New York’s law requiring that most of its energy come from renewable or non-fossil fuel sources in just five years is full of hot air and unattainable, said former three-term Republican Gov. George Pataki, who championed small nuclear plants as a viable alternative.
“On wind and solar… [if] the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine, what are you going to do,” Pataki said Sunday on 770 WABC’s The “Cats Roundtable” show.
“We have an enormous, looming gap between energy use and energy generation in New York State.”
The former governor was referring to the 2019 Climate Act approved by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Democratic-run state Legislature.
The requirements in the law include having 70% renewable electricity sources by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. Many energy experts and business leaders said the mandates are pie in the sky high.
The law calls for reducing economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and no less than 85 percent by 2050 from 1990 levels.
Pataki called the law “incredibly short-sighted and ignorant.”
“That’s just not going to happen. We need to continue to have fossil fuel generation whether we like it or not,” he said.
The projected gap between energy use and energy generation in New York State by 2040 is almost 50%, he added.
“We’re going to see the need for energy in New York State probably double between now and 2040. But we don’t have the ability right now, or the planning, to fill that gap in any way that is actually going to work,” Pataki said.
“We have to start now planning to put new [energy] sources [into effect]. The most logical ones are small nuclear reactors that can generate power locally and fuel an entire community with zero emissions,”
He said small nukes have been used on submarines, and aircraft carriers for decades.
“I hope the state gets its act together and starts looking at that in an aggressive way very soon,” the Republican added.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office had no immediate comment.
But during an energy summit in September, Hochul and state energy officials said they were considering nuclear reactors to be part of New York’s clean energy goals.
Hochul faced an enormous backlash when she pushed an edict banning gas stoves in favor of electric ones in all new buildings starting next year.