In response to a reader request I distribute a regular summary of recent posts at the Pragmatic Environmentalist of New York website. I try to keep jargon to a minimum. This page documents the summaries. Acronyms are listed at the bottom of the page. Reasons to pause the Climate Act are available here.
- December 1, 2025 – December 14, 2025: Documentation backing up the claim that The State Energy Plan analysis of total monthly household energy costs estimates that the capital costs to install replacement appliances and vehicles that can meet the Climate Act zero-emissions mandate is nearly $600 a month more than replacement with conventional household appliances and vehicles even when the savings of more efficient equipment are considered, implications of that finiing, 2023 GHG inventory report, and NYCI update.
- November 17, 2025 – November 30, 2025: Zero by 2040 Technoeconomic Assessment implications and the 2030 GHG emission reduction mandate is impossible.
- November 3, 2025 – November 16, 2025: NY Court decision on Climate Act, legislature should reconsider Climate Act, energy affordability, Zero by 2040 Technoeconomic Assessment, Energy Planning Board stakeholder comments, and NYISO reliability report peaker plant concerns
- October 20, 2025 – November 2, 2025: My overview of the NYISO October 2025 Short-Term Assessment of Reliability; Gary Abraham on how ORES ignored local stakeholders and Fort Edward Solar ignores environmental protection; Assembly Hearing on energy costs misses the point; and Richard Ellenbogen explains how the Climate Act raises ratepayer costs
- October 5, 2025 – October 19, 2025: NYISO comments and recommendations on the Draft State Energy Plan, RGGI Proceeds Report update, reliability risks reason to pause, Ellenbogen on the NYISO Q3 2025 STAR, and Solar siting travesty.
- September 22, 2025 – October 4, 2025: My comments on the Draft State Energy Plan: air quality health benefits shortcomings, scientific shortcomings, September 30 oral comments, and comments on natural gas; Energy Plan comments by Richard Ellenbogen and David Dibbell; my Article 78 filing with Rich Ellenbogen; and DPS Second Informational Report
- September 8, 2025 – September 21, 2025: Issues with NYSERDA Draft Energy Plan claim of substantial health benefits of net-zero transition make the claim unsupportable, Assemblyman Palmesano Draft Energy Plan op-ed, and summary of my comments on NYPA Draft Strategic Renewable Plan.
- August 25, 2025 – September 7, 2025: Mitch Rolling and Isaac Orr describes how scenarios can be set up to hide costs, my 9/4/25 draft energy plan hearing comments, implications of the Spanish blackout on NY energy planning, comparison of the Critical Review of Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on the U.S. Climate and NYS Climate Impacts Assessment, challenges of a 100% renewable grid, and exhibits in Climate Act safety valve filing.
- August 11, 2025 – August 24, 2025 – Draft Energy Plan comments, pleas to consider safety valves, Niagara Mowawk rate request approval, Higgins comments on NYPA draft renewables plan, and more reasons to pause the Climate Act.
- July 28, 2025 – August 10, 2025 – Draft Energy Plan: Scenario costs, scenarios hide true costs, and need for real stakeholder involvement; NYCI litigation; personal comments on Micron DEIS; and more reasons to pause the Climate Act.
- July 14, 2025 – July 27, 2025 –
- June 30, 2025 – July 13, 2025 – Climate Act safety valves, NYS Senate call for a Climate Act pause, Hochul hints at considering a pause, Energy Plan meeting descriptions for modeling analysis, and RGGI Third Program Review analysis.
- June 16, 2025 – June 29, 2025 – Climate Act safety valves, Energy Plan meeting description and summary of electric sector, and more reasons to pause the Climate Act.
- June 2, 2025 – June 15, 2025 – NYCI reporting rule, NYISO Power Trends, Planning Engineer on “cheap” renewables, and NYISO 2024 hourly wind analysis
- May 19, 2025 – June 1, 2025 – Observed performance of NY wind and solar facilities, solar siting issues, Champlain Hudson Power Express PILOT payment grift, and more reasons to pause implementation of the Climate Act
- May 5, 2025 – May 18, 2025 – Description of personal comment on Niagara Mohawk rate case, Roger Pielke, Jr on climate variability, statewide and Niagara Mohawk customers in arrears trends, and statewide and Niagara Mohawk Climate Act costs relative to residential revenues
- April 21, 2025- May 4, 2025 – Three articles related to the NY State Senate Energy & Telecommunications Committee on March 18, 2025: description of Richard Ellenbogen presentation, emissions analysis of Ellenbogen’s proposal to use combined-cycle gas turbines, and status of air quality near New York power plants; two articles describing why Climate Act implementation should be paused: recently described wind energy problems and ramifications of the Spain and Portugal blackout; and encouraging the New York State University to purchase Renewable Energy Certificates is a trick to hide costs.
