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Thread: Lancaster approves resolution to opposes Climate Leadership and Community Protection

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    Lancaster approves resolution to opposes Climate Leadership and Community Protection

    By 4-0 vote the Lancaster town board expresses to Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature its very strong opposition to the enactment of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Supervisor Ronald Ruffino was absent because of a death in the family.

    After reading his sponsored resolution and prior to vote, Councilmember Robert Leary addressed the board / public declaring his presented resolution was in no way intended to be political. “This is not Democrat against Republican, This is mainly being put forth for two separate issues.

    Leary declared he was approached by Police Chief Karn a few weeks ago who spoke on the number of rescues that had taken place in town and the lives that were put at risk by his department, fire, highway, and emergency services, and how much more the risk would become using only one source of energy.

    “Electricity may have a big impact in the future but if electricity would go out and we lost power throughout the town, the amount of rescues needed could very well overcome our emergency services and first responders, said Leary. Chief Karn was asked to speak and confirmed Leary’s concerns.

    Leary declared the second issue confronting the town and its residents was cost. “What would it cost the town of Lancaster and its residents.” Leary said the estimated cost to change from gas to electric for the average household was $25,000 to $50,000. “That is a cost that many of the people in Lancaster cannot bear,” said Leary.

    Leary added that there is the concern shared by state and county Legislators that our electrical grid will not be able to handle the transition from natural gas to electricity. “What will the cost be and will it even be feasible for us to do it,” voiced Leary.

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    Councilmember Adam Dickman and residents spoke favorably on the adoption of the resolution.

    Erie County Legislator Frank Todaro attended the meeting and commended Lancaster’s town board for its stance on opposing the ban on natural gas. Declaring he is a resident of Lancaster, experienced the rescues, hardships, and hazards of the recent 2022 blizzard, his office is also receiving numerous phone calls, emails and letters complaining of same issues. “I thank you for voicing what your constituents want; to remove this natural gas ban nonsense,” declared Todaro.

    “There are a lot of issues that come along with that ban,” voiced Todaro. “Number 1 is safety. Your Police Chief Karn gave us a taste of what his officers are going through in blizzard conditions. The City of Buffalo had no power for four days. Thank God they had gas stoves. Nobody could get to them to provide rescue. That is why it is so important to have that second lifeline.”

    “The downstate legislature is so disconnected to our weather patterns,” said Leary. “We can get a few feet of snow in a couple of hours,” Todaro continued. “I again thank all of you for your support in approving this resolution. There are hundreds of National Fuel jobs here in Williamsville and our state has been so anti-business and now they want to remove natural gas. All those jobs gone.”

    “It’s nice to see Lancaster pushing back on downstate New York. Towns in the district that I represent are also telling me that they are going to have similar resolutions on their agenda this week following Lancaster’s lead. We have Councilman Michael Jasinski from Cheektowaga here tonight. He is paying attention and his town may also be debating it this week. I would like to thank the town of Lancaster again for their support on this.”

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    Member gorja's Avatar
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    It's too bad Langworthy didn't do his job as State Republican chair and get Zeldin elected instead of being his selfish self and getting himself elected.
    We might not have had a governor with all this bull ****. The downstate Dems would have to override a Zeldin veto

    Georgia L Schlager

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    Town board passes resolution letter airing concerns over energy proposal
    Lancaster Bee by JAMES SINNER Editor


    The Town of Lancaster board members in attendance voted yes Monday evening in support of a resolution opposing Gov. Kathy Hochul’s State of the State energy proposal. The resolution cites the overall plan to harness 70% of the state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030, with 100% zero-emission electricity by 2040.

    The resolution goes onto cite several factors the councilmembers believe could negatively impact residents throughout the state, which include items like increasing consumer costs and a power grid that could be potentially overburdened. In Western New York, the resolution cites a history of severe weather events that has made the requirement of “reliable, alternative sources of energy” crucial to the well-being of town residents.

    The resolution was voted in by all members at the meeting, with the town board emphasizing an endorsement of this letter from the area’s emergency medical services, fire department and police department. The resolution stated: “Energy limitations in times of weather or other civil emergency will overwhelm their collective capabilities, and therefore, will pose a very substantial threat to the lives and safety of each and every resident in the Town of Lancaster.”

    “This is not a political resolution.

    This is not Democrat against Republican,” said Councilmember Robert Leary.

    Leary says he put the resolution up for vote for two reasons: “The police chief approached me several weeks ago, and we talked about the rescues that had to be completed here in the Town of Lancaster. There were quite a few rescues that had to be done,” Leary said. He added that if all heating was changed to electric, “The dangers of just switching over to one form of energy, that being electricity, might have a great impact in the future. If we do that and the electricity goes out, you may lose all power throughout the town, and the amount of rescues that have to be completed might overwhelm the capacity of our police department and our first responders.”

    LPD Police Chief William Karn, who was in attendance at the meeting, added to Leary’s remarks: “We did have several situations where officers had to rescue people trapped in their cars because they didn’t have heat. I imagine if we get houses without heat that the same thing is going to happen. We are going to have to go to these houses and rescue elderly people and people with medical issues, and try to get them somewhere where there is warmth and there is heat.” Karn added, “It’s a danger to everybody’s life putting something like this forward.”

    Leary also discussed the overall cost to residents of switching systems. “Many experts estimate that switching from natural gas over to electrical will cost anywhere from $25,000 to $50,000,” said Leary. “That’s a cost that not many people in the Town of Lancaster can bear.”

