Canada Tariff Fears: Does NY's Clean Energy Push Offer Protection?
Have you ever seen the beauty of Niagara Falls up close, listened to its rushing water? Or strolled around Niagara Falls State Park? There's even a Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center. If so, you've been literally, or nearly, touching the Canadian border.
The uncertainty around the tariffs that President Trump has been threatening to impose on Canada and other countries this week are rippling through the states that have the strongest economic ties with Canada, like New York, the home of Niagara Falls and the fourth largest state in the U.S. by population. To prepare for the impact of these tariffs, New York Governor Kathy Hochul directed the state's energy agencies and Homeland Security and Emergency Services to conduct a 'thorough review of the federal energy tariffs and Canadian retaliation that have caused significant instability in capital markets and threaten to drive up electricity and heating costs, destabilize New York's energy markets,' and increase costs for New Yorkers statewide.
After this review, including consulting with relevant industries and the New York Independent System Operator, which runs the state's grid, they issued the following statement: 'According to the agencies, cost increases will not be material in the near-term due to New York's rigorous policing of energy reliability and significant investment into clean energy and transmission projects. However, the cost increases will be borne by households and businesses across New York and, over time, with added influence from tariffs on other sectors, New Yorkers could experience compounding cost impacts.'
The review also concluded that New York's aggressive push toward renewable energy has insulated the state somewhat from the cost increases the tariffs and volatility could bring, at least in the short term. 'According to the agencies, cost increases will not be material in the near-term due to New York's rigorous policing of energy reliability and significant investment into clean energy and transmission projects. However, the cost increases will be borne by households and businesses across New York and, over time, with added influence from tariffs on other sectors, New Yorkers could experience compounding cost impacts.'
Governor Hochul has committed the state to transition to '70% renewably sourced electricity by 2030 and a zero=emission electric grid by 2040.' The state's renewable energy portfolio includes solar, wind, hydropower, advanced geothermal energy, nuclear energy, and hydrogen.
The agency planning and innovating the state's complex energy systems and this ambitious energy transition is NYSERDA, or the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
'We are the state's energy planner, so we're responsible for really looking at the longer term needs from a broad energy system perspective of the state and, and helping our state be prepared for those needs well into the future,' NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen Harris told me in an exclusive interview on Electric Ladies Podcast recently.
Doreen Harris, President/CEO of NYSERDA
'We do execute a number of different programs across the state, really facilitating energy efficiency, renewable energy, innovation, all economic development related to all of those things across the state.' With an annual budget of 'around $2 billion,' they plan not in months or years, but 'over decades.'
Energy planning inherently requires managing uncertainty because of its long timeline and capital intensiveness, so they develop 'multiple scenarios' to take into account 'very significant variations in the potential futures,' including 'the changing climate.'
NYSERDA on Electric School Buses
Harris told me that, 'cost is a major aspect of our planning,' both in terms of affordability and, 'We need it to be as cost effective as possible. One of the things that's particularly challenging about the topic of cost is that we need major investments in our energy systems, no matter what we do.' Every scenario reflects higher energy demands in the decades ahead.
They also consider the benefits, including 'health benefits, economic benefits, reliability benefits, etcetera,' she said, which includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
'As a good engineer, I call it a multi-variable equation.'
Champlain Hudson Power Express project homepage (https://chpexpress.com/)
One of New York's marquee projects that has been in the works for years, which Harris called, 'the linchpin really to addressing that reliability need, is a very large transmission project that is under construction now moving hydroelectric power from Canada into New York City. It's the called the Champlain Hudson Power Express Project.'
Sometimes called 'CHIPPIE,' the $6 billion project is scheduled to enter service in 2026. It will transmit hydropower from dams owned by Hydro-Québec in Canada to New York at all hours.
'Once it enters service in the spring of 2026, CHPE will be the largest transmission line in the U.S. built entirely underwater and underground,' sources told Politico's E&E News in 2023. Some are considering the project a model for other states.
https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/Impact-Renewable-Energy
As New York presses full-speed ahead with its energy transition, I asked Doreen Harris her advice for other state leaders in the current political, economic and climate change dynamics.
'In my 15 years here, I have been able to see what this transition really looks like in practice. And, I think the foundation of this is that we need to be solving for many variables at the same time,' Harris explained.
'There's a lot of metrics of success that we are working toward. It isn't just about greenhouse gas emissions or cost or reliability or, you know, benefits coming to our state. It's all of those things at the same time. So what we really need are leaders who can be nimble, who are understanding the landscape that we're working within.' And, added that it needs to be 'private sector led, government enabled,' as now-former Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm put it.
