Clean Energy Advocates Praise Reenactment of Power Plant Siting Law

ALBANY, NY (06/23/2011)(readMedia)-- The Alliance for Clean Energy New York (ACE NY) praised Governor Cuomo and members of the Legislature, especially Energy Chairs Senator George Maziarz and Assemblymember Kevin Cahill, for passing the "Power NY Act of 2011," which reinstates New York's statewide power plant siting law, known as Article X.

"We commend Governor Cuomo and the Legislature for making Article X a top priority and working diligently to reach an agreement this session," said Carol E. Murphy, Executive Director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York. "A comprehensive, streamlined process for siting new power plants, especially for clean energy projects like wind farms, will have a dramatic positive impact on the state's goal of providing affordable and reliable energy, improving our environment, and creating jobs and economic growth through energy policy."

New York's previous Article X law, which expired on January 1, 2003, allowed for the siting of "major" electric generating facilities, i.e., facilities sized 80 megawatts or larger, and was overseen by a multi-agency siting board that included public representatives. The legislation passed yesterday renews the previous Article X law and amends it to provide siting oversight for power plants in excess of 25 megawatts of energy, and includes strong protections for public participation, community impacts, and air quality effects.

"Since the original Article X law expired, New York State's complex energy bureaucracy has made it cumbersome to meet the state's clean energy goals," Ms. Murphy said. "The renewal of Article X marks an important step forward in reform of the state's regulatory policies for renewable energy projects so that unnecessary delays and uncertainty do not prevent developers from investing in New York's clean energy economy."

About the Alliance for Clean Energy New York

The Alliance for Clean Energy New York (ACE NY) is a broad coalition dedicated to promoting clean energy, energy efficiency, a healthy environment, and a strong economy for the Empire State, and is New York's premier advocate for the rapid adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. www.aceny.org