- April 7, 2025 – April 20, 2025 – Problems with the wind and solar resource gap, Energy Planning Board climate impacts misinformation, personal comments on the National Grid Long-Term Gas System Plan and on the Climate Act affordability standard, Empire Center willingness to pay fr the Climate Act poll, more reasons to pause implementation of the Climate Act, and grifters trying to cash in on the Climate Act.
- March 24, 2025 – April 6,2025 – JP Morgan Energy Study and the Climate Act, there is no existential threat from climate change, upstate new york air source heat pump experience, New York Cap and Invest update, and temperature trend measurement uncertainty
- March 10, 2025 – March 23, 2025 – Renewables are cheap because of fuel volatility, Ellenbogen on electric trucks, NY budget articles, Guest post on climate change and electric utilities, and Mann and Jacobson are slapped down.
- February 24, 2025 – March 9, 2025 – Building electrification and peer review done right; peaker power plant hysteria, NYSERDA EV propaganda, and NYS 2024 GHG inventory
- February 10, 2025 – February 23, 2025: Hochul and Climate Act affordability parts 1 and 2, NYCI February 2025 status, Schussler on the narrative supporting the green energy transition, wind blowing somewhere does not solve intermittency problems.
- January 27, 2025 – February 9, 2025 – Climate Act mal-information, Ellenbogen and Caiazza comments on zero-emissions DPS definitions, How the Green Energy Narrative Confuses the Climate Act, Climate whiplash and Los Angeles wildfires, current grid is not reliable and NYS emission trends
- January 13, 2025 to January 26, 2025: NYCI was paused: rationale and reactions, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Environmental Defense Fund, and Earthjustice “NY Affordable Energy Future, “Zero-emissions” definition comments, implications of the Moss Landing battery fire, and the first wind facility in New York will retire in May.
- December 30, 2024 to January 12, 2025: Possible NYCI issues, time to reset California and New York net-zero transitions, limits on automobiles intended to incentivize public transit, climate science limitations, and NYS response to my sea-level rise comments.
- December 16,2024 to December 29, 2024: Summary of comments on RGGI performance and implications for NYCI, Agency rationale for zero-emissions, and measuring temperature trend difficulties.
- December 2, 2024 to December 15, 2024: Suggestion for comments on the Enegy Plan, concerns with advocacy Eneregy Plan positions, DEFR implications on solar viability, NY wind lull, EPA insurance policy against Trump, NY needs nuclear by Keith Schue, and a commentary on recent articles.
- November 18, 2024 to December 1, 2024: DEFR concerns update, my comments on the NYPA Draft Strategic Renewables Plan, documentation that New York needs to do a feasibility analysis, Fundingsland on election results from Washington State, the challenge of raw materials needed for a renewable transition, Ellenbogen on the math limitations of NYC LL97, and a commentary on recent articles.
- November 4, 2024 to November 17, 2024: Posts on the need for a Climate Act plan – No definition of “zero emissions”, DPS staff worries about timeliness without any proof that wind, solar and energy storage will work, nuclear is the obvious solution, and metals for the transition materials are manifestly inadequate.
- October 8, 2024 to November 3, 2024: Physical realities of the transition, available NY drafts for comment, and offshore shore wind cumulative impacts
- September 30, 2024 to October 7, 2024: Vermont Clean Heat Standard, hurricane Helene hype, and my personal comments on the Allocation of NYCI proceeds, NY RGGI operating plan amendment, and RGGI Third Program Review
- September 16, 2024 to September 29, 2024: My comments on CES Biennial Review, the math does not support the Climate Act, NYISO Resource Outlook DEFR discussion, Climate Act reality and clueless anti-nuclear activists, and Future Energy Summit Wrap-Up.
- September 2, 2024 to September 15, 2024: Snitchler electric reality check, Climate Act costs and the election cycle, OSW wind costs, and Future Energy Summit summary.
- August 19, 2024 to August 31, 2024: Recommendation for Climate Act review, Update on NYCI, OSW meets reality, and nuclear future role.
- August 5, 2024 to August 18, 2024: NYISO Resource Outlook renewable variability, Angwin: Shorting the Grid, Future Energy Summit announcement,
- July 22, 2024 to August 4, 2024: Hochul Climate Act reality, Agencies ignore Climate Act reality, NYISO Resource Outlook summary, DEFR summary, OSW risks, and NY Heat Act
- July 8, 2024 to July 21, 2024: Climate Act risks, NYC Local Law 97 – Don’t Do It, Ellenbogen on Comptroller Audit, Unnecessary DEFR claim, Rodberg: Filling the Gap, RGGI Investment Proceeds report,
- June 24, 2024 to July 7, 2024: CES Biennial Report, NYISO Power Trends report, NYCI update, wind farm theory and results, and Pew energy choice poll.
- June 10, 2024 to June 23, 2024: Personal comments on DEFR proceeding and NYS value of carbon update, NY value of carbon misinformation, solar disinformation claim, and heat wave implications.
