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New York Post
25-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Kathy Hochul's ambition cancels out claims of coming ‘climate disaster'
New York politicians are extremely worried about the threat of global climate change. Their only bigger worry is that the voters will learn what they plan to do about it. More than one year past Albany's self-imposed deadline to make rules for major greenhouse-gas cuts, Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Legislature used the annual budget to yet again hit the snooze button on a top climate initiative. This time, the governor paused a law requiring school districts to buy electric schoolbuses for their fleets. It joins Hochul's growing list of delays on climate initiatives that would cause New Yorkers pain — consequences she does not want voters to feel until her next term. The list of deferments includes a tax-like 'cap-and-invest' carbon-mitigation scheme, collecting billions from fossil-fuel producers in a 'Climate Superfund' and rules mandating zero-emission truck sales in the Empire State. The zero-emission schoolbus mandate makes school districts the canaries in the green-economy coal mine. Under the law, no fossil-fueled school buses may be on the roads starting in 2035. That means school districts, many of which operate under 10-year replacement schedules, should be buying zero-emission electric schoolbuses now. But the high cost of electric buses — more than double the average price of gas- or diesel-fueled models — has made those purchases a budgetary impossibility for many districts. Absent substantial federal and state subsidies, today's electric schoolbuses can't compete economically with fossil-fueled ones. The governor's legal tweak shows the rubber is meeting the road on the electric-schoolbus mandate, as policy makers cave to reality and political pressure. The same is true for other green initiatives. The Empire State's 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act set some incredible goals, including cutting statewide carbon emissions by about a quarter by 2030. Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! Ambitious? Sure. Realistic? Not likely. Emissions have barely fallen in the years since — mainly because former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration effectively swapped a (zero-emission) nuclear power plant, Indian Point, for new natural-gas plants. When Cuomo signed the CLCPA into law in 2019, he ensured that none of its effects could occur until well after he'd have been sworn in for his anticipated fourth consecutive term. The CLCPA's implementing regulations were not due until January 2024 — a deadline Hochul ignored. Hochul this spring pumped the brakes again on cap-and-invest, New York's most onerous CLCPA program — kicking it past the next election into a 'data-gathering phase.' That process won't wrap up until June 2027 — months after she's hoping to sail into a second term. Why the wait? Because no one's going to like it when the cap-and-invest bills start coming due and prices go up — or energy-intensive businesses begin leaving the state. Cap-and-invest is a tax on energy masquerading as a climate fix, and the latest delay only deepens doubts that Albany Democrats are serious about addressing the climate change-induced 'existential crisis' they claim we face. Kind of like insisting every climate change-related project be staffed at union-level wages. A cynical Albany watcher may surmise that the delay gives Hochul another election cycle for campaign donors subject to cap-and-invest to lobby for special treatment under the new program. Meanwhile, less-connected businesses are left twisting in the wind, unsure of future costs, while climate diehards fume over missed deadlines. Energy users dodge the bill for now, but it's coming — whenever the state Department of Environmental Conservation gets untethered from Hochul's political ambitions. But here's the real kicker: Even if the Empire State can can pull it off, its emissions cuts won't move the needle on global climate change. New York leaders are chasing a fantasy when they could be focusing on something that actually matters — like shoreline protection, flood mitigation, public cooling centers and similar projects. The Climate Superfund Act is supposed to fund climate change adaptation measures like these on the backs of fossil-fuel producers (and their customers). It's based on a climate-change-damages theory derived from tobacco litigation. But when she signed it into law this year, Hochul insisted on setting effective dates for charging the penalties after her next election. None of this is to deny climate change — if true, it's a real problem, and an ugly one. But New York's not the hero in this story. The planet won't notice if New York hits its CLCPA goals. If Hochul and the DEC can't execute a plan six years after making their big promises — never mind one that makes a dent globally — why should we trust them with our wallets or our future? Delay isn't caution; it's a cynical political calculation. An existential crisis deserves better. Cam Macdonald is an adjunct fellow at the Empire Center for Public Policy and executive director of the Government Justice Center.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Readers sound off on New York's nature, trade unions and Martin Sheen
