July 3, 2002—The New York State Energy Planning Board recently released the 2002 Energy Plan, designed to guide statewide energy-related decisions for the next four years.
The plan contains five broad public-policy objectives: Support for the continued safe, secure, and reliable operation of the state’s energy and transportation infrastructures; stimulating sustainable economic growth, technology innovation, and job growth in the state’s energy and transportation sectors through competitive market development and government support; increased energy diversity in all sectors of the state’s economy through greater use of energy efficiency technologies and alternative energy resources; promoting and achieving a cleaner, healthier environment; and ensuring fairness, equity, and consumer protections in an increasingly competitive market economy.
Some of the major policy strategies, findings, and recommendations in the plan include:
- Add 5,000 to 7,000 megawatts of additional electricity supply and demand reductions to meet New York’s energy needs in the early years of the planning period.
- Add new natural gas pipeline capacity to meet growing demand for all sectors of the economy.
- An energy efficiency goal of reducing primary energy use to 25 percent below 1990 level of energy use by 2010.
- A renewable energy goal of increasing the share of renewable energy use by 50 percent by 2020.
- Reauthorization of Article X, relating to the siting of new electric generating facilities.
For more information, contact the New York State Energy Research and Development Agency.
