post, I noted that the plaintiffs were giving the Court of Appeals the chance to save the New Yorkers from their own folly — an opportunity which the Court might or might not take:
The Court of Appeals has a chance here to save New York City and its residents from their own folly. It may or may not take advantage of the opportunity. If it takes a pass, and reinstates the dismissal of the case, Local Law 97 will still fail within a few years at most. It’s just that, in that scenario, a lot of people stand to get hurt.
Perhaps to no one’s surprise, the Court of Appeals took a pass, and re-instated the dismissal. Here is the decision (from May 22). It’s mostly mumbo jumbo about legal standards for deciding if one statute has pre-empted another. But the bottom line is clear: the Court of Appeals is not going to be the one to save New York from its coming climate and energy disaster.
As another candidate for the role of New York’s savior from climate and energy disaster, how about President Trump? Immediately upon entering office back in January, Trump went to work knocking the supports out from under the green energy subsidies and favoritism that form the underpinnings of New York’s Climate Act plans. The biggest item in the Climate Act’s strategy for transitioning New York’s electricity system to renewables is plan for some 9000 MW of offshore wind developments in the Atlantic Ocean off Long Island. But by this January 20 Executive Order, Trump withdrew all of the Outer Continental Shelf for leasing for potential off-shore wind energy projects. A separate January 20 Executive Order then directed a halt to all disbursements of green energy subsidies under Biden-era statutes.
So did these moves completely flummox New York’s plans for electricity from “renewables”? In the succeeding months, New York’s governments have soldiered on as if nothing is amiss. And then last week came news that Trump has somewhat changed direction. The new direction can be summarized as letting New York proceed with at least part of its wind energy fantasies as long as it backs off on suppressing at least some fossil fuel projects.
Here is a New York Times article from May 29, headline “N.Y. Natural Gas Pipelines Get a Second Chance Under Trump.” The gist is that the Trump administration and Governor Hochul have entered into discussion about a deal whereby two natural gas pipelines long blocked by New York would be allowed to move forward, and in return the feds would allow one of the off-shore wind projects to proceed. Excerpt:
A pipeline company is reviving plans to build two natural gas pipelines into New York State, a major reversal that amounts to a bet that the Trump administration will be able to strong-arm states into signing off on energy projects. New York had blocked both pipelines, called Constitution and Northeast Supply Enhancement, over environmental concerns. But the Trump administration has made clear that it wants more oil and gas infrastructure, including in the Northeast, where pipelines had become so hard to build that companies had all but given up on them.
According to the Times, this is all so far in the discussion stage, with no final commitments on either side. Even if finalized, the proposed deal would be far from an end to New York’s energy follies. Like the Glen Oaks lawsuit, if successful the Trump administration gambit would have the effect of keeping natural gas available as a back-up for when the electricity system transition inevitably fails.
I’m thankful for every bit of help we can get. But ultimately, our salvation will have to come from New York’s own voters. The question is, rather than getting saved by outside forces, would this benighted State and City actually be better off to go through an energy disaster and, perhaps, have its voters learn a little something from the experience?
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New York isn’t Pol Pot’s Cambodia, but they’re working on it.
The only way New York can be saved from its energy folly is AFTER the inevitable disaster wakes New York voters up. Many will enjoy watching this happen—from a safe distance.
Electric heat with no electricity equals no heat. No winter heat also means no water from frozen/burst pipes. The combination MIGHT wake some New York voters up, but surely not those at GISS.
Agree grab some popcorn and watch the slowly unfolding train wreck.
Easy for you to say. My daughter lives in New York and would not consider moving.
I visited NYC – – once! 🤠
Great place to be from.
It’s the frog in the pot. NY voters aren’t going to fix the problem. They will boil first, or freeze. The Ruling Elite have gone all in on Climate Terror, and the voters will leap off that cliff with them.
A better question is what will the rest of the country do without NY, or with NY in socio/cultural/economic bankruptcy? Well, that’s the situation right now. And a couple dozen or more states besides NY are under water today, too.