Manhattan: New Yorkers need conservation. Our parks and forests provide shade on hot days, reduce air pollution and support mental wellbeing and healthier outcomes for communities. Even in our metropolis, conserved areas — parks, forests, wetlands, riverbanks, beaches and bays — offer essential habitats for wildlife. Trust for Public Land (TPL) has helped protect more than 124,000 acres in New York over the past 40 years, but in the last six, that number dropped to just 553 acres. Bureaucratic delays and shifting priorities have drastically slowed conservation efforts. Such a decline is reflected across the state, which once protected an average 70,000 acres annually; it now preserves fewer than 5,000 — despite voters approving a $4.2 billion environmental bond act in 2022. With climate change having a greater impact on communities and nature disappearing at an alarming rate, New York's conservation efforts must regain momentum. Land trusts like ours can't afford to hold properties indefinitely while the state's acquisition process drags on. Conservation projects are stalling — but the state budget presents a key opportunity to change this. Gov. Hochul and the state Senate and Assembly have proposed measures to increase conservation funding and modernize the state's slow acquisition process. Their plan includes $500 million for the Environmental Protection Fund, with $60 million for land conservation. Key policy changes would cut bureaucratic bottlenecks by allowing title insurance in conservation land transactions, empowering the Department of Environmental Conservation to acquire conservation easements directly, and eliminating some taxes on land conservation projects by nonprofit organizations. These common-sense reforms will save taxpayers money while ensuring cleaner air and water and more green space. Tamar Renaud, New York State director, TPL Manhattan: April is Earth Month, and finally, someone is standing up to our governor's foot-dragging on climate. For six years, our Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) has been directing us to reduce our polluting emission by 40% by 2030 (just five years off!). And our governor's Department of Environmental Conservation has not even published final rules informing major polluters of how much their excessive emissions will cost them — or when! That's why four conscientious organizations, including the Sierra Club, have sued the governor and her 'conservation' department to act. The DEC and governor both need that good kick. Thomas A. Caffrey Manhattan: A study published in the journal Nature using real-world data from the U.K. found that individuals who received the shingles vaccine were 20% less likely to develop dementia over the next seven years compared to the ones who did not receive the vaccine. Alan Lehrer New Bedford, Mass.: Rumors surrounding the 9/11 attacks have been discredited while the U.S. government has admitted to having a direct hand in destabilizing Middle Eastern countries like Iran. This is while the U.S. military has been spending millions of dollars to arm and train paramilitary groups in Middle Eastern countries like Iraq and Afghanistan. These are not conspiracy theories but historical fact. Given the U.S. military's illegal involvement in the Middle East during the Iran-Contra scandal, how many supplies, including arms and munitions, were left unaccounted for? Did Osama Bin Laden's camouflage jacket come from the U.S. military? Were the Kalashnikovs used by him and Al Qaeda relics of Russia's Afghanistan invasion or due to illegal arms smuggling during Iran-Contra? Given the U.S.'s active participation in Israel's total war and possible attempted genocide against the Palestinian people, getting truthful answers to difficult questions like these is more important than ever. Justin Lavine Williamsburg, Va.: Why has Israel been placing tariffs on American goods when America provides aid and weapons to Israel? This is no way to treat a friend that has continued to support Israel in its wars with terrorists and the Arab states. President Trump talks about being taken advantage of, yet he has allowed Israel to impose tariffs on American goods while America imposed no tariffs on goods produced in Israel. I no longer have respect for Israel. It should be ashamed of itself and immediately apologize to the American people. John Lemandri Brooklyn: In all the talk of expected price increases due to increased/retaliatory tariffs and, among other things, making tax cuts for the wealthy permanent, there's one thing never mentioned: Where are the increases in salaries of everyday workers? Will Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment increases match increases in everyday expenses? I only read and hear that we must be willing to bear the burdens of these changes, but with price increases and cuts to supplemental programs that Americans already rely on to help make ends meet, there's no mention of increasing incomes now or in the