New York Archives

Homebuilders Are Fighting Green Building. Homeowners Will Pay.

February 28, 2024 Stu Turley

Back in the 1990s, political guru James Carville said he wanted to be reincarnated as the bond market because it could “intimidate everybody.” Here in the 2020s, you might prefer to come back as a […]

Daily Energy Standup Episode #310 – Weekly Recap: The Energy Debate: Solar Expansion, Oil Well Shutdowns, and Renewable Transitions

February 17, 2024 Andy Del Prado

Daily Standup Weekly Top Stories Biden plan will earmark millions of acres of public land for solar development February 11, 2024 Stu Turley On Jan. 17, the Biden administration unveiled a draft analysis of a plan that […]

Daily Energy Standup Episode #308 – US Ascends as Top Oil Producer, OPEC Forecasts Demand Surge

February 14, 2024 Andy Del Prado

Daily Standup Top Stories Visualizing the Rise of the U.S. as Top Crude Oil Producer February 13, 2024 Mariel Alumit Visualizing the Rise of the U.S. as Top Crude Oil Producer This was originally posted on Elements. […]

York, Lancaster legislators unite to oppose $2.3B hydroelectric project on Susquehanna

February 13, 2024 Mariel Alumit

It’s not something Rep. Lloyd Smucker can recall seeing: all of York County and Lancaster County’s representatives, united. The cause? Opposing the Cuffs Run hydroelectric project, which was provisionally accepted by the Federal Energy Regulatory […]

Daily Energy Standup Episode #307 – Global Energy Developments: From Electric Buses to Geothermal Advancements

February 13, 2024 Andy Del Prado

Daily Standup Top Stories Virginia legislation would activate state program to fund electric school buses February 12, 2024 Mariel Alumit Virginia is on a roll transitioning to electric school buses. And that momentum could remain […]

New York State Proposes ‘Rapid Act’ and Other Bill to Aid in Transition to Renewable Energy and Away From Natural Gas

February 12, 2024 Mariel Alumit

Governor Kathy Hochul’s Executive Budget proposal (the Transportation, Economic Development, and Environmental Conservation budget bill (A.8808/S.8308)) includes two pivotal energy proposals: the Renewable Action Through Project Interconnection and Deployment Act and the Affordable Gas Transition […]

ENB #177 Exploring Sustainable Solutions: A Conversation on Energy, Education, and Environmental Challenges

January 28, 2024 Stu Turley

We are facing crises globally and in the United States that are cultural and political and will impact our ability to raise the next generations. Energy is at the center of the issues and must […]

New York will replace gas pipelines to pump clean heat into buildings – But at what cost?

January 23, 2024 Mariel Alumit

This story was originally published by Canary Media. Last month, utilities in New York state submitted plans for 13 pilot projects meant to replace fossil-gas pipelines with infrastructure that can power clean, carbon-free heat pumps. These underground thermal networks […]

New Climate Reality is Passing New York By – and the consumers are going to get it in the drive through

January 1, 2024 Stu Turley

Note: For quite a while now I (Roger Caiazza) have put my Citizens Guide to the Climate Act article as the top post on the website because it summarizes the Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act (Climate Act). This […]

I’m not going to mince words here. By destroying America’s energy independence, the Biden Administration is directly making Black Americans more poor and less independent than ever. Since Biden's first day in office with the shutdown of the Keystone pipeline project and his ongoing war on a key pillar of our economy, we’ve all experienced skyrocketing energy costs that punish the very people he claims to care so much about. Just recently, the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a legislative hearing on H.R. 5482 the Energy Poverty Prevention and Accountability Act of 2023. Introduced by Rep. Harriett Hageman R-WY, the bill seeks to prevent energy poverty in America by increasing government transparency, identifying rules and regulations that prohibit equal access to affordable and reliable energy to at risk communities including low income, minority, rural, senior citizens, and Native Americans. Energy poverty occurs when individuals and families are unable to afford basic heating, electricity, and gas needs. High energy costs and the lack of energy services negatively impact a household’s well-being and limit opportunity. At risk communities are most often disproportionately affected by energy poverty. These inflationary pressures and the terrible consequences aren’t the result of a free market at work, but overzealous policy pushed by paternalistic lawmakers who think they know what’s best for everyone with a “one size fits all approach.” I have been working to expand awareness of energy poverty in America and was invited by the subcommittee to provide witness testimony in support of bill H.R. 5482. My passion for American energy is deeply rooted in my own story, stemming from my grandfather, who was a black coal miner in Southwest Virginia, and my time serving as a brakeman for Norfolk Southern Railways, where we transported coal and other natural resources here and abroad. Since 2019, I have had the opportunity to appear before Congress six times to give testimony on energy poverty and other related issues impacting communities struggling with rising energy costs. Energy is a fixed cost for small families and large enterprises alike, and we know when the price of energy increases, so does everything else. It costs more to drive, it impacts the cost of groceries, and most critically, come winter, it costs more to heat your home. Rising energy costs are making it harder or next to impossible for Black families to make ends meet. Tragically, the pause on new oil and gas leases on Federal land, and overregulation accompanied with an aggressive green agenda by the Biden Administration has many Americans experiencing energy poverty for the first time. There is no reason anyone in our country should be without affordable energy. The U.S. is abundantly rich in natural resources, including natural gas, petroleum, and coal. America is more capable than ever of providing affordable energy to its citizens. The U.S. was energy independent in 2019 for the first time in decades, producing more energy domestically than what we consumed. This, along with a booming shale industry, helped America overtake Saudi Arabia and Russia to become the top exporter of petroleum and natural gas globally. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), fossil fuels accounted for 81% of energy production in 2022. Renewables reached their highest production in 2022 and only accounted for 13% of all energy production. More figures from EIA show that renewables received $15.6 billion of subsidies in fiscal year 2022, compared to $3.6 billion for fossil fuels. Per the EIA report, renewable energy industries received nearly five times as much in federal subsidies than fossil fuels despite having minimal impact. Renewable projects are also very costly. New York state law now calls for 70% of electricity come from renewables by 2030. The Alliance for Clean Energy New York (ACENY) told regulators in June, due to cost, “canceled or delayed projects would drastically derail the schedule for renewable development” and cause the state to miss its mandates under the law. Eliminating energy poverty should be a goal we all are interested in achieving. In working towards that goal, we need to be mindful of how environmental policies will impact the vulnerable communities that need our support. Radical environmentalists and the Biden Administration like to frame this as a fight against big energy, but all they are really doing is pushing Black Americans and other at-risk communities further into poverty. When the government creates policy, its priority should be the welfare of the people, especially those impacted the hardest. We need a market-oriented energy policy that will allow America to safely keep exploring and developing our own natural resources for a more secure and prosperous future for all Americans.

Republicans Hold Hearing ‘to Prevent Energy Poverty’ in America

December 22, 2023 Stu Turley

I’m not going to mince words here. By destroying America’s energy independence, the Biden Administration is directly making Black Americans more poor and less independent than ever. Since Biden’s first day in office with the […]