Coming Electric Grid Crisis Alert – By George J. Marlin

Posted April 19, 2023 by streetcornerconservative
Categories: Articles/Essays/Op-Ed, Kathy Hochul, The Island 360

The following appeared on Monday, April 17, 2023, in the Blank Slate Media newspaper chain and on its website, theisland360.com:

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in November 2012, I was grateful that my home had been converted to clean natural gas.

Not having electric power for 14 days (yes, two whole weeks) was awful, but my family was able to endure the cold and snowy winter weather thanks to natural gas. We were able to use our stove and oven and to get some heat from our gas fireplace, while our gas-powered water heater supplied us with plenty of hot water.

Think back and ask yourself, “Am I pleased I had a gas pipeline connected to my house 11 years ago?” My guess your answer is yes.

And if your house was powered solely by electricity, ask yourself, “Was I happy being without lights, heat and hot water?” I know I wouldn’t.

Well, if you were unhappy 11 years ago, expect to be more miserable in the years to come.

Here’s why:

Shortly after taking office in 2011, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared war on fossil fuels and nuclear energy. He terminated fracking and closed the Indian Point Nuclear facility that provided over 20% of New York City’s electricity.

Cuomo also pledged the state would have “100% carbon-free electricity by 2040.”

Cuomo’s successor, Gov. Kathy Hochul, has continued the crusade to phase out natural gas.

In December 2022, the State Climate Action Council—controlled by extremists—mandated New York to supply 100% of its electricity from zero emission sources by 2040.

The timeline:

  • Beginning in 2025 all new buildings will have to be electric. Gas hookups will be prohibited.
  • By 2030 all new kitchen appliances (i.e.: stoves) will have to be electric.
  • By 2035 all new cars sold in the state will have to be electric.

So, if your gas stove should break down in 2030, Big Brother will not permit you to buy a new one even though your home is already fueled by gas. How crazy is that?

Gary Donohue, president of the Independent Power Producers of New York, opposed the council’s proposal for these reasons:

  • Reliability is inadequately addressed, putting New York at risk for economy-crushing blackouts and potential public safety risks.
  • High energy costs for energy consumers and the impact on their cost-of-living and on the competitiveness of New York businesses.
  • Insufficient programs to keep benefits of existing renewable facilities in the state.
  • Leaping to moratoriums and bans instead of developing innovative technologies.

Donohue added that it would require “pure magic” to reach the goals.

It gets worse.

If a piece of legislation circulating in Albany becomes law, the New York Post reports, the state Power Authority would be forced “to shut down all its fossil fuel energy plants and build or buy power only from renewable sources by 2030, just seven years away.”

Right now, New York City and the surrounding suburbs receive more than 80% of their power from fossil fuels.

Anyone who thinks that by 2040 it will be possible for the metropolitan region to make a 100% percent conversion to renewable energy is delusional.

But if the Albany radicals manage to impose their flawed, ideologically driven energy formulas, there is the danger of aging electric grids that deliver power to customers, collapsing.

There are already problems. James Meigs of The Manhattan Institute noted in a Commentary magazine piece, “Unlock the Grid,” that on Christmas Eve he received a Con Edison alert that read: “Please conserve energy” because the power grid “was at the breaking point” due to “extreme cold, high-energy use and industrial equipment problems.” Customers were urged to lower thermostats and avoid running appliances.

Meigs went on to point out that “weather-related grid failures … are a growing threat.”

Hence, I was not surprised when an electrical engineer told me that if everyone in my neighborhood owned electric cars and plugged them in at night, the electric grid would blow.

If Gov. Hochul and the leftists in Albany get their way, New Yorkers will be facing outrageously high electric bills and crippling blackouts.

Remember how cold your house was during the Sandy blackout. To prevent that from happening on a regular basis, urge your state legislators to shelve Albany’s ludicrous plans.

Are Public Employee Unions Unconstitutional? – By George J. Marlin

Posted April 7, 2023 by streetcornerconservative
Categories: Articles/Essays/Op-Ed, Newsmax

This article I wrote appeared on the Newsmax.com web site on Friday, April 7, 2023.

Albany Shenanigans on Rent Regulations – By George J. Marlin

Posted April 6, 2023 by streetcornerconservative
Categories: Articles/Essays/Op-Ed, Kathy Hochul, The Island 360

This article I wrote appeared on The Island 360 web site on Monday, April 3, 2023, and in the Blank Slate Media newspaper chain.