future of this assumed-to-be-increased prosperity for our country. The only people who will get more out of all this are the ones who already have much more than the average American, and that's not 'great' at all. Wanda Peakes Manhattan: Dear President Trump, please stop treating the American economy like it is one of your businesses. I do not wish to see my 401(k) and IRA join your too-numerous-to-mention-here bankruptcies and other failed ventures. W.T. Bredin Bayside: Voicer Tom Ascher's letter was an inaccurate summary of layoffs during prior administrations, and I suspect inaccurate in the numbers listed. There is no hypocrisy and no comparison between prior administrations and this one. Prior layoffs were not decided by a non-governmental employee displaying a chainsaw with talk of sending government functions to the wood chipper. They were accomplished by reorganization of functions, attrition, buyouts and early retirement offers. No elimination of jobs and worldwide responsibilities due to 'just because' or DEI paranoia. The eliminations were calculated so that government could function smoothly and so employees were not dehumanized. I know. I was an IRS appeals officer who, at the end of 2004, accepted an early retirement package. Andrea Harris Castlebar, Ireland: The only defense the average citizen in a modern industrial country has against bad government is the trade union movement. Sadly, the movement in America is benign, yet they take members' subscriptions every week. They have a duty to protect their members and society as a whole. What the lunatic Elon Musk is doing to workers in America is a disgrace. Slimming government is commendable to a degree, but the way he's going about it is wrong. He's callously sacking people who served the country for 10 or more years, causing thousands of honest, decent workers to go hungry, especially those with large families. The way to slim government is through natural wastage. People are retiring all the time. With proper planning, their tasks could be redistributed throughout the rest of the workforce. If Musk continues, the trade union movement should consider a general strike. John Fair Belvidere, N.J.: Bravo to Voicer Wendy Packus. To put it another way, Andrew Cuomo is a rabid abortion fanatic while Trump advocates for religious pro-lifers to have legal protection in the public realm as a defense against abortion politics. In January 2019, when then-Gov. Cuomo signed the ultra-abortion Reproductive Health Act into law, he received criticism from Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, among other Catholics bishops. The 'Catholic' Cuomo's response was: 'I have my own Catholic beliefs.' If he has a 'Catechism of the Catholic Church,' the last time he opened it for study was most likely as a child. Cuomo is no more Catholic than a New Testament gentile. Dan Arthur Pryor Utica, N.Y.: Martin Sheen began his acting career in 1959 as a struggling actor in New York. He moved into a stellar film career. Now 84, Sheen has never won an Oscar. They call him an actor's actor. When Oscar season rolls around every year, I am disappointed and puzzled when Sheen is overlooked for an honorary Oscar. He should be honored for his long career and body of work. Kathleen Ball Linden, N.J.: When animals eat us, we're only getting what we deserve because we eat animals. Christ said, 'Do unto others what you would have done unto you.' He didn't say 'other people,' he just said 'others.' So, I feel that 'others' includes animals. Even Ghandi said, 'The lower animals are our brethren.' Ron Jackowski
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Climate groups sue over NY climate law backtracking
It's official: New York is being sued over delays in implementing its climate law. Four environmental and climate justice groups filed a lawsuit Monday in a state court, claiming that New York is 'stonewalling necessary climate action in outright violation' of its legal obligations. By not releasing economy-wide emissions rules, the suit alleges, the state Department of Environmental Conservation, or DEC, is 'defying the Legislature's clear directive' and 'prolonging New Yorkers' exposure to air pollution … especially in disadvantaged communities.' CLCPA It's the first lawsuit to charge the state with failing to enforce the core mandate of its 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, or CLCPA: eliminating nearly all of New York's greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The law tasks DEC with crafting rules to get there and to reach an interim target of 40 percent emissions cuts by 2030. The state's deadline to release those rules was Jan. 1, 2024 — a date the agency blew past. More than a year later, New York has yet to issue even draft rules, and it's becoming less and less clear that it intends to do so, even though, throughout last year, Governor Kathy Hochul's administration promised that it was working on them as quickly as possible. The lawsuit centers on rules for cap and invest, an economy-wide carbon pricing program that Hochul has been promising since 2023. DEC and the state's energy research and development arm, NYSERDA, spent much of