Month: September 2025

The New York Draft Energy Plan Falls Woefully Short

/ Peter Bardaglio / Leave a comment

It wasn’t that long ago New York achieved national prominence for its ambitious renewable energy push. But with NYSERDA’s recent release of its draft energy plan state officials are openly acknowledging that New York will fail to meet the clean energy targets mandated by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2018. The state climate law stipulates that 70% of the energy produced in New York should be zero-emissions by 2030.

The plan recognizes the need for more renewable energy and greenhouse gas emissions reductions. To say the least, however, it sends a disappointing message by calling for continued reliance on fossil fuels as well as new investments in new natural gas pipelines and the repowering of fossil fuel plants.

The plan also concludes that New York’s goal of reaching a 40% reduction in emissions from 1990s levels by 2030 is probably not achievable. So far the state has only reduced its emissions by 10% with just five years to go.

Not surprisingly, the plan blames some of the state’s failures on the increasingly aggressive opposition to renewable energy by the Trump administration, but as environmental activists point out, the state was already behind before these attacks.

To its credit, the plan calls for accelerating the deployment of energy efficiency measures such as home weatherization and power-saving appliances. According to its projections, up to 25% of homes by 2040 will have heat pumps and over half the cars could be zero-emission vehicles.

The plan also seeks to increase solar power and battery storage, and notes that New York could increase its renewable electricity generation by 80% over the next 10 years. Of course, the Trump administration’s irrational effort to pull the plug on offshore wind casts a shadow over this possibility.

With the right kind of strong, visionary leadership, New York could accelerate its adoption of solar energy, battery storage, and geothermal energy while retiring its fossil fuel system and electrifying transportation and buildings. The key problem clearly lies with Gov. Kathy Hochul’s reluctance to meet the moment and provide such leadership.

Thousands of comments have been submitted by the public focusing on the flaws in the draft energy plan and its lack of commitment to the CLCPA. Later this year, the state will publish a final plan. Let’s hope it responds to these comments, keeping New York on the path to a renewable energy future.

Time to Tackle Methane Emissions from Landfills

/ Peter Bardaglio / Leave a comment

The following is an expanded and revised version of a piece published in the Ithaca Times in June.

When it comes to fighting climate change, it’s hardly news that time is growing short. What is news, however, is the fact that methane is our best way to buy more time.

A groundbreaking new study using aircraft-based emissions monitoring equipment just confirmed that landfills are the largest source of methane in New York State. Researchers flew over more than 100 waste sites, power plants, and farms, measuring real-time emissions. What they found was staggering: landfills were emitting methane at levels dramatically higher than state and federal estimates.

Methane Emissions Need to be Cut

A garbage scow at Fresh Kills Land Fill on Staten Island. Photo by R36 Coach licensed under CC BY 2.0.

In fact, Seneca Meadows, the biggest emitter of any landfill in the state, was more than four times higher than previously reported.

So what’s the big deal? It’s this: methane is over 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. So cutting it is one of the fastest ways to slow global warming.

Makes sense, right? But, frustratingly enough, New York is dragging its heels, continuing to delay action on this vital issue.

Time to Put Rules in Place

Despite passing the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act in 2019, our state still lacks enforceable methane rules for landfills. That’s unacceptable; more than enough time has occurred to put such rules in place.

The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) itself identified this problem in the 2023 Solid Waste Management Plan, which committed to minimizing landfill greenhouse gas emissions through updating regulations and deploying effective monitoring technology. Yet more than two years later, no rulemaking has begun. Further delay hampers New York State’s ability to meet the goals set out in the state’s Climate Law and is a missed opportunity to protect overburdened communities.

Methane by itself is bad enough, but we know methane doesn’t travel alone. It comes with toxic co-pollutants like benzene and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that contribute to poor air quality and respiratory illness, especially for the low-income and Black and brown communities disproportionately living near landfills.

States like California and Colorado are already implementing strong landfill methane regulations. This spring, California launched a first-in-the-nation satellite program to track large methane leaks, and Colorado just released what could become the country’s most effective landfill methane standard. The proposed rule, if enacted, would require Colorado landfills to manage their emissions by installing a gas collection and control system. In addition, they would also have to phase out open flares (systems that burn methane gas into the open air) and instead use enclosed systems that more effectively control pollution.

The benefits of taking action are too great to be ignored. Strong rules would deliver significant public health, climate, and economic gains. By contrast, the price of inaction is steep—rising health care costs and worsening climate impacts that New Yorkers cannot afford. New York must get on board with these critical efforts to fight for climate and environmental justice. The Department of Environmental Conservation must initiate rulemaking now. The need for action has never been clearer.