State Senator Tom O’Mara is warning that New York’s current approach to clean energy mandates is unsustainable—and he says the newly released “Draft 2025 Energy Plan” may be the state’s last chance to get it right.
In his latest column, O’Mara criticized the Hochul administration and the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) for pursuing aggressive green energy targets without conducting a full cost-benefit analysis up front. The senator argues that the mandates—like achieving 70% renewable energy by 2030 and zero emissions by 2040—are already proving unrealistic with current technologies.
“The state’s own draft plan now admits it can’t meet those deadlines,” O’Mara wrote, referencing a section of the draft that acknowledges natural gas and petroleum will remain part of the energy mix through 2040. “It’s a wake-up call that the current plan is failing.”
O’Mara said the draft plan opens the door to rethinking the state’s energy future but warned that Albany leaders may simply use it to double down on what’s already not working. He’s particularly concerned that the state’s planning board is made up entirely of the governor’s cabinet, with no voting input from NYISO—the agency that oversees the state’s electricity supply.
The senator also called out recent utility rate hikes and the lack of transparency about how much these energy goals will cost everyday New Yorkers. He questioned whether this new energy plan is truly about good policy—or just political cover in an election year.
Public hearings on the draft begin September 3 in Buffalo. Written comments will be accepted through October 6.
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