Jamestown BPU General Manager Dave Leathers speaks with Jamestown City Council (May 15, 2023)

Jamestown Board of Public Utilities‘ General Manager doesn’t see a proposal to register Jamestown as a Climate Smart Community as negatively impacting the utility’s operations.

Dave Leathers met with Jamestown City Council Monday to give his thoughts on a resolution that would register the city as a Climate Smart Community in New York State.

Leathers said the BPU is very focused on clean energy standards and the Climate Leadership and Protection Act, “Those are state mandates, state laws that are focused on significant changes in the New York State economy related to greenhouse gas emissions and green energy as well as transportation, and buildings, and agriculture, and waste, and industry. So, that’s really where all of our efforts and all of of our focus are.”

Leathers said he sees the Climate pledge as a municipal effort and that it’s up to the City administration and Council to decide what they want to pursue, “Approving a resolution to take the pledge, I don’t see it as some huge, significant step. And I definitely don’t see it as anything that’s going to impact the BPU operations.”

Under the Climate Smart Community certification, local governments accumulate points for planning and implementation actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve community resilience to the worsening impacts of climate change.

Certified communities can take part in the Climate Smart Communities Grant Program, which is a competitive 50/50 matching grant program for municipalities to implement projects focused on climate change adaptation and greenhouse gas mitigation.

Leathers said the pledge doesn’t commit the city to anything hard, “If in a year from now, you’ve gone into this and you decide you want to rescind that resolution for some reason, you could do that. There are items in the list of potential tasks that the BPU staff would be involved in and would be supportive.”

He said if the city has been certified as a Climate Smart community it could gain the city extra points when applying for grants.

Climate Smart Guidelines include:

1)    Build a climate-smart community.
2)    Inventory emissions, set goals, and plan for climate action.
3)    Decrease energy use.
4)    Shift to clean, renewable energy.
5)    Use climate-smart materials management.
6)    Implement climate-smart land use.
7)    Enhance community resilience to climate change.
8)    Support a green innovation economy.
9)    Inform and inspire the public.
10)    Engage in an evolving process of climate action.

Director of Development Crystal Surdyk said if the pledge was adopted that she could see the city’s Principal Planner acting as the required Coordinator for the program with the Planning Commission serving as the Task Force.

Council member at large Kim Ecklund asked for information on any upfront costs that might be involved with the city taking the pledge.

George Borrello

State Senator George Borrello has introduced legislation that would prohibit the use of fossil fuels in the manufacturing of renewable energy equipment.

Borrello said emission-producing energy sources are often used to manufacture green energy sources like wind turbines, solar panels and electric cars.

He gave the examples of coal used to create steel for wind turbines and the extraction of rare earth minerals for solar panels.

Borrello said the environmental toll of production and delivery is at odds with the state’s climate agenda goals.

He also noted that the mining of rare earth minerals used in the manufacturing of renewable energy equipment sometimes involves child and slave labor.

Borrello’s legislation would require that the manufacture and distribution of electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar collectors and infrastructure to upgrade the power grid is conducted using only wind and solar energy and does not use any power derived from fossil fuels, nuclear energy or any form of combustion.

It is currently in the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee for review.

That’s according to Governor Kathy Hochul in comments to news media on Tuesday.

The budget was originally due April 1.

State lawmakers and Hochul are continuing to discuss issues that would enable the state to address the sale of illegal cannabis sales in the state as well as expand charter schools in New York City.

The budget is expected to include a ban on new natural gas hookups by 2026 in new construction in the state.

Hochul said on Tuesday the measure was necessary to address climate change.

Meanwhile, New York State Republican legislators are celebrating a Federal court ruling Tuesday in California that said Berkeley, California’s ordinance banning natural gas hookups in new buildings is preempted by the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act.

Officials have previously agreed to changes to New York’s cashless bail law that would provide judges with more discretion in setting bail for criminal case.

Hochul’s housing plan was rejected by lawmakers, but she said she wants to continue pushing elements of it after the budget is given final approval in the remaining weeks of the session.

Lawmakers and Hochul also have tentative deals for increasing the state’s minimum wage to $17 an hour in the coming years and funding universal free school meals.

Designated disadvantaged communities in Chautauqua County

Portions of Jamestown and north county will receive more clean energy and energy efficiency funding after being designated disadvantaged communities.

The state’s Climate Justice Working Group, composed of representatives from environmental justice organizations, voted to finalize 1,736 designated census tracts — more than one-third of all in the state — that are guaranteed to get extra funding.

The state published interactive maps highlighting the designated areas in purple. Communities that aren’t highlighted won’t be eligible for specially designated funds that will prioritize reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution in those regions.

The working group chose the communities based on factors reflecting environmental burden and future risk. Such indicators include risk of flooding, exposure to pollution, health vulnerabilities, income levels, and proportion of minority households. Households with incomes under 60% of the state median income are also included as disadvantaged.

Disadvantaged communities are mandated to receive at least 35% of state spending on clean energy and energy efficiency programs under New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

Jamestown BPU webinar on proposed microgrid grant application (March 23, 2023)

The Jamestown Board of Public Utilities is pursuing a $12 million grant through the U.S. Department of Energy to create a microgrid.

BPU Transmission and Distribution Manager Kris Sellstrom said a microgrid is a power plant or generation resource that can be run disconnected from the regional transmission system, “You know, we have a power plant here, we have the Allen 6000 Gas Turbine. However, for us to run the power plant, we need to be interconnected with the transmission system. The transmission system provides both voltage support and inertia for the power plant to run.”

Sellstrom said a microgrid would help prevent against regional power outages like the one caused in January by a breaker trip by National Grid.

He said the microgrid would serve the downtown area, including government and public safety building, healthcare facilities, and some Jamestown school buildings.