the last two years developing the program. In December, agency staff told environmental groups that the draft rules were all but ready to go and would be released in January, allowing the state to start charging polluters before the end of 2025. STATE OF THE STATE Then came the about-face. At her State of the State speech in mid-January, Hochul made no mention of cap and invest. Her briefing book said DEC and NYSERDA needed more time to work out the details, promising only that DEC would publish rules requiring polluters to report their emissions. Her administration maintains that it is still moving ahead with cap and invest, but has declined to commit to any timeline for doing so. (Asked last week whether Hochul stands by this position, the governor's office referred New York Focus to DEC and NYSERDA. A spokesperson said the agencies 'are continuing to develop a cap-and-invest program' and pointed to the newly released emissions reporting rule as evidence.) Hochul's backtracking is at the heart of the lawsuit filed Monday by Earthjustice and two other environmental law groups on behalf of Citizen Action of New York, PUSH Buffalo, Sierra Club, and WE ACT for Environmental Justice, all members of the NY Renews coalition that led the charge to pass the CLCPA. 'We've just seen a continual slow walk of climate action at the state level… that puts us in a position where we need to have a judge put us back on track,' said Eric Walker, the energy justice senior policy manager at WE ACT. New York Focus reached out to Hochul's office, DEC, and the Attorney General for comment after the lawsuit was filed and will update this story if they respond. CAP AND INVEST State regulators estimated that cap and invest could prevent up to 1,500 premature deaths and 1,800 asthma-related emergency room visits per year by 2035. The draft rule DEC published last Wednesday could help the state implement cap and invest. The rule — one of three meant to set up the program — lays out which polluters are required to report their greenhouse gas emissions and how. But, as DEC emphasized in its press release, this rule 'is solely for reporting purposes and would not require pollution reductions.' Today's lawsuit highlights that the reporting rule, if adopted as proposed, would not take effect until June 2027. It also points out that DEC intends for the collected data to 'help inform other policies or actions that may be taken to reduce pollution, including but not limited to a potential future cap-and-invest program' — implying that cap and invest rules might not be released for years, if ever. An FAQ page from the agency explicitly asks when the cap and invest program will be implemented, and does not provide a date. CLEAN AIR AND WATER The plaintiffs charge that by walking back from its climate plan, New York is also infringing on its residents' constitutional rights — specifically the rights to 'clean air and water, and a healthful environment' enshrined through the Green Amendment that voters approved in 2021. Air pollution is especially harming the health of residents in disadvantaged communities, they allege, where several of the groups' members live near fossil fuel plants or in high truck traffic areas. 'As we continue to not put cap and invest in place, we see the continued disproportionate impacts of air quality on disadvantaged communities, communities of color, and low-income communities across the state,' said Walker. 'We need cap and invest to be in effect right now. and it could be if we had simply just released the regs that are sitting on a shelf,' he continued. (Internal emails reported by Politico show that DEC and NYSERDA had already completed the draft rules at the beginning of this year.) The lawsuit is not the CLCPA's first test in court. The climate law has been at the center of nearly 20 court cases, mostly challenging agency decisions over things like air permits and highways, but also the governor's abrupt suspension of congestion pricing last summer. But it's the first lawsuit seeking to enforce the emissions reduction mandate as a whole, according to Rachel Spector, Earthjustice's lead attorney in the case. 'These regulations are the core of the law, and they're necessary for it to be effective,' said Spector, adding that the DEC must issue enforceable rules to give the law 'any kind of teeth.' Less than a year ago, Hochul spoke about cap and invest as if it were already up and running: 'We set a cap on statewide climate pollution,' she told attendees of the Global Economic Summit in Ireland last May. 'Every year, we set the cap lower to align with our aggressive climate goals. Major polluters must pay to emit greenhouse gases.' Since then, regulators have admitted that the state is far behind in meeting key climate targets, and business groups have stepped up calls for the state to rethink the CLCPA. But for now, it's still the law, and Spector said there's no excuse for the state not to enforce it. Regulators 'do have discretion — they can shape regulations in a way they see fit, as long as they comply with the pretty high-level, broad requirements that are set out in the law,' she said. 'But they still have to do it.'
