Politics on the Hudson

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday addressed reporters’ questions on renewable energy during a visit to Fort Drum.

The governor announced his support for an alternative energy company’s effort to turn a former coal plant there to a biomass power plant.

A reporter asked about the role of wind power in New York’s energy economy.

“I don’t think there is going to be one answer to renewable energy,” he said. “I think wind power has a place; I think solar has a place; I think biomass has a place. But there is no doubt that we have to shift to renewable at the end of the day.”

“Whatever your position on global warming, it’s clear that our current situation of dependence on fossil fuels is unsustainable, and we must must shift to renewable. Whoever does that first and best, I think, is ahead of the pack.”

He said the Fort Drum project with ReEnergy Holdings of Albany, which purchased the old plant last year, is a perfect example of New York’s leadership in this area.

But, he said, “at the end of the day, we need power.
“We need power,” he stressed. “You can’t say no to wind and no to solar and no to biomass and no to power plants, and then say, I want jobs and I want a thriving economy. That’s a balance we have to reach.”