New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has unveiled plans to phase out coal entirely at New York state power plants by 2020, Kallanish Energy reports.
Last week, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation released proposed regulations to require all power plants in New York to meet new emissions limits for carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
The action was hailed by environmental groups, but the impacts are not expected to be great because New York does not rely on coal as much as other states.
At present, New York state has about 979 MW of coal-fired electricity generation, or 2% of the state’s 39,064 MW of electricity capacity.
The governor’s office called the proposed regulations, a first-in-the-nation-approach to regulating carbon emissions.
Federal efforts to impose carbon limits on power plants have stalled with lawsuits and a different political climate under the Trump administration.
“While Washington continues an open assault on our environment, New York is leading the charge with bold climate action to protect our future,” Cuomo said, in a statement.
“Coal is a relic of the past, and it’s time to step up, take action and put an end to our need for fossil fuels and focus on cleaner, more green energy solutions for the survival of our planet and future generations,” he added.
The rules are designed to ensure New York’s coal-fired power plants either transition to cleaner, alternative sources of energy or shut down.
The rules would limit existing power plants to either 1,800 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt-hour of gross electricity output, or 180 pounds of carbon dioxide per million BTUs of input.
The rules could require the installation of carbon capture and storage controls in order to comply, New York said.
The new rules would impact the 323 MW Cayuga plant in Lansing and the 655 MW Somerset plant in Barker, the state said.
Power plants fueled by natural gas and oil are expected to comply with the new rules, it said.
New York said it will assist communities and workers affected by the changes.
DEC will accept comments on the proposed rules through July 29. Three public meetings have been scheduled: July 16 in Albany, July 18 in Long Island City and July 24 in Avon.