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
What It's Like to Live in a Small Town Polluted by a Cryptomine
The Finger Lakes region of New York is known for its green forests, limestone cliffs, miles of wineries, and, of course, the 11 uniquely shaped lakes said to have been formed, in Native American legend, by the hand of the Great Spirit. The area is a refuge from the state's bustling lower half, and driving through it is quiet and serene—that is, until you reach the northwest shores of Seneca Lake, where you'll start to hear a low humming sound. Right next to the town of Dresden, New York, lies Greenidge Generation, a power plant turned bitcoin mine that operates 24/7 and emitted more than 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide in 2024, in an otherwise immaculate region known for its agriculture and tourism. Local environmental advocacy groups have been engaged in a never-ending lawsuit with the cryptomine over its air pollution, which they claim isn't consistent with New York's 2019 climate law, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, or CLCPA. The CLCPA commits the state to 100 percent zero-emission electricity by 2040 and to being entirely off fossil fuels by 2050. 'We have deep ties to the region, and I've always considered it the one constant I've ever had in an otherwise pretty tumultuous life, which is why I feel so strongly about protecting it,' said Seneca Lake resident Yvonne Taylor, who is a member of Seneca Lake Guardian, one of the groups represented in the lawsuit. The Finger Lakes is just one of many regions across the country that have been impacted by nearby bitcoin mines. In Granbury, Texas, residents are suing Marathon Digital Holdings, alleging that noise pollution from its bitcoin mine is causing hearing loss, migraines, and vertigo. In Montana, cryptomining is extending the life of a coal-fired power plant as greenhouse gases continue to rise in one of the state's poorest counties. In Pennsylvania, an environmental group is suing a bitcoin mine for allegedly burning waste coal and old tires to power its operations, polluting the region with harmful chemicals. Nationwide, bitcoin mines—the majority of which are powered by dirty fossil fuels—use 2 percent of the country's electricity and, according to one recent estimate, may be consuming as much water per year as the city of Washington, D.C. Under President Donald Trump, who has promised to make the United States the 'crypto capital of the planet,' bitcoin's impact on the climate and communities may only grow. In the 2024 election, the cryptocurrency industry spent millions lobbying in support of Trump and other pro-crypto politicians, simultaneously ousting some of Washington's strongest crypto hard-liners. Bolstered by millions from investors, Trump has become a champion for the decentralized currency he previously called a 'scam,' vowing to ensure all remaining bitcoin will be 'made in the USA.' On March 6, the president signed an executive order to establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, creating a government-owned stockpile of bitcoin that can be released in times of crisis. The guardrails are down. Whereas Joe Biden and his administration favored more aggressive oversight of the industry—vetoing a number of crypto-friendly bills, proposing a strict cryptomining tax, and ordering the government to examine the risks of digital currency—Trump and some 300 members of Congress welcome crypto, particularly bitcoin, with open arms. All signs point to an influx of mines in the coming years. 'I think this is gonna mean increased impacts on local communities that we've seen across the country,' Mandy DeRoche, the deputy managing attorney at the Clean Energy Program at Earthjustice, said of Trump's election. Bitcoin is a particular type of cryptocurrency known as 'proof of work,' or PoW, that is incredibly energy intensive to produce. To access bitcoin, miners use thousands of individual computers, known as rigs, that race to solve complex puzzles required to receive new coins. Rigs operate 24/7 and require a massive amount of electricity and water to operate, as well as industrial-size fans to stay cool. Thousands of fans going at once is loud, to put it lightly. In 2020, Cyndie Roberson and her husband bought their dream cabin on the Hiwassee River in Cherokee County, North Carolina. Like the Finger Lakes, Cherokee County is a picturesque, serene region filled with vast forests and lakes, a refuge Roberson had always dreamed of settling in. But just a year after she moved, she and her neighbors began to hear what sounded like a plane sitting on a tarmac waiting for take off. 