As a member of the New York State Senate’s Energy and Telecommunications Committee, I attended Gov. Hochul’s recent Future Energy Economy Summit in Syracuse this month along with our ranking Republican member of the committee, Sen. Mario Mattera. Also, attending was Sen. Tom O’Mara, another member of the energy committee. In fact, every Republican on the Senate’s energy committee attended, along with the ranking member of the Assembly energy committee, Assemblyman Phil Palmesano, and other Republicans from the state Assembly. Disappointingly absent from this summit were the legislative Democrats who are leading the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) agenda. In a Legislature where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1, it appeared that Republicans outnumbered Democrats at this energy summit by more than 2 to 1. Think about that. The legislators who are pushing one of the most aggressive and costly energy transitions in the nation — and one that is now faltering because of the lack of due diligence in the planning — largely chose to sit out an important state-sponsored energy conference where they could learn more about the latest innovations in the field and explore viable energy alternatives. This is telling but not surprising since legislative Democrats have shown an unwillingness to compromise on the incredibly damaging CLCPA emissions goals, even as evidence mounts that they are unaffordable and unachievable. One stark example of that was their immediate rejection of a budget proposal by Hochul in 2023 that would have eased the financial costs of the transition by replacing New York’s outlier emissions accounting method with the standard used by nearly all other states and nations. With the news that the state will miss its 2030 emissions target and a request by a large coalition of business, energy and labor organizations that the state assess and revisit the climate mandates before irreparable damage is done to New York’s economy, the summit was a good opportunity to broaden the conversation around reaching New York’s climate goals. There were informative panels on topics like next-generation nuclear power and others that touched on alternatives including green hydrogen, carbon capture, fuel cell technology and other sustainable, low-emission energy options. However, lack of participation by the Legislature’s climate agenda champions only affirms they have no intent in expanding their agenda to include new technologies. Even as climate-focused California leads the way as a “hydrogen hub” and the U.S. energy secretary declares hydrogen as a “versatile fuel critical to reducing emissions,” some of the leading Democratic voices in the Legislature have been dismissive of any significant role for hydrogen in New York’s transition. Next generation nuclear has been met with similar skepticism, despite the Biden administration’s recent commitment of $900 million for states to support the development of small, modular nuclear reactors. The irony is that wind and solar are hardly a perfect solution to our green energy goals. Vast quantities of precious natural resources are consumed, and carbon dioxide emissions are created by their manufacture, transportation, and installation. They disrupt the ecology of their environments, harm wildlife and degrade precious farmland and forests. The battery storage that wind and solar depend on is incredibly expensive, carries serious safety risks, and cannot provide enough power to supply New York’s energy needs for any extended period. For all these reasons, the refusal by radical advocates, taxpayer-funded green energy developers and their legislative Democratic allies to consider a broader array of energy options is counterproductive and undermines attainment of the climate goals they claim to want. And as this process flounders, our business community, utility sector and everyday New Yorkers are caught in a state of concern and uncertainty about future energy costs and reliability. We have given them one more reason to flee New York. This is another case of the Democratic majorities putting a far-left political agenda ahead of common sense and the well-being of our state. We need a change in leadership in New York. It is the only solution. There are no moderate Democrats left who are speaking up. No one is coming to save us from this economic disaster unless and until New Yorkers vote for change. Borrello represents the 57th Senate District which includes Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Genesee and Wyoming counties, as well as a portion of Allegany County. He is also a member of the Senate Energy Committee.