Power deals elude the state

Saturday, June 9, 2007 - Poughkeepsie Journal
Power deals elude the state
The state's rules allowing power plants to be built expired about four years ago - and each year, New York's demand for energy grows.
Yet, lawmakers can't bring themselves to put together a reasonable deal that allows for new construction. But they put a premium on environmental protection.
They need to sort this out, and fast.
To be sure, more power plants aren't the sole answer to the state's energy problems. Conservation efforts - including strengthening efficiency standards in appliances and providing utilities with more incentives to promote energy-use reductions - must be part of the equation. Gov. Eliot Spitzer recently released a comprehensive plan that would do just that. But the governor, as well as the state Assembly and Senate, recognize the need to increase supply as well. They are at odds, in part, over which type of power plants should be given "fast-track'' status.
The Senate would allow any power source, including nuclear and all types of coal, to qualify as long as certain pollution standards are being met.
The Assembly is more in line with Spitzer's thinking: If the state is going to offer fast-track incentives, it should do so for the plants releasing the lowest amount of emissions. They also argue that offering faster approval for nuclear plants is essentially moot since a lengthy federal review process is required in these instances.
Ironcially, the now-defunct siting law, known as Article X, was created to streamline the process for industry to build new power plants. But opponents who correctly argued the reviews also steamrolled any opposition to particular sites as a result. For instance, the old Article X law didn't spell out that utilities must offer alternative sites for what they were proposing. Article X also exempted smaller power plants from some important environmental reviews. As in years past, the Assembly's version rectifies these matters more comprehensively than the Senate's.
State energy costs soar above the rest
While the two houses continue their dispute, some matters are beyond argument. Several reputable studies, including one from the U.S. Department of Energy, say that within a few years New York is going to need more power than it is generating. The state's energy costs are among the highest in the nation. Without new sources of energy, they won't be coming down soon.
Meanwhile, the state's plants - including the nuclear-powered Indian Point and several others near the Hudson River - continue to age, having been built between between 1955 and 1976. Their licenses continue to be extended, even though they don't run nearly as efficiently or cleanly as new plants in regard to emission standards and/or their cooling systems. These plants use Hudson River water to cool their generation equipment, destroying billions of fish eggs and larvae as a result, despite screens that are supposed to mitigate the devastation.
The state should be paying more attention to which energy sources and policies are best in the long term. It can't afford to stall on this issue much longer. Getting any type of power plant built is never going to be easy. But without a law offering a road map, the difficult becomes the impossible.