NY Gov. Cuomo implores Zinke to support offshore wind project

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has requested assistance and support from U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke to drive the state’s offshore wind initiative.

In a letter to Zinke, Cuomo asked the secretary to delineate and lease at least four new wind energy areas recommended by the state’s Offshore Wind Master Plan.

“New York’s commitment to offshore wind is real and unwavering,” Cuomo wrote. “Our first 90 megawatts of offshore wind energy are already underway, we have initiated a process to procure at least an additional 800 megawatts by 2019, and the U.S. Department of Energy recently selected the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to head the National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium.”

This is just the beginning, Cuomo said, as the goal is to develop 2.4 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030. The state’s goal will create thousands of new jobs and provide residents with lower energy costs, a more resilient power grid, and a cleaner environment, the governor added.

The letter identified the most optimal future wind energy areas in the New York region, supported by the State’s Offshore Wind Master Plan. The submission is the result of three years of analysis and research.

“Our commitment to offshore wind is smarter, cleaner, and safer than the frightening federal proposal to allow offshore drilling. Instead of trying to revive the fossil fuel industry, I call on you to join us in our efforts to build a 21st-century clean energy economy,” Cuomo wrote. “Now is not the time for oil and gas offshore drilling, which poses an unacceptable risk to our coastal resources and our economy. A spill would threaten 60 percent of our state’s population that live along our tidal coastline and put at risk the tens of billions of dollars in economic activity and hundreds of thousands of jobs created by our ocean economy. Now is not the time to trade our coastal ecosystem, our fisheries and ports, and our marine and other wildlife for greenhouse gas emitting fossil fuels.”