MNS Director to lead New York EV task force!

https://www.governor.ny.gov/2020-state-state-address/2020-state-state-proposals

Combat Climate Change

Creating $3 Billion ‘Restore Mother Nature’ Bond Act: The new reality of extreme weather demands a new response. Investing in environmental restoration is essential to New York’s continued economic success. This year, Governor Cuomo will launch Restore Mother Nature - the nation's most aggressive program for habitat restoration and flood reduction, funded in part by a $3 billion environmental bond act.

Banning Single Use and Packaging Styrofoam Products: To build on the progress of last year’s plastic bag bill, the Governor is proposing new legislation to prohibit the distribution and use of expanded polystyrene, commonly known as Styrofoam, single-use food containers and packaging materials by January 1, 2022.

Growing New York’s Green Economy

Expanding the Electric Vehicle Industry in New York: Governor Cuomo is proposing a multi-pronged electric vehicle initiative, a plan to reduce emissions from residences and commercial buildings and a major workforce development initiative.

• Blue Ribbon Task Force to Expand Electric Vehicles: Governor Cuomo will convene an electric vehicle (EV) technology task force led by Binghamton University’s Dr. M. Stanley Whittingham – who was awarded a 2019 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry for his work on lithium ion batteries – and co-chaired by NYSERDA to identify research and development opportunities and expand the transportation innovation economy across New York State.
• Electrify Upstate Transit Systems:Governor Cuomo will require five of the largest upstate and suburban transit authorities — that currently operate 1,400 transit busses — to electrify 25 percent of their fleets by 2025 and 100 percent by 2035.
• Build a Robust Network of EV Chargers Throughout New York:In order to transition smoothly to electric vehicles, New Yorkers need ample publicly available fast-charging opportunities, and businesses need to be able to affordably install chargers. The New York Power Authority, in partnership with NYSERDA and private industry, will ensure that 10 or more fast-charging locations are available in every REDC region by the end of 2022, that every travel plaza on the New York State Thruway has charging stations by the end of 2024 and that a total of at least 800 new chargers are installed statewide over the next five years.
• Invest $100 Million in Green Bank Financing to Attract EV-Sector Manufacturers and Other Related Businesses:The NY Green Bank will make $100 million in financing available to help clean-transportation businesses locate or expand in New York.

Retrofitting Homes and Businesses to Lower Carbon Emissions: In 2020, the State will undertake a multi-part initiative to bend the curve on fossil fuel consumption in buildings. NYSERDA will launch a $30 million Empire Building Retrofit Challenge to demonstrate scalable and replicable solutions for high-profile commercial and multi-family buildings across the State. The Challenge will solicit proposals from property owners, developers, equipment manufacturers and energy efficiency providers to demonstrate innovative and integrated solutions that can reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from commercial and multi-family buildings, and that can be scaled and replicated across the State.

Strengthening New York’s Position as the Hub of the U.S. Offshore Wind Industry: In 2020, NYSERDA will issue its second solicitation for offshore wind facilities, which is expected to yield at least an additional 1,000 megawatts of clean power. NYSERDA, DOT and ESD will also initiate a competitive process to award $200 million in public investments in port infrastructure improvements.

Protecting the Health of Lake George's Waters: The State will provide an additional $9.4 million in grants to upgrade the Lake George wastewater treatment plant to preserve the water quality and natural beauty of Lake George.

Expanding Renewable Energy Power in New York to Meet Zero Carbon Emissions by 2040

Increasing Solar, Onshore Wind and Storage Capacity by More Than 1,000 Megawatts: NYSERDA will make competitive awards to 21 large-scale solar, wind and energy storage projects across upstate New York, totaling over 1,000 megawatts of renewable capacity and 40 megawatts of energy storage capacity. Taken together, these efforts will spur over $2.5 billion in private sector investments toward the development, construction and operation of clean energy projects, create over 2,000 short-term and long-term jobs and generate enough renewable electricity annually to power over 350,000 homes. In addition, NYPA will work with state agencies and authorities and its customers to competitively contract for clean energy resources to further accelerate progress towards meeting the State’s aggressive renewable energy goals.

Prepare the Electric Grid for New, Renewable Generation: The state will put together a plan for authorizing and building new transmission capacity to bring clean and renewable power to areas that need additional electricity capacity, prioritizing using existing rights of way. The plan will include upgrading the grid with smart new technology that increases the capacity and effectiveness of the system, such as battery storage technology.