Vote Solar Congratulates Climate Action Council on Final Climate Scoping Plan

Statement from Stephan Roundtree, Deputy Program Director – Northeast and Mid-Atlantic 

Congratulations and thank you to Chair Basil Seggos, Chair Doreen Harris, and the entire Climate Action Council, who spent nearly three years working to develop a comprehensive roadmap to 70 percent clean energy by 2030. It was a genuine honor to serve on the Council’s Power Generation Advisory Panel, collaborating with nation-leading experts to provide recommendations on the power sector’s path to zero emissions, and I’m excited to see the state’s continued recognition of distributed energy resources as a social justice tool in the final plan.

I am grateful for the countless New Yorkers who advocated for the most robust plan possible. Members of the public were engaged and organized around our collective need for action, which strengthened and shaped the final plan.

While the final Scoping Plan includes important strategies for reaching our emissions reduction goals, there’s still much more work to do on climate justice and energy equity. Solar power has a key role to play in propelling us toward our state’s ambitious climate goals and the clean energy future that we know we need. Policymakers must now invest heavily in Disadvantaged Communities to ensure countable benefits come and stay with people who have been systemically denied them. 

As we look ahead to the next milestones on this journey, New Yorkers will also be looking to our elected officials to advance key legislation that grassroots organizers and environmental justice communities have been demanding for years. Specifically, Vote Solar is eager to continue supporting NY Renews and the Climate Jobs and Justice Package, including the Build Public Renewables Act. We also look forward to supporting distributed solar growth, building electrification, and the public accountability needed to fully realize the Empire State’s potential as a national climate leader. 

Background

The Climate Action Council was formed as a result of New York’s landmark Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), which became law in 2019. The 22-member appointed body convened in March 2020 and has met more than 30 times. In December 2021, the Council released a draft scoping plan for public comment. The final plan will be submitted to the state legislature and Governor Hochul’s office by January 1, 2023.