State Senator George Borrello talks with citizen about fuel costs

With the gas sales tax holiday set to end in less than two months, State Senator George Borrello is expressing concern over increasing gas and diesel prices.

Borrello said in the month of October, diesel prices increased $1.40 a gallon, “Right now, diesel fuel is in short supply. I heard that from several folks yesterday. I was at another place where they transport gas and I was speaking to an over-the-road trucker. In Pennsylvania right now, diesel fuel is over $7 a gallon. Now, that all has a ripple effect. Everything that you buy at a grocery store has to be transported. And everything has to be transported largely by diesel trucks and that means a cost increase for everything.”

Borrello said when sales tax holiday ends, the price per gallon of gas is expected to go up at least 18-cents at the beginning of the year. He said, for now, the tax holiday should be extended until the state figures out a better path.

Borrello said the State Legislature should be looking at how to harness energy sources in the state, “New York is rich with natural gas. New York is the third largest producer of hydro-electric power. We can do more of that. There are many alternatives and even clean, renewable alternatives that just aren’t being explored. We’ve become one trick ponies. It’s all wind and solar. There are many other ways for us to generate power affordably and also in a clean manner as well.”

Borrello added that he believes New York State needs a new energy policy.

BPU Retool ’22 Conference Keynote Speaker Clint Wilder and MC Mike McKay (October 18, 2022)

We’re halfway through the transition to modern energy according to Retool ’22 Conference keynote speaker Clint Wilder.

Wilder is the Editorial Director for CleanEdge which is a developer and publisher of stock indexes tracking clean energy, transportation, water, and the grid.

Speaking at Northwest Arena Tuesday morning, Wilder cited five key drivers that are accelerating the transition from fossil fuel to alternative energies such as wind and solar power. He said the first driver is the dramatically declining costs of solar, wind and battery storage, “We have a major shift in investment dollars from fossil fuels into clean energy. Public support in poll after poll in the U.S., and I’ll have some more information about this, something like 70% of Americans support more resources and policy support for clean energy.”

Wilder said there has been an 85% drop in prices for solar and wind since 2010, which has made it competitive with natural gas.

Wilder said another driver is the development of the smart grid and electrification. He said smart grids support the way energy is digitized and stored, making for more efficient distribution. Wilder cited how California’s smart grid was able to handle a 10-day heatwave with no rolling blackouts as seen in the past.

He said policy support is another driver, seen in the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act; and Infrastructure and Jobs Act, “So this is the biggest federal support that we’ve ever seen by far to put resources behind growth of clean energy. It’s something that we advocates in the industry have been calling for, waiting for, for a long time and it’s finally happened.”

Wilder said these policies in the last two years have seen immediate impact with multi-billion dollar manufacturing investments being made in the United States.

The Jamestown BPU’s Retool ’22 Conference continues Wednesday and will feature keynote speaker John Ellis at the Northwest Arena. For more information, visit jamestownbpu.com

Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)

WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives will vote Wednesday on a bill that’s designed to limit the enforcement of new regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Last week, the White House and environmental advocates celebrated Pope Francis’s call for action on climate change, in part by touting the Obama administration’s ongoing effort to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

But this week, the Republican controlled House will vote on a bipartisan measure that is designed to scale back the centerpiece of Obama’s climate plan – the EPA’s carbon emission rules.

The “Ratepayer Protection Act” from Congressman Ed Whitfield (R-Kentucky) is designed to provide each state the opportunity to opt out of having to abide by the rules until after all court challenges are settled – a process expected to take several years.

Chautauqua County’s representative in Congress, Tom Reed (R-Corning) told WRFA on Monday that he would support the bill, saying that the states should be allowed to have a say in how energy creation is regulated.

“We recognize that states are probably in better position to address the issue of their energy needs and utility make-up,” Reed said. “And we recognize that coal-burning plants are something that we have in our utility production portfolio and its something that supports a lot of jobs… and supports driving the cost of those utilities down. So anything that’s of interest in keeping those utility costs in check, as well as creating jobs, I’m going to be very sensitive to.”

Ratepayer Protection Act Not Expected to Affect NY State Power Companies

Even if the Ratepayer Protection Act is approved and goes into effect, its unlikely it would have little if any impact on power generation in New York State, which already has energy regulations that are among the strictest in the nation and on par with those imposed by the EPA.

The bill could, however, have an adverse impact on local air quality.

Several areas of the state, including portions of the 23rd Congressional District, already having a poor air quality rating, with Chautauqua County ranking among the worst in the state. Environmentalists point out that emissions from power plants in the midwest are a large contributor to the local air quality issue, and unless those emission are reduced, air quality – which leads to various health issues – will continue to be a problem locally.

In response to these concerns, Reed said, “Obviously those are concerns that I think should be addressed, but I am generally in favor of the states of weighing in on what is appropriate in their utility make up and supporting things like clean-coal technology and conversion to natural gas, as well as a potential small plant being repowered with clean coal technology right here in New York State.”

“While it can be agreed upon that we all want clean air and water, it is important to balance environmental regulations with economic and technological realities. This bill is part of achieving that balance,” he added.

Later in the week, the House will also take a second swipe at the EPA’s power plant rule by voting a fiscal 2016 spending bill that would bar the EPA from enforcing the rules, cut the agency’s budget, and attack several other prominent EPA regulations on air and water pollution.