Governor Cuomo Bans Fracking, Announces Major Climate Plan Powered by Natural Gas
Friday January 15, 2016
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced New York’s aggressive plan to tackle climate change this week during his State of the State address. The plan calls for a mandate that half of the Empire State’s power come from renewable energy within 15 years. But the real backbone of the plan to reduce emissions is, of course, an even greater increase in natural gas use. Since New York has banned fracking, that gas will have to be imported.
Wall Street Journal’s Amy Harder perhaps said it best on Twitter:
.@NYGovCuomo in ’14: We’re banning fracking & in ’16: NY will be coal-free by ’20 Meanwhile, natural gas provides most of NY’s electricity
— Amy Harder (@AmyAHarder) January 13, 2016
New York City is following suit. Mayor Bill de Blasio has set a plan in motion that calls for an increase of natural gas usage to meet climate change goals.
So, the state that banned fracking plans to import more natural gas than ever to tackle climate change!
Needless to say anti-fracking activists are not happy. As Mark Dunlea wrote in an opinion piece in City Limits, “Unfortunately, the de Blasio plan envisions a large role for natural gas.” Meanwhile the co-founder of New Yorkers Against Fracking, Sandra Steingraber, is now turning her attention to fighting the infrastructure needed to support this increasing demand. In her speech at a rally organized around the State of the S...