'It's like a jet engine that never leaves,' Roberson said. 'It is a low-frequency hum, and that low frequency, I've learned, is far more irritating to human beings. It does something inside your brain.' A growing body of research shows that chronic noise triggers a number of reactions in the brain and body, which can lead to increased risks of cardiovascular disease. Roberson and her neighbors eventually discovered the noise was coming from a bitcoin mine owned by the California-based company PrimeBlock, in the nearby town of Murphy. She says they weren't aware the mine was starting up but were immediately affected by it. Forced to endure the tangible impacts of a volatile digital currency that benefits just a handful of crypto magnates, Roberson and her neighbors educated themselves on bitcoin and fought to shut down PrimeBlock's operation. Roberson co-founded the advocacy group Cherokee County Citizens Against Crypto Mining, spoke at public hearings, and compiled more than 3,000 signatures for a petition to ban cryptomines in the area. Her interactions with the company's employees were limited but memorable. She recalled one interaction with a PrimeBlock employee. 'We're going to use seven times more power than that Walmart does. Heck, we might even use more than the whole county,' Roberson recalled him saying. PrimeBlock did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story. In North Carolina, there are few reporting requirements for cryptomines, and PrimeBlock isn't a publicly traded company, so there is little data on its energy use and emissions. Nationwide, however, bitcoin mines used an estimated 70 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2023—more than the state of New Jersey used that year, according to a report from the Department of Energy. It's a particularly concerning stat given that, amid the accelerating climate crisis, electricity demand is rising for the first time in 20 years and our existing grid is vastly underprepared. Cherokee County Citizens Against Crypto Mining's advocacy efforts eventually led to a ban on all new cryptomines in Murphy, North Carolina, where PrimeBlock is located. It was a huge win for the future of the county, but existing mines like PrimeBlock were permitted to keep operating. Driven by stress, Roberson eventually sold her dream cabin in North Carolina, as did the five other co-founders of the group. 'We are the fortunate ones, because we can flee,' Roberson said. In 2021, the U.S. saw a digital gold rush after China, previously the world's largest producer of crypto, banned cryptomining in 2021. Miners are particularly drawn to regions like Texas and Georgia in the South and upstate New York in the Northeast, where there is plenty of space and cheap energy access. In just a few years, America's global cryptomine share went from 3.5 percent to 38 percent—far from Trump's 100 percent goal but enough to produce 1.5 million tons of CO2 annually. Bitcoin miners often enter communities with the same age-old tale as other polluting industries: the promise of jobs, economic prosperity, and a renewed sense of purpose for the area. But a lot of bitcoin mines are fully automated, and the facilities themselves staff few people other than the odd security guard or administrative aide. Taylor in Seneca Lake says her interactions with Greenidge Generation have been exhausting. The organization she's part of, Seneca Lake Guardian, has been in a turbulent legal battle with the company. In June 2022, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, or DEC, denied Greenidge's application to renew its air permit under the Clean Air Act Title V, considering 'the dramatic increase in greenhouse gas emissions from the facility since the passage of the Climate Act.' The denial was upheld twice after Greenidge appealed the decision. 