New York’s energy transition, driven by the CLCPA, is approaching a critical reliability test, with the Hudson Valley facing potential shortages by 2030. An all-of-the-above energy approach is the only responsible way forward. The Public Service Commission should hold a hearing now to evaluate whether current mandates align with that reality.
The CLCPA’s timeline is totally unrealistic. Halfway to 2030, New York is no closer to meeting its renewable target than when the law took effect in 2020. Recent state reports acknowledge that the 70% goal will slip to 2036 to 2040, and even that projection is optimistic. Federal policy changes, rising costs, and supply chain challenges have slowed renewable development. Meanwhile, older fossil-fuel plants are retiring faster than replacements can come online.
Add to that the surge in electricity demand from electrification, and the math becomes clear: our reliability margins are shrinking. When margins shrink, outage risks grow, and that’s a problem for every household, business, and community in New York.
Under the Public Service Law, the primary responsibility of the PSC is to ensure safe and adequate electric service. If renewable mandates jeopardize that, the CLCPA provides a safeguard: the Commission can temporarily suspend or modify program obligations after a hearing. That’s not a retreat from clean energy. It’s a smart recalibration to keep the transition on track without sacrificing reliability or affordability.
The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) has warned that dispatchable generation, resources that can produce power on demand, will remain essential until new technologies like long-duration storage and advanced renewables are commercially viable. One option is retrofitting and recommissioning existing plants powered by natural gas with cleaner technology, which improves efficiency and reduces emissions without the delays of building new facilities. But under current CLCPA targets, repowering fossil fuel plants is effectively off the table because of the 2040 zero-emissions mandate that is unattainable.
An adjustment could unlock these possibilities, allowing time for innovation while protecting reliability. Energy costs are rising, and customer arrears are climbing. Any hearing should also examine the link between renewable program costs and affordability. Every single politician and policymaker talks about their concern regarding affordability, but few do anything to help the situation. The PSC has a unique opportunity to change that paradigm. It’s long past time we stopped blaming utilities for the massive costs to build new electric infrastructure and instead placed the blame where it belongs-on Legislators, the Governor and the PSC, who imposed these costly mandates in the first place.
As the PSC Chair recently said, the state’s clean energy initiative “only works if we’re honest about the obstacles, strategic about our priorities, and willing to update our playbook when the rules of the game change.”
That time is now. Convening a hearing under PSL §66-p(4) is the responsible next step. It ensures transparency, invites stakeholder input, and allows the Commission to make evidence-based decisions that protect reliability, affordability, and climate progress. Let us stop hoping for a miracle that is not coming, and instead embrace what is truly possible.
Let’s support the transition to cleaner energy, while pursuing policies that recognize the urgent need for diverse fuel sources. Let’s start by holding that PSC hearing. The time is now.
Matt Nelligan
President and CEO
Syndicate Strategies
Latham