“Any rational human being can see now is the time to move to renewable energy before it is too late, before climate change destroys life on the Earth as we know it.
We’ve advocated for decades on this page for the need to move away from fossil fuels and toward wind and solar energy. So, yes, we support the New York State Energy Plan of achieving all of the state’s energy needs from renewable sources by 2040.
But the latest proposal from Governor Andrew Cuomo has given us pause. He is amending his budget proposal to set up a separate state office — Office of Renewable Energy Permitting within Empire State Development — to speed the permit process for large solar and wind farms.
The proposal says, “Municipalities will have an opportunity to advise the Office on compliance with local laws and the Permitting Office will consider and may apply local laws in light of the State’s clean energy and environmental goals … .”
New York is a home-rule state. It is essential for towns and counties to identify the resources they want to protect and to adopt legislation that will do so.”
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Altamont Enterprise 2 March 2020.