Listen to the full interview with NYSERDA President/CEO Doreen Harris on Electric Ladies Podcast here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
UPI
26 minutes ago
- UPI
Federal Reserve governor Kugler resigns, creating vacancy for Trump
Adriana Kugler announced she will be leaving as Federal Reserve governor on Aug. 8. Photo by Federal Reserve Aug. 2 (UPI) -- One of the seven members of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Adriana Kugler, announced she is stepping down next week, creating an opening for President Donald Trump to fill. Her term was set to expire in January but Kugler said Friday she will depart in seven days. President Joe Biden appointed Kugler, a 55-year-old labor economist, in September 2023. Governors' terms are for 14 years, and Kugler filled an opening. "The Federal Reserve does important work to help foster a healthy economy and it has been a privilege to work towards that goal on behalf of all Americans for nearly two years," Kugler said in her resignation letter to Trump. "I am proud to have tackled this role with integrity, a strong commitment to serving the public, and with a data-driven approach strongly based on my expertise in labor markets and inflation." Kugler said she plans to return to teaching public policy at Georgetown University in the fall. She was a vice provost for faculty at Georgetown and earned her Ph.D. in economics at the University of California at Berkeley. "I am especially honored to have served during a critical time in achieving our dual mandate of bringing down prices and keeping a strong and resilient labor market," she wrote in the letter. Kugler did not vote on Wednesday when the central bank's Federal Open Market Committee kept the benchmark interest rate unchanged at a range of 4.25% to 4.5% for a fifth consecutive meeting. Two of the 11 committee members who did vote dissented, backing Trump's desire to lower rates. The 12-member committee includes the seven governors, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and four remaining 11 Reserve Bank presidents who serve one-year terms on a rotating basis. "We just found out that I have an open spot on the Federal Reserve Board. I'm very happy about that," Trump said late Friday before boarding Marine One. He later posted on Truth Social that Fed Chairman Jerome Powell "should resign, just like Adriana Kugler, a Biden Appointee, resigned. She knew he was doing the wrong thing on Interest Rates. He should resign, also!" The replacement may ultimately replace Powell, whose term ends in May, though he can remain as a governor until 2028. The president appoints each of the board members and designates one to serve as chair for four years. Trump appointed Powell during his first presidency in 2018. Biden appointed him to another term as chairman. "Trump's influence on interest rates will now be felt earlier and more strongly," Derek Tang, an economist at LHMeyer, an economic consulting firm, told The Washington Post. Contenders to lead the Fed are National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, former Fed governor Kevin Warsh and Fed governor Christopher Waller, each with distinct strengths, The Washington Post reported. Trump has said he wants Scott Bessent to remain as Treasury secretary. Trump has sought to replace Powell, calling him on Truth Social "a stubborn MORON" and "too late" on lowering interest rates. But he can only be fired "for cause," such as malfeasance, neglect of duty or inefficiency, rather than disagreeing with policies. Experts say his removal could disrupt the financial markets.
The Hill
27 minutes ago
- The Hill
Government probes Trump prosecutor Jack Smith over alleged Hatch Act violations: Report
The federal government reportedly launched a probe into the actions of special prosecutor Jack Smith who investigated President Trump's criminal cases beginning in 2022. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel said Saturday officials would look into Smith's potential violation of the Hatch Act, which restricts government employees from political involvement, according to NBC News. The office did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment. The investigation comes after Trump and his allies have previously alleged that Smith went after Trump without legal standing in an effort to thwart his second campaign for the presidency. Former Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith three days before the president announced his reelection bid. Still, GOP lawmakers said the special prosecutor needs to be investigated. 'Jack Smith's legal actions were nothing more than a tool for the [former President] Biden and [former Vice President] Harris campaigns. This isn't just unethical, it is very likely illegal campaign activity from a public office,' Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) wrote in a Wednesday post on the social media platform X. 'Special Counsel Smith pushed for an out-of-the-ordinary, rushed trial for President Trump, with jury selection to begin just two weeks before the Iowa caucuses. No other case of this magnitude and complexity would come to trial this quickly,' the Arkansas senator added in a separate post. However, Smith has long defended his actions. 'The ultimate decision to bring charges against Mr. Trump was mine. It is a decision I stand behind fully,' Smith wrote in his final report published in mid-January, adding that Garland nor anyone else at the Justice Department pushed him to prosecute Trump. 'To all who know me well, the claim from Mr. Trump that my decisions as a prosecutor were influenced or directed by the Biden administration or other political actors is, in a word, laughable.' Smith ultimately resigned from the Justice Department (DOJ) after Trump's November win and dismissed charges against the president-elect arguing that he believed he would have scored a conviction against the leader if the legal battles played out in court. 'The throughline of all of Mr. Trump's criminal efforts was deceit-knowingly false claims of election fraud-and the evidence shows that Mr. Trump used these lies as a weapon to defeat a federal government function foundational to the United States' democratic process,' Smith wrote. 'Until Mr. Trump obstructed it, this democratic process had operated in a peaceful and orderly manner for more than 130 years,' he added. Earlier this month, Attorney General Pam Bondi fired 20 additional employees tied to Smith weeks before the Office of Special Counsel said it would investigate the prosecutor. The independent agency can only research Smith's actions and seek disciplinary actions for the federal employee. Investigators can then present findings to the DOJ for criminal charges.