The total cost of the project is $15 million with the $3 million local share being paid by the BPU. They estimate it will take five years to implement.

Sellstrom said the proposal would add a battery system to the power plant, advanced controls, and use the gas turbine to generate electricity.

BPU General Manager Dave Leathers when it comes to the State’s Climate Act, they’re hoping the Gas turbine will be fine for use until 2035 or even 2040, “So over the next 10 to 15 years, I think we’ll be looking at what’s another source of technology related to generation. And so there’s some questions here on when the gas turbine ultimately comes off line, what replaces it, if it’s a state level that’s not designed yet, and that’s work that we continue to do year in and year out.”

Leathers said he anticipates that as new generation is added and emission-free technology is developed in line with the State’s Climate Act that it will be incorporated into the microgrid.

Jamestown Board of Public Utilities Microgrid Proposal webinar slides

The BPU will take further public comments on the microgrid application at the monthly BPU Board meeting at 4:30 p.m., Monday, March 27.

Photo courtesy of Jamestown Public Schools

The Jamestown Board of Public Utilities and Jamestown Public School District have received a grant to study converting their bus fleet to all-electric operation.

The $95,623 award from the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) will go toward a comprehensive feasibility and planning study for the district’s bus fleet and facility conversion to an all-electric operation.

Recent changes to state law require that public school districts begin purchasing electric buses by 2027, with an all-electric fleet by 2035. The transition requires a thorough evaluation of the infrastructure necessary to support the full conversion to electric buses.

As the sole provider of electric power in the community, the Jamestown BPU must provide the necessary infrastructure to maintain an electric fleet. The BPU has proposed an evaluation process that will assess the electric distribution system, fleet garage electric service and charging requirements, fleet requirements and a cost-benefit analysis of converting the current district bus facility to an all-electric operation.

The potential for energy efficiency and an on-site solar application are other aspects of the evaluation.

The district maintains a fleet of 42 buses that are required for the daily transportation of approximately 750 pupils. Although most students live within walking distance of a school, transportation is provided to those who live in a transportation safety zone, students with special needs, and students educated in out-of-district settings.

Two companies, Stark Tech Group and Emerald Alternative Energy, will complete the project within a six to nine-month time frame.

Farm Bureau President David Fisher and Public Policy Director Jeff Williams said the major issues are based on member approved public policy positions.

Their first priority is asking New York State lawmakers to replenish the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. Williams said this has been a big issue for Farm Bureau members who have been saddled with assessment charges on their quarterly contributions to the unemployment insurance fund.

New York State borrowed billions from the federal government during the pandemic to cover increased Unemployment Insurance costs. New York has been the only state that has not begun to make payments on the debt or interest, and instead passing those costs on to employers.

Williams said members are also concerned about efforts to raise the minimum wage once again. Minimum wage increased a dollar an hour at the end of the year for upstate New York and will possibly be raised to $15 by the end of this year. The farm overtime threshold will begin to drop as well next year.

The Farm Bureau is also looking to maintain funding for important animal health, promotion, and research programs along with full funding for the Environmental Protection Fund. Williams said the EPF is responsible for helping farms implement best management practices that include soil health and nutrient management programs that protect land and waterways. He said this also includes efforts to help farms meet the state’s climate goals.

The Bureau is also hopeful the governor’s proposal for a refundable investment tax credit is included in the final budget. They said this will incentivize investment.

Continued funding for the Nourish New York program and legislation allowing for direct-to-consumer shipping for New York produced farm beverages, including beer, cider, and distillates are also on the agenda.

Andy Goodell

Assemblyman Andy Goodell supports a number of items highlighted in Governor Kathy Hochul‘s State of the State address, but says her solutions fail to grasp underlying causes to issues.

Goodell said he was glad to see that Hochul highlighted her concern over inflation and cost of living in the state, “She highlighted crime rates and what’s going there. Housing crisis was mentioned by the Governor as well as the need for more mental health services. So, in terms of acknowledging what the issues are, I appreciate where the Governor was coming from.”

Goodell said Hochul’s solutions to problems miss other possible things, giving Hochul’s concern over the dramatic increase in energy prices as an example, “But didn’t acknowledge that New York State itself has turned down every single permit for new generating plants in New York State, which is causing a supply shortage, and has blocked every single new natural gas pipeline, again causing a supply shortage.”
Hochul has proposed a pilot program to help low-income families retrofit their homes and upgrade appliances in accordance with the Climate Act.

Goodell said he supports Hochul’s proposed increase in funding to the GIVE program as well as funds to help add prosecutors to District Attorneys offices across New York State. He also supports her proposed $1 billion investment in mental health programs that would add 1,000 in-patient psychiatric beds, 3,500 housing units for those with mental illness, and create systemic accountability for how hospitals handle admission and discharge of mental health patients.

The report on the study, released by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, noted that,”Great Lakes Wind currently does not offer a unique, critical or cost-effective contribution toward the achievement of New York State’s Climate Act goals beyond what more cost-competitive programs are expected to deliver.”

This report said the conclusion is based on, “a fulsome analysis of the resource development costs, ratepayer impacts, expected State benefits, transmission and interconnection limitations, infrastructure and supply chain constraints, visual impacts, and potential environmental impacts of Great Lakes Wind.”

State Senator George Borrello heralded the report, saying, “I am encouraged that after nearly two years of intense study and stakeholder engagement on the environmental, economic and social issues surrounding the potential siting of wind turbines in Lakes Erie and Ontario, the commission members came to essentially the same assessment that opponents of this effort have advanced all along: the risks, costs and uncertainties are too great and the possible benefits too little to make a compelling case for these projects.

Borrello added that the study proves that, “Not all forms of renewable energy are worthwhile or make sense.”

To read the report, visit https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/great-lakes-wind-feasibility-study