Audit reveals NYS renewable energy projects process taking years to complete
It's taking more than three years just to get a permit in New York to start a Renewable Energy Project, according to a new audit released by the State Comptroller Thomas Dinapoli.
The new audit suggests the State is in jeopardy of not reaching climate goals that were put into law in 2019.
The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act aims for the State to hope for a 70% renewably sourced electricity by 2030, and a zero-emission grid by 2040.
A challenge being presented though is the state is not bringing enough renewable energy facilities online quickly enough.
According to DiNapoli, the Office of Renewable Energy Siting, or ORES, was created in 2020 to fast-pace environmental review and permitting of renewable energy projects.
The audit states, that for "14 projects that received final siting permits, it took an average of 1,094 days (3 years) to deem the application complete – the longest part of ORES's process – and, overall, an average of 1,333 days (3.7 years) from the initial application date to the date the final siting permit was issued."
The audit continued to say while ORES can not control the timing before an application transfer or quality, a realistic accounting of the total time it can take would provide important information to reach climate goals.
In a statement, DiNapoli says, "ORES needs to increase transparency around permitting timelines to allow the state to better assess its progress in meeting its renewable energy goals.”
DiNapoli recommends ORES track the number of delays from the initial application to the final sitting permit.
Representatives from ORES responded to the audit and said "The Comptroller’s audit affirms that the Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) issues its decisions well before all legal deadlines. The delays in the process documented within the audit are not only separate from the milestones in the law but are reflective of early project planning and community engagement. Both are essential to ensure that the buildout of renewable energy facilities at the scale and speed required to meet the State’s climate targets does not adversely impact the State’s most valuable resources or burden local communities. Consistent with the audit’s recommendations, the Office already actively tracks all time frames associated with the review process and remains committed to improving every phase of the permitting process. We would like to thank the Comptroller’s Office for their valued input and recommendation."
While the state works to reach climate goals, local communities are also taking steps to be proactive.
On Thursday, Schenectady County and the Town of New Lebanon were awarded a silver status in the Climate Smart Communities Program.
A program helping municipalities adapt to climate change.
"We have over 266 megawatts of power being produced," said Schenectady County Legislator and Vice-Chair of Environmental Conservation Richard Ruzzo. "It's projected to save the taxpayers of this county over 25 million dollars."
"We need to drive down emissions, we need to electrify our transportation, we need to achieve this with a creativity that we are bringing to a state level," said Department of Environmental Conservation Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar. "Our local leaders are doing just that."
We asked Mahar about the audit, and if it surprises him that it's taking 3 years for some renewable energy project applications, he responded saying "the process here in the state is something were always looking to streamline for these projects..each one is going to be unique each one is going to have a site-specific and local aspects that need to be addressed and those challenges are something we're always evaluating to figure out how to overcome but its still full steam ahead we have the pedal to the medal to make sure the projects get done."