'Rather than solely providing energy to the state's electricity grid, the power plant now primarily provides energy behind-the-meter to support the demands of Greenidge's energy-intensive proof of work cryptocurrency mining operations,' the DEC said in a statement at the time. In August 2024, Greenidge filed a lawsuit against the DEC in the State Supreme Court of Yates County, alleging the agency 'weaponized' the CLCPA to deny its air permit. The environmental law group Earthjustice won a motion to intervene in the case on behalf of the local environmental groups, including Seneca Lake Guardian. The Yates County judge ruled that the DEC does in fact have the power to deny air permits to operations inconsistent with the CLCPA, but that the agency's ruling must be supported by justified analysis, allowing Greenidge to return to the DEC and present further evidence in defense of its operations. 'The Climate Act did not give DEC the power to rewrite a statute and unilaterally decide for themselves the value of working-class New Yorkers' jobs,' Greenidge Generation president Dale Irwin said in an email statement to The New Republic. 'When actual judges review the issues—not advocacy groups—the facts and law actually govern, and our record is clear: we comply with state and federal law. They unlawfully tried to bring about a virtue-signaling result: to shut down a facility with no material impact on reaching statewide climate goals, and one that actually offered significant emissions mitigation that the state flatly ignored. Our facility shows this region can create future-focused jobs and economic activity, fully consistent with the Climate Act's aims.' Greenidge filed an emergency request to delay the DEC hearing, which Earthjustice opposed. The case is ongoing, but Greenidge is permitted to operate as long as the DEC hearing remains delayed. 'It has been absolutely exhausting and infuriating to deal with a company that refuses to accept the law and continues to fight,' Taylor said. 'As long as they've got the money to keep delaying, they can continue operating and continuing to harm not only our community but our climate statewide.' Just two hours from Seneca Lake, an almost identical case is unfolding in North Tonawanda, New York. In 2021, a Canadian cryptomining company, Digihost Technology, bought an old peaking power plant and turned it into a bitcoin mine just a mile from the center of town. Digihost's presentation to residents and the town council was nothing new: It promised jobs and economic benefits. One local official said turning away Digihost would be 'like saying no to Google,' recalled Deb Gondek, who lives near the cryptomine. The mine has led to increased electricity costs for residents, local air pollution, and never-ending noise that forces some residents to wear headphones day and night. Earthjustice is intervening on similar grounds (that the sale of the peaker plant is inconsistent with CLCPA targets), but this case will likely face a similar cycle of never-ending appeals. Digihost did not respond to requests for comment for this story. On January 23, Trump passed an executive order 'to support the responsible growth and use of digital assets, blockchain technology, and related technologies across all sectors of the economy,' which includes the ability to mine cryptocurrency without prosecution. Some states have already passed the Blockchain Basics Act, a bill introduced by the dark money, pro-crypto group the Satoshi Action Fund, which has connections to the Koch Network and the Heritage Foundation, The Lever reported last month. The bill essentially strips the ability of local authorities and the public utilities commission to regulate cryptomining—a vital tool communities have in protecting themselves when federal regulation is weak. The Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Trump has now ordered is another Satoshi Action Fund–backed idea. As The Lever pointed out, the reserve helps legitimize bitcoin and could ultimately lead to a massive price boost at the expense of taxpayers and the climate. State bitcoin reserves have also been proposed in Ohio, Florida, Alabama, North Dakota, and others. Given all the pro-crypto actions the Trump administration has already taken, Gondek of North Tonawanda says local action and widespread education matters more than ever. 'We can't expect protection from the federal government. We're going to protect ourselves,' she said. Roberson, who is now advocating against cryptomines in her new home of Gilmer County, Georgia, agrees, and says she hopes that the political divide doesn't prevent communities from working together on what she calls an 'absolutely nonpartisan' issue. 'Nationally, it's going to get worse,' she said. 'But in our hometowns and our counties, maybe in our states, we can change things.'
