State Senator Tom O’Mara (R–Big Flats) is urging New Yorkers to weigh in on the state’s newly released Draft 2025 Energy Plan, while also criticizing the limited timeframe and geographic reach of the upcoming public comment period.
The New York State Energy Board is set to begin a series of public hearings on the draft plan next Tuesday, September 3, in Buffalo. Additional hearings are scheduled in Rochester, Albany, Poughkeepsie, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Long Island, running through the end of September. Written public comments will be accepted until October 6, before the plan is finalized.
O’Mara argues that the current schedule leaves out key upstate regions, including the Southern Tier, Finger Lakes, Central New York, and the North Country. He has called on the Hochul administration to add hearings in these regions and extend the written comment deadline until at least November 1.
“Are we finally facing a ‘back to the drawing board’ moment on the CLCPA timeline and other climate mandates? Are we about to undertake an honest, open, long-awaited, and desperately needed public discussion on the realities of where we’re headed?” O’Mara said in a statement. “It will be critical to provide every opportunity for public input and then to ensure that their input is taken seriously.”
The draft plan outlines the state’s energy policies and progress toward meeting the goals of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), which requires New York to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 85% by 2050.
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