The Climate Terror Hysterics have crippled this country and Europe as well. We’re past the tipping point. Major disaster looms. The most likely scenario is complete collapse followed by famine and war.
Not at all. Who runs the US federal government right now? In case you hadn’t noticed, the states running large budget deficits are all Democrat-governed states. They are the ones in worsening economic conditions, not places like Florida, Texas, etc.Of course NY voters are not going to fix the problem. They will simply disappear over time as increasing amounts of the tax-paying middle class leaving for better places. Out-migration is a huge factor in California, New York, Illinois.
The political economic sickness of a few large Democrat-dominated states is largely irrelevant to the overall state of the nation. Over time, the economic cripples will have less and less share of the vote, the proportion of national wealth and a resulting shrinking of their political power. The election results in 2024 already showed how this is starting to play out.
“The political economic sickness of a few large Democrat-dominated states is largely irrelevant to the overall state of the nation.”
Which shows the advantage of great diversity in America- in politics, in geography, in the cultural influences from across the planet, in local climates, etc. Diversity is strength.
You probably don’t have to worry about war. You can’t rev up the bombers without fossil fuel, and you can’t run the radar, GPS, telecommunications etc. without electricity. Advanced civilization might go out with a whimper instead of a bang. Nibbling tofu, reconsidering homing pigeons and smoke signals, and most of all blaming every disaster on someone else.
Human ingenuity is at its most creative when it comes to ruining the lives of everyone around you by pursuing cockamamie schemes, then deciding it’s the other guy’s fault!
But the faithful will just blame the utility companies and state that “next time we’ll do it better”.
Sounds like the excuse all the Communism fan-boys use.
But it’ll be good for the firewood dealers. 🙂
Trump negotiating to get the gas pipelines for permission to build wind is one part of helping to save NY from itself, the other is nuclear power being expanded in Canada. Remember, before Trump was elected the wind industry was reluctant to bid new projects due to the price the state was willing to pay for electricity.
there seems to be puritanical carbon virtue in planning and more pragmatism in execution.
I wonder if any of those gas pipelines in NY will deliver gas to New England? Of course that assumes the New England states will want new sources of gas.
New York State forcing the closure of Indian Point’s two nuclear power reactors is all that’s needed. For their sheer stupidity, New Yorkers and their corrupt government deserve to freeze in the dark for this self-created hell.
The result of this energy insanity will be the gradual depopulation of the state as has been taking place in California. We’ve already seen what this looks like. Detroit, once the fifth largest city in the US, has now less than 1/4 of its population of 60 years ago. Characteristic of Detroit is mile after mile of ruined, abandoned housing.
Los Angeles is not much different. The major California cities now have tens to hundreds of thousands of homeless on the streets while actual tax-paying citizens flee the state.
And no one will care. Those who might have fixed things will long since have been chased out to live in better places. The real crusher will come when the world’s largest stock exchange decides it needs to leave the toxic waste dump that is New York State.
“The Texas Stock Exchange (TXSE) is a planned, fully electronic national securities exchange that aims to launch trading in early 2026. The exchange will be headquartered in Dallas and will allow US and global companies to access US equity capital markets. The TXSE is backed by large investment firms like BlackRock and Citadel Securities, and has raised over $160 million in capital.”
The near future will prove very interesting. While the taxes NYC is charging on some financial instruments seem almost trivial, they add up to a significant amount for the heavy hitters. That was one reason for this move.
If Blackrock is involved, hold on to your wallets.
It never ceases to amaze when politicians dictate goals that aren’t achievable. You’d think they would discuss what is and isn’t possible with experts. But then again, virtue signaling knows no bounds.
But they got all their Climate Change ideas from the experts.