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Local legislators voice concerns on CLCPA
MARCY, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) — Senator Joe Griffo and Assemblymembers Brian Miller and Marianne Buttenschon were at Utica Mack in Marcy on Friday, January 31 to express their concerns with the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). The bill was signed by Governor Kathy Hochul in 2019 to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and make the state grid completely powered by renewable energy by 2040. However, the legislators have said that the act did not provide adequate guidelines for how the goals were to be achieved. Other concerns raised at the legislator's press conference included the effect on energy bills and the possibility of jeopardizing the security and reliability of the state's energy grid. 'I clearly support continuous efforts to keep our communities environmentally sound,' Assemblywoman Buttenschon said in a statement. 'However, we must also be sure that our businesses can thrive. As chair of the Small Business Committee in the New York State Assembly, I am confident that if we listen to our small business owners we can accomplish this collaboratively. They have expressed to me that they want a vibrant environment for their families and employees to live in. We must take a commonsense approach to have a balance between a productive work community and a healthy environment.' Other concerns brought up in the press conference included: The implementation of the Advanced Clean Truck Rule. This rule went into effect on January 1 and requires all medium and heavy-duty vehicles to be manufactured as zero emission. This rule includes all municipal plows. The goal of the rule is to have all trucks over 8,500 pounds be zero-emission by 2045. However, several groups — including Utica Mack — have pushed back against this rule, saying that it is detrimental to businesses and Griffo and Assemblywoman Buttenschon have introduced legislation delaying the implementation of the rule to understand the impacts it would have on industries and municipalities in the state. Miller has said he will co-sponsor the bill in the Assembly. Regulations prohibiting products with hydrofluorocarbons. The legislators said that this new regulation will cripple businesses across the state by imposing significant costs. The National Supermarket Association has said it would cost New York grocery stores between $300,000 and $1 million to replace cooling compressors that power their refrigerators. The electric school bus mandate. This mandate requires all new school buses purchased in New York State be zero-emission. The goal is for all school buses in operation to be electric by 2035. However, school districts have shared their concerns about finances to buy these buses, among others. Yesterday, Assemblyman Robert Smullen — who is an Assemblyman for Herkimer County — and Senator Griffo voiced their concerns and introduced legislation for an opt-out waiver from the mandate. 'These regulations have created an almost insurmountable burden on businesses like Utica Mack in New York State, forcing us to sell a product that consumers do not want, and that the state's current infrastructure cannot support,' Tom Heiland, President of Utica Mack, said in a statement. 'These laws are not just hurting individual businesses, they are undermining our ability to operate effectively in a state already strained by overregulation. It has become nearly impossible to conduct business in New York under these conditions. We are committed to advocating for a practical solution. Please join us in welcoming Senator Griffo and Assemblymembers Buttenschon and Miller to discuss these issues and direct us all on ways move forward and potentially stop this law.' All three legislators have asked their constituents to contact the offices of Governor Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins, and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie with their concerns. Their information is below: Gov. Kathy Hochul1-518-474-8390https:// (to send a message) Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins(518) 455-2585scousins@ Speaker Carl Heastie518-455-3791Speaker@ 'The CLCPA has placed an undue burden on our communities, businesses, and schools, all while failing to provide the necessary guidance or resources to achieve its lofty goals,' Assemblyman Miller said in a statement. 'From costly mandates on electric school buses to regulations impacting small businesses and municipalities, the implementation of this policy is creating significant challenges for the people of New York. I did not support the CLCPA because it lacks actionable solutions and imposes unrealistic expectations that disproportionately harm rural and upstate communities. It's clear that this policy needs immediate adjustments to ensure fairness and practicality, and I stand with my colleagues in calling for changes that will better serve our residents while protecting their livelihoods and local economies.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
