East Hampton's Cate Rogers on South Fork Wind and Water Quality Issues

 

East Hampton's Cate Rogers on South Fork Wind and Water Quality Issues

October 20, 2020

Our region faces numerous environmental challenges, from climate disruption, sea level rise and ocean acidification to poor water quality. We also need good paying jobs and a green recovery to meet some of those challenges. All these issues are on the table in the 2020 election, from the local to the state and federal levels.

One example is the planned South Fork Wind project, first proposed in 2015, a wind farm off the coast of Long Island, 35 miles east of Montauk. 

It would help the state reach its goal of 70% renewable energy by 2030 and the goal of East Hampton Town to have 100% of its energy needs met by renewable sources.

The project reached a major milestone when state agencies signed a Joint Proposal to allow the project to move forward, despite opposition from some homeowners at the site in Wainscott where the power cable from the wind farm would come ashore. But the fate of the project could still be decided by the outcome of the election.

This month Francesca talked with climate advocate and East Hampton Town Democratic Committee Chair Cate Rogers about the project and about water quality issues, the climate crisis and job creation.

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Update on CCA: Community Choice Aggregation

Over the past year or so Sustainable East End has featured several episodes about the effort to bring something called community choice aggregation, or CCA, to the East End. It's a way for municipalities to choose their own energy suppliers with an eye to increasing the use of renewable energy. Now, several towns are well on their way to implementing CCA. Southampton has already contracted with a CCA administrator, Joule Assets. And East Hampton just passed legislation that will enable the town to establish a CCA program.

But hurdles remain, rooted in the position Long Island finds itself in as being under the jurisdiction of the Long Island Power Authority, or LIPA, for power supply and distribution. Those hurdles are the subject of two pieces of legislation brought by Assemblyman Fred Thiele. One piece is sitting on the governor's desk, awaiting his signature. The other will be introduced in the state legislature this coming year.

Today, we hear from Assemblyman Fred Thiele, as well as three other people who are playing key roles in bringing CCA to long island: Lynn Arthur, energy chair of Southampton’s Sustainability Committee; Gordian Raacke, director of Renewable Long Island; and Jessica Stromback, managing director of Joule Assets.

 Listen here