    Leary expanded on another issue, zeroing in on if the grid itself is up to the job. “There is the great possibility that our energy grid cannot handle switching over from natural gas to electrical energy,” he said. “What we are doing right now is getting a lot of energy from out of state. Now, there’s not going to be the same restrictions from energy that’s out of state, and where that’s coming from is probably plants that are burning coal right now.”

    “So, what we are doing is just trying to look good for whatever reason there is – we can’t solve the world’s problems at this point,” Leary said. “And the burden shouldn’t be only on the residents of the state of New York, or the residents of the Town of Lancaster.”

    County Legislator Frank Todaro, who was also in attendance and is a resident of Lancaster, commended the board during public comment over their decision to write of letter of opposition to the governor’s energy proposal. “My office is consistently getting phone calls and letters and emails,” Todaro said. “That’s how important it is, that I’m standing here before you and voicing what your constituents really want.”

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    An excellent report on a town coordinated effort to act in the best interest of the community.

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    Member gorja's Avatar
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    Please sign Pat Gallivan's petition-
    Dear Neighbor,

    A plan approved by the state's Climate Action Council (CAC) recommends dramatic changes in how residents heat their homes, the appliances they buy and the kind of car they drive. The goal of the plan is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase the use of renewable energy. Over time, it would ban the sale of fossil-fuel heating equipment and other household appliances in favor of electricity.

    Protecting our environment is important, but the council’s plans are unrealistic and unaffordable.

    I voted against the 2019 Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act, which led to the creation of the CAC, because it adds to the state’s bureaucracy and allows unelected individuals to set policy. You can read the CAC’s Scoping Plan for yourself, but key recommendations include:

    Prohibiting propane, natural gas and oil equipment in new homes in 2025.
    Prohibiting installation of fossil fuel heating systems in existing homes by 2030.
    Bans replacement of natural gas appliances (dryers, stoves, etc.) in existing homes starting in 2035.
    No gasoline vehicles sold in New York starting in 2035.
    These changes will impact consumers and businesses across the state, but the plan does not provide a detailed cost analysis. In addition, updating the state’s electrical grid is expected to cost billions and will likely put a further financial burden on ratepayers.

    The plan also appears to rely too heavily on a single source of energy. Mandating such dramatic changes without adequate assurance that the electrical system can meet the demand is irresponsible.

    The council’s relatively short timeline also raises questions about the overall feasibility of the plan.

    New York and the nation must work to ensure a cleaner energy future, but this one-size-fits all approach is unachievable, cost-prohibitive and unsustainable. The governor and the legislature must reconsider the council’s recommendations and pursue more reasonable and responsible goals than presented by this plan.

    If you agree, please consider signing my online petition.

    I will continue to speak out against these dramatic proposals and urge my colleagues in government to re-examine the CAC’s plan.

    https://www.nysenate.gov/petitions/p...-gas-stove-ban

    Georgia L Schlager

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    Poll finds Western New York opposition to energy shift, but statewide support

    https://buffalonews.com/news/local/p...home-top-story

    A majority of Western New York residents oppose the state's plan to phase out the use of natural gas in homes and buildings, according to a poll conducted by the Siena College Research Institute. But the same poll found a majority of residents across the state supported the shift toward electricity over fossil fuels, with especially strong backing among New York City residents.

    The poll was commissioned by New Yorkers for Affordable Energy, a coalition of utilities, business groups and labor unions. The poll focused on elements of the state's energy roadmap, which calls for transforming energy use in homes and buildings.

    One question asked whether respondents supported or opposed moving buildings from using fossil fuels including natural gas to provide heat and hot water to using electricity instead. Sixty three percent of Western New York respondents – from Erie and Niagara counties – opposed the switch, while 53% of statewide respondents supported the change, including 66% of New York City respondents.

    There was a similar difference of opinion over a plan to prohibit installing new natural gas-powered appliances in existing homes starting in 2030. Sixty five percent of Western New York respondents said they opposed the idea, while 56% statewide said they supported it.

    Poll participants were asked about banning natural gas furnaces and appliances in newly constructed buildings, starting in 2025. Sixty-eight percent of Western New York respondents were opposed, while 57% statewide were in favor.

    Environmental groups needled the coalition over the poll's findings, hailing the results as evidence that New York State residents support moving away from fossil fuels.

    "Siena’s research findings show that voters are largely aligned with the points (New Yorkers for Affordable Energy) has been making for years: while they do support doing what they can to help the environment, voters are concerned about cost, and not only want to keep natural gas as an option for heating and powering their homes, but also believe that natural gas can help New York achieve its climate goals," the coalition said in a statement.

    The scoping plan approved last year by the Climate Action Council has spurred debate. Proponents say the state needs to shift away from fossil fuels, to combat climate change and protect public health. Critics say the plan goes too far, too fast, and will drive up costs for customers, without assurances there will be enough electricity to meet the goals.

    Participants were presented with the statement, "The rest of the country isn't going to ban natural gas and other fossil fuels to electrify on this aggressive timeline, I don't see why New York has to be first." Seventy-one percent of Western New York respondents said they agreed, as did 60% of overall respondents.

    Seventy-four percent of Western New York respondents – and 65% of overall respondents – said they didn't believe the state could generate enough electricity to heat buildings and hot water on the plan's timeline.

    And 87% of Western New York respondents – and 79% of total respondents – agreed the state should create an energy mix that uses both natural gas and low- or no-carbon fuels.

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