As climate leaders descend on New York City for Climate Week, much of the attention will be on how to get the Empire State’s renewable energy programs back on track. Earlier this month, Gov. Kathy Hochul hosted the “ Future Energy Economic Summit ” to develop new ideas after several reports showed New York is unlikely to meet its ambitious clean energy goals.
In many cases, the answer may be closer than people realize — as close, in fact, as their own back yards. One of the major barriers to deploying wind and solar projects is often misguided local opposition fueled by special interest groups who are using fossil fuel industry tactics, talking points, consultants, and lawyers to fuel “not in my backyard” — NIMBY — campaigns to block, delay or otherwise obstruct the projects that would bring more clean energy to the market.
Not only does NIMBYism deny those communities the numerous benefits of clean energy — including new jobs, financial support for farmers who lease or sell their land for development, and a reduction in energy costs for consumers — there are consequences that can extend far beyond these communities.