No spin required
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority would like help spinning a “positive narrative” around the state’s shift to greener energy, and it has a $500,000 contract for the PR firm that can make it happen.
Yeah, we choked a little on our collective glass of milk, too.
NYSERDA’S request for bids seeks the help of professional publicists (the agency has in-house PR staff, but never mind, we guess) to win state residents’ support of efforts to phase out fossilfueled cars and homes, among other green initiatives.
Most public opinion polls, for years now, have shown that two-thirds of us are concerned about climate change and support political and business leaders’ plans to green our society. So, what exactly would these hired guns be selling?
A closer look at the request for bids provides a clue: The contract winner will be asked to address the “headwinds related to large scale landbased and offshore renewable energy project development including unprecedented inflation and potential project attrition from increasing costs and unforeseen supply chain issues” as well as “concerns related to the cost and practicality of supporting building decarbonization.”
In other words, the chosen PR firm will also have the Public Service Commission as part of its audience. Last year, the PSC rejected requests to more than double to $22 billion the cost of several wind and solar projects.
Similarly, the state Legislature will hear about the Home Energy Affordable Transition Act, which pushes decarbonizing heating systems while capping utility bills for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers.
Without a doubt, we need to move away from fossil fuels. What we saw in 2023 — everything from scorching heat waves and wildfires to torrential rains — is only going to get worse. And yes, selling a plan to the public is part of making it work.
But we don’t need spin. What New Yorkers need is truth: Show us how our households will afford this transition. Show us how the electrical grid will handle decarbonization without straining the grid — while also handling massive new manufacturing buildout. Show us how we’re going to meet our Climate Act deadlines, because it sure doesn’t look like we’re on track.
In other words, stop trying to pretend the glass is half full and show us, instead, how you’re listening to New Yorkers’ concerns — and how you’re going to address them.
More police driver training
Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, D-albany, wants to mandate police training in emergency driving. The Legislature would do well by law enforcement — and the rest of us — by following through.
A recent Times Union investigation documented a serious rise in police car crashes over the past decade. The investigation further found New York requires only 21 hours of emergency vehicle training at the police academy, followed by a hodgepodge of training programs, depending on your agency; many New York officers are never given a refresher course.
Crashes are a leading cause of on-duty deaths for law enforcement. These crashes injure and kill civilians, too. And they represent a growing financial burden for municipalities and the state.
Ms. Fahy’s bill would mandate 40 hours of emergency vehicle operations training while at police academy and routine refresher training throughout an officer’s career.
That’s a measure that should get a green light.