New York governor Andrew Cuomo is proposing a 30-day budget amendment that he believes will “dramatically” speed up the permitting and construction of new renewable energy projects.
Cuomo said the plan, if adopted, will create a new Office of Renewable Energy Permitting to streamline the consenting process for large-scale projects across New York.
The state’s existing energy generation siting process was designed for permitting fossil-fuel electric generating plants and created prior to the current clean energy and environmental goals set by the state.
A new robust siting process will create modernised standards for developing renewable energy projects at an expedited pace to meet the urgency of the climate crisis, according to the governor.
The new OREP will utilise project siting standards that reflect the environmental impacts common to types of renewable projects, and include upfront mitigation measures to address those impacts.
It will also develop draft permits for public comment and ensure that complete applications are acted upon within one year, except in the case of certain former commercial and industrial sites, which will be reviewed within six months.
Under the Act, the state will also accelerate renewable transmission delivery to ensure that renewable energy can be transmitted to meet the ambitious renewable development and emissions reduction goals of state green energy plans.
The Act establishes an “aggressive and comprehensive approach to accelerate the investment in and development of a reliable, state-of-the-art grid” including a new bulk transmission investment programme, a streamlined siting process and the start of a new study of cost-effective networks.
“Climate change is the existential challenge of our time, and New York State has risen to the occasion by enacting the strongest laws in the nation to protect and preserve our environment,” Cuomo said.
“This legislation will help achieve a more sustainable future, invigorating the green economy and reaffirming New York’s position as a market leader with a revamped process for building and delivering renewable energy projects faster.”