'Canny forethought' by state's leaders needed to address climate change

Though most of us don’t give it any thought until a storm knocks it out of commission, our electrical grid is getting more attention lately, as we see in “Prepare grid now to power EVS” and “National Grid has eye on solar,” both April 10.

Both these articles show the importance of coordinated forethought. In “Prepare grid now to power EVS,” we learn that simply adjusting the times for recharging of electric vehicles could curtail a surge in demand and eliminate the need to build more power stations. “National Grid has eye on solar” reports how more powerful substations will replace multiple older substations and also facilitate the development of nearby solar farms.

This good news is welcome. The erratic behavior of the weather throughout the country, combined with the latest United Nations finding that temperatures are going to be 5 degrees above preindustrial levels by 2100, can make us feel helpless.

We can encourage canny forethought. Assembly member William Magnarelli and Sen. Tim Kennedy need to bring up for votes in their committees the Green Transit, Green Jobs bills, which will deliver clean buses and green jobs. Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie should then advance them for votes. Gov. Andrew Cuomo must adopt California’s transportation regulations.

Let’s make sure our legislators know we are paying attention to every aspect of our energy infrastructure, all of which will ultimately rely on our electrical grid. Matthew Christian

New York City