Readers Write: Cuomo’s energy plan too costly for New York

The Island Now

Gov. Cuomo has a clean energy plan called “80 x 50,” an expensive way to cut carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050. Sounds fantastic!

Maybe by then the Jets will win four more Super Bowls and cuddly pandas will be household pets.

But at what cost to New Yorkers whose electric bills are among the highest in the nation?

According to a recent Manhattan Institute study, The High Cost of Symbolic Environmentalism, by Jonathan Lesser, it will cost consumers more than $1 trillion.

Future generations will not be able to afford to live on Long Island as the cost of living in one of the highest taxed states increases.

The cost to a family of four in electric bill increases would amount to more than $1.3 million per family because Cuomo’s plan requires enormous increases in wind and solar plants, power lines for transmission, battery facilities, and hot water and heating units in every dwelling to be replaced with electric ones.

Another eye-opening statistic: 6,000 square miles of wind generating power would be needed off shore.

That area is larger than the state of Connecticut.

However, we cannot control the amount of wind nature generates.

Too little and the turbines turn too slowly. Too heavy a wind and the turbines must shut down to prevent damage to them.

How about solar energy? Factor in cloudy and rainy days and solar generates electricity less than half the year. It’s called “weather,” not “climate change.”

It happens, sometimes with devastating results. Note the word “mental” in environmentalism.

Control freaks think they can control the weather.

Cuomo has political ambitions for 2020. He has fashioned his clean energy plan with this in mind.

Costs are not going to come out of his pocket.

With an eye to the future, we can do small things now.

Villages or towns can pass an ordinance preventing any new or replacement trees from being planted within a 30 foot radius of power lines.

Has anyone ever noticed the grotesque way current trees are pruned to keep the branches from entangling with overhead wires.

Five years ago, Hurricane Sandy demolished several old trees along Shelter Rock Road.

Foolishly, Manhasset replaced the dozens of trees, thus planting a problem for the next generation. Some of the new trees are just about touching the wires.

Money would be saved, too. LIPA would eventually need less tree maintenance crews to manage tree pruning.

I am not anti-trees. I am against foolishly wasting money on financial boondoggles.

That money could be spent to bury some of the thousands of existing power lines.

Speaking of the weather, did anyone notice President Trump’s personal $1 million donation to Hurricane Harvey’s relief fund and his compassion when visiting Texas?

Or did they only deride FLOTUS Melania for the stilettos she wore when leaving the White House for the first couple’s two visits to Dallas?

Did the previous FLOTUS visit New Orleans to make a disaster of a fashion statement or show compassion?

See  youtube.com/c/Breaking News Global1247 and find out.

Did the media ever note that sometimes that First Lady deplaned Air Force One looking like a slob?

Lauren Block

Manhasset

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