Good morning and welcome to Monday’s edition of the NewYork & New Jersey Energy newsletter. We’ll take a look at the week ahead and look back at what you may have missed last week.
BUSES AND BUSINESS — POLITICO’s Danielle I Die Dunn: As one of his first major infrastructure initiatives, Mayor Eric Adams plans to rebuild the famed Fifth Avenue shopping corridor — wading into a heated debate that has pitted high-end retailers and advocacy groups against each other. transport on the future of car access in the heart of the country. the largest metropolis.
Elected leaders are eager to draw people back to the area, which has seen steep declines in foot traffic since the pandemic began, threatening tax revenues that fund essential city services and a hospitality industry that is a key driver. of tourism and jobs. But they must weigh any changes against the street’s function as a major transportation artery for hundreds of thousands of bus commuters with connections to several subway lines.
The move comes three years after former Mayor Bill de Blasio first tried to transform Fifth Avenue into a bus rapid transit, but withdrew the plan amid opposition from high-end stores lining the corridor, prompting protests from transportation advocates. public. Top city officials said this time is different, with real estate players coming to the table with a keen interest in revitalizing an area that has struggled to adapt to the hybrid workplace era. How the city will balance the competing interests is still unclear.
“The value of public space has increased significantly after Covid,” said Meera Joshi, the Mayor’s vice president for operations, in an interview. “It is an investment in the community. It’s an investment in increasing foot traffic for stores, which translates into tax dollars, which translates into jobs.”
The city said it will contract with a design firm this year to come up with a plan that will increase pedestrian space, speed up buses and improve road safety. Other major municipalities, from San Francisco to Columbus, Ohio, have released their own proposals to revitalize office-heavy downtowns in part by limiting access to private vehicles.
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Here’s what we’re looking at this week:
TUESDAY
– New York Legislature holds a hearing on the environmental conservation and energy portion of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s budget proposal, 9:30 a.m., LOB B hearing room, Albany.
WEDNESDAY
– New Jersey Public Utilities Board will consider a controversial request to help build the state’s first offshore wind farm during its board meeting at 10 a.m. The board is set to debate whether to give wind developer Orsted the power to seize land in Cape May County to build a transmission line for its yet-to-be-built wind farm. Last fall, the BPU granted the company similar powers in Ocean County.
Thursday
– New York Public Service Commission meets, 10:30 a.m
– New Jersey Senate Environment and Energy Committee meets, 10:00 a.m
— New Jersey Assembly Special Committee on Infrastructure and Natural Resources will meet to hear testimony from invited guests regarding water infrastructure improvements, dams and roads, and especially the effective use of funds allocated for these projects, 10:00 a.m.
– New Jersey Assembly Environment and Solid Waste meets, 14.00
— Orange County Housing Developers have challenged the DQV for months.
– lohud.com: “A $345 utility bill became $68,000 as NYSEG, RG&E face billing fiasco. What happened?”
– New mappossible permit for off-road drivers in the Wharton State Forest.
HYDROGEN LEVEL INCREASES: The state of Vermont is joining the regional hydrogen hub effort that includes New York, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island. The new partners also include gas pipeline companies Enbridge, Williams and Iroquois, along with several universities and clean energy companies. The regional collaboration is seeking up to $1.25 billion in federal funding. The deadline for applications is April 7. – Marie J. French
MUSICAL CHAIRS NJ TRANSIT — POLITICO’s Ry Rivard: New Jersey Transit is looking for a new headquarters, a move that could create a major new redevelopment opportunity at its current offices adjacent to Newark Penn Station. The transit agency’s board voted this week to begin negotiations for new office space at Newark’s Gateway Center, which already houses offices for Gov. Phil Murphy and Sen. Cory Booker.
STRENGTHENING — POLITICO’s Ry Rivard: Most New Jersey power customers’ bills will increase by 3 to 7 percent starting this summer, the state Board of Public Utilities said last week. In a special meeting, the board approved the results of a recent electricity supply auction. The auction, which took place over the past few days, consists of bids for power generators to supply power to the vast majority of residential customers and many businesses. The largest bill increase is a 6.9 percent increase for Rockland Electric Company customers, meaning the average customer’s bill there will increase by $8.24 per month. Rates are going up 3.3 percent for PSE&G customers, 4.1 percent for Atlantic City Electric customers and 4.8 percent for Jersey Central Power & Light Company. State power consumers have been hit by a series of increases. Last fall, the BPU approved double-digit rate increases for natural gas customers across the state. (PSE&G has since lowered gas prices, something the other gas companies — South Jersey Gas Co. and Elizabethtown Gas Co. — have no immediate plans to do.)
NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN ON WASTE REDUCTION: Discussions about a proposal aimed at reducing paper and packaging waste while shifting disposal costs from local governments to the companies that produce it can now begin in earnest. Sen. Pete Harckham, chairman of the Environmental Protection Committee, has introduced his version of an expanded producer responsibility measure (S4246) that would require companies to begin reducing the amount of packaging waste they sell or ship. to consumers, and send the money to local governments. running recycling programs. “The burden has traditionally been on municipalities, and it’s time to change that paradigm and put that responsibility on the packaging manufacturers in hopes that they will reduce, remove toxins and help support local recycling efforts,” Harckham said in a press conference. in Albany on Tuesday. “We think this is the most comprehensive approach to date.” – Marie J. French
BOOKER VS. BOVINES — POLITICO’s Marcia Brown: Senator Cory Booker called for a moratorium on new large livestock farms, known as concentrated animal feed operations, at a food and agriculture conference in Washington, DC, on Tuesday.
ADAMS PUSHES FOR MTA PLAN — POLITICO’s Danielle I Die Dunn: What’s old is new again. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams are not on the same page when it comes to funding the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which continues to struggle from increased remote work during the pandemic. It’s reminiscent of past budget battles between former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and former Mayor Bill de Blasio, who fought extensively over how to split the cost of the MTA’s capital plan.
Still PAY for Core: Ratepayers across New York continue to subsidize the nuclear fleet at the top, with costs already stuck exceeding the original estimate developed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration. The “zero emissions credit” is set to drop over the next two years of the program from $21.38 per megawatt hour to $18.27 per megawatt hour, according to a filing late last month by the Department of Public Service. That’s still higher than officials predicted during Cuomo’s tenure, when they were touting the emissions benefits of keeping the plants open and combating concerns about the program’s high cost. Taxpayers will have already paid about $3.2 billion over the first six years of the subsidy ending in March 2023. The Cuomo-era estimate for the full program was $2.6 billion. They are on track for about $504 million a year over the next two years of the 12-year program, which is expected to end in 2029. After that, policymakers will have to assess whether New York can meet its climate goals without the nuclear fleet. of the state. Most analyzes assume they remain online for years to come.– Marie J. French