Democratic Socialists are Destroying NY – By George J. Marlin

Posted March 27, 2023 by streetcornerconservative
Categories: Articles/Essays/Op-Ed, Kathy Hochul, Newsmax

This article I wrote appeared on the Newsmax.com web site on Monday, March 27, 2023.

Gov. Hochul’s Nightmare Dream Book – By George J. Marlin

Posted March 23, 2023 by streetcornerconservative
Categories: Articles/Essays/Op-Ed, Blank Slate Media, Gov. Kathy Hochul, The Island 360

The following appeared on Monday, March 20, 2023, in the Blank Slate Media newspaper chain and on its website, theisland360.com:

In conjunction with her State of the State address Jan. 10, Gov. Kathy Hochul released a 276-page book titled “Achieving the New York Dream.”

Calling this work a “book” is a bit of a stretch. It’s more like a term paper. Each page has wide margins, large print, and far fewer words than found in a real book.

But whatever one calls it, the proposals contained therein are a taxpayer’s nightmare.

“Achieving the New York Dream” is a compendium of ideologically driven schemes, that if implemented, would further accelerate the out-migration flight of upper- and middle-class folks.

One of Hochul’s plans, the “New York Housing Compact,” should concern every Long Island homeowner.

The governor makes the dubious claim that more people want to live in New York than there are homes.

Really?

Census Bureau statistics tell a different story. From July 2021 to July 2022, the state lost on a net basis 299,557 people. Only California did worse with 343,230 fleeing.

In calendar year 2022, a record-breaking 62,577 New Yorkers packed their bags and moved to Florida. In 2021, the number skipping town was 61,728.

And if taxes, regulations, utility costs, and crime continue to go up, the exodus will continue and there will be municipal deserts throughout the state with plenty of homes for sale or abandoned.

However, for the sake of argument, let’s go with Hochul’s housing assumption despite her faulty reasoning.

To increase construction Hochul would impose on municipalities “targets” (a/k/a quotas) “for new home creation on a three-year cycle.”

While municipalities “will have discretion on how to meet their new home targets,” the state will monitor them. When judging the localities, the number of affordable housing units built “will be assigned extra weight.”

To force the development of multi-family housing in neighborhoods near railroad stations, localities will be compelled to rezone areas around transit stops.

Big Brother in Albany will also establish a statewide database to track the progress of municipalities.

If municipalities fail to meet their targets, the state will override the will of the local elected officials and impose rezoning regulations. Town supervisors and mayors will be dragged before a state housing approval board and ordered to comply with Albany dictates.

Hochul wants to fulfill the longtime progressive dream: destroy suburbia.

The left hates the idea of people owning their own plot of land with a single-family home and a patch of green grass where they are free of the government’s watchful eye.

Progressives prefer large apartment developments where people are contained and can be monitored.

Remember the “Projects” built by that great Progressive social engineer, Robert Moses in the post-World War II period.

In the name of urban renewal, Moses bulldozed viable New York City neighborhoods and constructed high-rise apartment projects that have been mismanaged by the city and have turned into rundown, crime-ridden, dilapidated buildings.

Thanks to Progressive ideology, Urban Renewal became Urban Blight.

Fortunately, local officials have spoken out against the Hochul plan. Oyster Bay supervisor Don Clavin, said at a press conference, “We’re here to express outrage at Gov. Hochul’s attempt to take the suburban dream and turn it into an urban nightmare.”

North Hempstead Town supervisor Jennifer DeSena wisely pointed out that if the governor gets her way, the 300,000 new units that could be built in the next 10 years would “severely impact the quality of life” by straining local services and pushing up property taxes to pay for expanded government and educational services.

If Hochul’s “Housing Compact” becomes law, the winners will be real estate developers who make large political contributions. Assemblyman Jake Blumenkrantz put it this way, “This unprecedented proposal by the governor will now usurp [local] power and hand it to developers and special interest groups and Albany.”

The heat is on. I’m hearing from political wags that suburban Democratic legislators fear the governor’s idea may be the catalyst for a 2024 Red Wave that will sweep them out of office.

A comprise plan unveiled last week does not include the state board but maintains targets while offering more financial incentives.

Such incentives for localities, no matter how tempting, are always dangerous.  Once addicted to them, Albany will add more and more conditions that will lead to state control of zoning.

No, Long Island’s state legislators must reject these ludicrous proposals to preserve municipal governments’ most treasured right-home rule.