New research shows that New York State is not on track to meet its goal of 70 percent renewable electricity by 2030. In the most optimistic scenario, only 61 percent will be renewable by then, and in the most pessimistic, only 45 percent — unless we unleash the full potential of the Build Public Renewables Act (BPRA), a historic legislation that I worked and campaigned on, and which passed earlier this year.

The Build Public Renewables Act is a new state law that authorizes and mandates the country’s largest publicly owned energy provider, the New York Power Authority (NYPA), to build enough renewable energy to fill the gap between our goals and the current pace of buildout. Research estimates the gap to be anywhere from 14,642 GWh to 41,441 GWh. However, NYPA and the governor have a much more optimistic assessment of the success of pending private projects, even though many of them have been dropping out due to lack of profitability, especially in the face of inflation, high interest rates, and supply chain issues. With the new law in place, we can’t bank on private developers — we must out-organize complacency and build public power.

Public entities like NYPA are much better positioned to build renewables for several reasons, including: (1) as a public entity with highly rated bonds, it can access capital without costing taxpayers, (2) without the profit motive, it can take bigger risks upfront and invest back in communities and (3) it can take advantage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which now heavily subsidizes public renewables.

As investor-owned utilities across the state ask for massive delivery rate hikes and get their requests partially granted, it is critical to lower the supply side of utility bills. The Build Public Renewables Act would do so in two ways: it directs NYPA’s revenues to fund automatic bill credits for low- and moderate-income households in disadvantaged communities — many of which exist in my district, the 103rd, and it increases the supply of affordable renewable energy, reducing supply costs overall while creating good union jobs in local communities. The more public renewables we build, the more we benefit. This is in the true spirit of our state law, which requires 35-40 percent of the energy transition revenues to benefit disadvantaged communities.

Following its initial conferral report, NYPA is required to present a strategic plan every two years, starting in 2025. The plan will include projects it intends to build over the two-year period, and the public will need to play an integral role in shaping that plan. Each draft will be subject to public comments before it becomes final, but we also have the opportunity to use inside-outside strategy, with electeds on the inside and advocates on the outside, to preemptively shape the drafts to begin with. A public entity is only as good as we make it — now we have a historic opportunity to make NYPA work for us.

Join me and Mid-Hudson Valley DSA on Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. for a presentation on the supply and delivery sides of our energy system, why the new law is historic for the supply side, and how we’ll put it to work to unleash public power and make energy a public good. RSVP is required: https://mhvdsa.org/unleash.