As wind and solar renewable projects across the state hit hurdles, environmental advocates say investing in an underground network of heat pumps is the Big Apple’s best bet at reducing its greenhouse gas emissions.
This summer, utility companies must submit plans detailing how they’ll implement a series of solutions to make electricity rates more affordable for electric vehicles. But their plan has fallen short of giving the MTA the preferential rate it says it needs to able to foot the bill, as it seeks to transition its 5,800-bus fleet off fossil fuels.
Gov. Kathy Hochul late last month vetoed a bill that would have required the state to collect and publicly report on the number of New Yorkers struggling to pay for utilities, including those behind on their water bills—which supporters say is essential to planning government relief programs to address those debts.
“With community solar, you subscribe to a share of a large solar project nearby. By subscribing, you get a portion of the solar energy as a discount on your electric bill without the cost or effort of installing solar panels on your own roof.”
‘Maintaining this expensive and dirty power grid is by no means a necessity—it is an ongoing policy choice.’
The property owner, a company connected to an infamous family of landlords, has yet to begin repairs, and tenants in six apartments say building staff have pressured them to return to shelters while they await a large-scale fix with no definitive timeline.
If New York is to meet PlanNYC’s goals, apartment buildings must get greener. While property owners and tenants both benefit from more efficient systems, getting them up and running takes a different kind of green.
The city’s MillionTrees program fights asthma and global warming. But tightening maintenance budgets, increasingly severe weather and decades-old planting decisions complicate trees’ contribution.
As environmentally laudable as Green Mountain’s Energy’s product may be, the company has long had corporate ties to the fossil fuel industry, and those ties have only gotten closer.
A year after the collapse of a plan for new transmission lines to New York City, questions remain. Was the need for new infrastructure a myth? Or are tougher choices ahead for consumers?
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