- May 27, 2024 to June 9, 2024:Wind and solar resource fatal flaw, GAO peaking power plants, Gold Book wind and solar capacity factors, and National Grid net-zero plans ignore ratepayer concerns.
- May 13, 2024 to May 26, 2024: Parham graduation speech, RGGI Third Program Review status & Acadia Center, NY Assembly NYCI naivete, Pielke bullish on solar, ACENY grid planning webinar, and NY Heat problems.
- April 29, 2024 to May 12, 2024: NRDC Facts from Fiction reality check, climate industry misdirection, EV reckoning begins, iron law of climate example, and catering to NY environmental activists.
- April 15, 2024 to April 28, 2024: Personal comments on Part 490 seal-level rise amendments, and Ellenbogen on NY Heat.
- April 1, 2024 to April 14, 2024: DPS DEFR gap characterization, NYCI health claim basis, natural climate variability, and floating OSW issues.
- March 18, 2024 to March 31, 2024: NY spin doctor funding, NYSERDA solar quiz misinformation, power source rankings, and climate change cherry picking.
- March 4, 2024 to March 17, 2024: Personal comments on NYCI pre-proposal outline, difference between weather and climate, Irina Slav on Hollywood climate hype stories, and pandemic & climate change response.
- February 19, 2024 to March 3, 2024: Ellenbogen on DEFR proceeding, OSW perspectives, weather & climate, and Climate Act reductions in context.
- February 5, 2024 to February 18, 2024: PEAK Coalition reality disconnect, Hochul & energy affordability, Two views of the Climate Act energy plan, Seggos on climate transition, and Sertoff on Long Island power plans.
- January 22, 2024 to February 4, 2024: NY emission trends, NYCI webinar summaries, NYCI cost projections, Howarth and NYCI, NYCI cost to consumers, Allen Page on Climate Act ratepayer impacts, and Paul Driessen climate and energy fantasies.
- January 8, 2024 to January 21, 2024
- December 25, 2023 – January 7, 2024
- December 11, 2023 -December 24, 2023
- November 27, 2023 – December 10, 2023
- November 13, 2023 – November 26, 2023
- October 30, 2023 – November 12, 2023
- October 16, 2023 – October 29, 2023
- October 2, 2023 – October 15, 2023
- September 18, 2023 – October 1, 2023
- September 4, 2023 – September 17, 2023
- August 21, 2023 – September 3, 2023
- August 7 -August 20, 2023
- July 24 – August 6, 2023
- July 10 – July 23, 2023
- June 26 – July 9, 2023
- June 12 – June 25, 2023
- May 29 – June 11, 2023
- May 15 – May 28, 2023
- May 1 – May 14, 2023
- April 17 – April 30, 2023
- April 3 – April 16, 2023
- March 20 – April 2, 2023
- March 6 – March 19, 2023
- February 20 – March 5, 2023
- February 6, 2023 to February 19, 2023
- January 23, 2023 to February 5, 2023
- January 9, 2023 to January 22, 2023
- December 25, 2022 through January 8, 2023
- December 12 through December 24, 2022
- November 29 through December 11, 2022
- November 14 through November 28, 2022
- October 31 through November 13, 2022
- October 17 through October 30, 2022
- October 3 through October 16, 2022
- September 9 through October 2, 2022
- August 22 through September 8, 2022
- August 15 through August 21, 2022
- August 1 through August 14, 2022
- July 18, 2022 to July 31, 2022
- July 4, 2022 to July 17, 2022
- June 20, 2022 to July 3, 2022
- June 6, 2022 to June 19, 2022
- May 23, 2022 to June 5, 2022
- May 9, 2022 to May 22, 2022
- April 25, 2022 to May 8, 2022
- April 11, 2022 – April 24, 22
- March 28, 2022 – April 10, 2022
- March 14, 2022 through March 27, 2022
- February 27, 2022 through March 13, 2022
- February 13, 2022 through February 26, 2022
- January 29, 2022 through February 12, 2022
- January 18, 2022 through January 28, 2022
Updates to Reference Pages and Articles of Note
- Updates to Pragmatic Environmentalist Pages October 21, 2022
- Updates to Pragmatic Environmentalist Pages September 2, 2022
Acronyms Used
ACENY Alliance for Clean Energy New York
CES Clean Energy Standard
Climate Act New York Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act
DEFR Dispatchable Emissions-Free Resource
DPS New York Department of Public Service
GAO General Accounting Office
Gold Book NYISO Load & Capacity Data Report
LL97 New York City Local Law 97
NRDC Natural Resources Defense Council
NYCI New York Cap-and-Invest Program
NYISO New York Independent System Operator
NYSERDA New York State Energy Research & Development Authority
RGGI Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
Pragmatic Environmentalist of New York 