Unfortunately, the ‘experts’ know their pay cheques/checks or contracts depend on them giving the preferred answer, as opposed to the correct answer. With that reality in mind it explains why people like Al Gore emerged as central to the demise of Western civilisation. His lack of knowledge was no inhibitor of his ability to carry influence, that is the ‘inconvenient truth’
The next level of uneducated evolution of influencers gave us Greta Thunberg. There someone without any education became the pin up of all things Green. Clearly and sadly, the road to complete ruin knows no limit. The insanity persists, so NY will decline just as Detroit declined thanks to focus on socialism rather than wealth creation. Woke, DEI, ESG and all the other in vogue Left championed destructions and distractions will ensure the streets decay, the roads fall apart and in twenty years the bulldozers will be clearing blocks no longer habitable even by vagrants and drug addled low life members of sub society.
They have plenty of experience with the “Superstorm Sandy” over the top call for stimulus funding. The coming blackout will probably fund the next subway expansion project named after Schumer or other official fraudsters.
Time to start blocking exits out of New York, and gas/oil/electric lines into New York. The voters of New York want this shit, time to enforce it on them.
No need. New York is leading all US states in out-migration to other states. The ones who have useful skills are leaving now. Escape from New York is not just a B Movie from 1981. It was also prophetic. Detroit long ago started on the road to decline and disintegration. There will be other Democrat-governed cities which will do likewise. The downtowns of California’s major cities are all now sewage-polluted, no-go zones with many hundreds of thousands of homeless.
Please provide substantiation for you r claim of “… many hundreds of thousands of homeless.“
The Public Policy Institute of California itself admits this.
Even if that number is exaggerated, it’s still way too many.
Major error to allow this Democrat morons to spread their anti-American disease to other states.
Since the dawn of anything we could call civilization….cities grow more populous until their drinking water is contaminated by their own sewage….and gangs take over extorting traders….politicians promise to fight the gangs but turn out to be tax extortionists themselves….NY is one of many cities on the cusp….
“The Climate Act mandates a completely unachievable 70% of electricity generation from “renewables” by 2030″
Meanwhile here in Australia the government is mandating 80% renewables by 2030.
Good luck with that :<)
Before a victim can be saved, they have to want to be saved.
NY is still delusional enough to believe that everything is fine.
I agree. The dinosaurs might well have had such a view millions of years ago. Then, 65 million years ago on a bright clear day, a big rock came out of the sky with no warning whatsover…
It is hard to pity what is going to happen to New York when so many millions are content to sit on their backside and let their corrupt incompetent leaders lead them to misery. Especially when so many competent people like Francis have told them exactly what is going to happen. It is pitiful.
Bob:
Watching a nation’s [say, UK] or State’s [NY] demise due to bad energy policy is akin to watching a drug addict destroy their own livelihood. Very sad
Unfortunately, just like New Orleans after 2005 Hurricane Katrina, the rest of the US will end up paying the cost of the rebuild. Their stupidity will affect the whole country.
I certainly hope that Francis has an exit plan ready to execute in about 2 years. But as always, with insanity rampant in many states, to where do you move?
Manhattan and Staten Island could succeed from NY and join NJ or CT.
Nix NJ. Long Island should also join CT.
Sometimes the only way of teaching people something is to let them fall flat on their face.
Sometimes those people insist.
There is a school of thought that trying to protect a fool from his folly never actually works., The fool always believes his folly would have worked had he been allowed to persist in it…
I wont upset people further by comparing this to the current political situation.
NY state government sees zero upside in protecting citizens according to its own constitution let alone the federal constitution. Alternatively, they’ve codified death, perversion and invasion of illegals, frequently using judicial power to punish those who disagree. Going full monty on renewables because you’ve drunk the climate change kool aid proves your brand of governance is insane. Doubtful any change is forthcoming as tax paying citizens and businesses flee your oppression, except for escalating taxes and regulations on those who remain……..
Sound familiar?
Victorian energy minister ‘forced to admit’ state is uncertain over renewable costings
It will all run on e-motion.
Will you please stop trying to save New Yorkers from themselves? They voted for it. They should enjoy it. Democracy.
CA is a warning to anybody who pays attention. More and more people are. Let NY become another poster child.