Newsweek
28 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Alligator Alcatraz Hunger Strike: What to Know
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Detainees at the controversial immigration facility known as "Alligator Alcatraz" have reportedly been on a hunger strike for more than 10 days, protesting conditions at the center. Newsweek has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' office for comment via email on Saturday. Why It Matters There have been allegations of medical neglect, verbal abuse, and poor conditions inside the Everglades immigration facility, and human rights advocates have repeatedly raised concerns about the center. Alligator Alcatraz was quickly created and holds an estimated 1,000 beds. The bunkbeds are stacked together in wire-fenced cages. The remote facility is expected to cost Florida about $450 million annually to operate. The center is part of the Trump administration's effort to crackdown on illegal immigration. President Donald Trump has vowed to carry out the largest mass deportation in U.S. history, an initiative that has seen an intensification of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and arrests across the country, including people with valid visas and documentation. What To Know Several detainees at the relatively new facility are refusing food as part of a hunger strike to protest conditions inside the center, with reports noting the strike has entered its 11th day. Pedro Lorenzo Concepcion one of the detainees, was hospitalized during the strike, and told El Pais in a call from inside the facility, "I feel weak, with a lot of heartburn." He told the outlet that he has refused to eat since July 22. He continued: "I don't want food, I refuse any treatment. I didn't even ask to be taken to the hospital, because I'm fighting for my family and all Cubans, and I belong where my people are, in prison, suffering the same hardship they are." His wife, Daimarys Hernández, has told the outlet and NBC that she is afraid he may die in custody or be deported back to Cuba alone. Lorenzo Concepcion, who NBC identified as Pedro Hernández, came to the U.S. from Cuba nearly two decades ago, in 2006. He was detained on July 8 after showing up at an ICE appointment in Miramar, Florida. So far this year, there have been 10 confirmed deaths in ICE detention, per the agency. "These deaths are clearly attributable to the Trump administration's increased and aggressive detention policies, and I have no doubt that when more complete investigations take place, it will likely provide information that these deaths were likely preventable," Eunice Cho, senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) National Prison Project, told Newsweek in July. Democratic leaders and human rights activists have called out the center over reported conditions. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has repeatedly defended the center and has promoted the facility as a model for other states as a way to increase ICE detention capacity. "We need to double our capacity in detention beds because we need to facilitate getting people out of this country as fast as possible," Noem said in July during a press conference. ICE is struggling with limited capacity and resources to fulfill its mission of millions of deportations. President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and others, tour "Alligator Alcatraz," a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, on July 1 in Ochopee, Florida. President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and others, tour "Alligator Alcatraz," a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, on July 1 in Ochopee, Florida. AP Photo/Evan Vucci What People Are Saying Thomas Kennedy, a policy analyst and consultant at the Florida Immigration Coalition, wrote in an X post Saturday: "People detained at Alligator Alcatraz have had to remove fecal matter from the toilets with their bare hands because the toilets lose pressure due to lack of water. That's the sort of depraved conditions that drove those in detention there to ten days of hunger strike so far." Derrick Evans, former member of the West Virginia House and pardoned January 6, 2021 Capitol riot participant, wrote in an X post: "I'm glad the illegals at Alligator Alcatraz are on a hunger strike. Just saves the tax payers money by not having to feed them. I have no sympathy for any of them." Representative Maxwell Alejandro Frost, a Florida Democrat, wrote in an X post about the center on Saturday: "438 veterans in Florida are taking a stand against the unconstitutional and illegal use of our military for immigration enforcement. I stand with them. We should be defending our nation, not using Marines to cage people." Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said in a July 25 X post: "We stood up Alligator Alcatraz in just eight days as a centralized facility for deportation staging. The facility has a two-mile runway that allows federal military aircraft to transport illegal aliens out of the country, right on site. These deportation flights operated by DHS are underway, and we will support efforts to increase cadence of the flights so that the number of illegal aliens deported keeps increasing." What Happens Next? It remains unclear when the hunger strike will end. In late July, deportation flights from the facility began and are expected to continue. Civil rights groups, including the ACLU, have filed lawsuits alleging "inhuman conditions" and lack of legal counsel at the center.
