"Gov. Hochul has inherited an energy emergency from her predecessor. At the same time, two state entities with different responsibilities for managing our energy system are in conflict as the state charts its energy future.

"Two critical decisions were recently issued by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. DEC, whose job is to protect the environment, rejected applications to build a large new natural gas plant in Astoria and to expand the burning of fracked gas at the Danskammer plant in Newburgh. In both cases, the DEC was implementing the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which requires phasing out the use of fossil fuels. DEC is also implementing the Peaker Rule, which will reduce the availability of rapid-response fossil-fuel-burning generators. The unavailability of these plants could become critical when electricity demand expands in heat waves and cold snaps.

"Meanwhile, NYISO, the New York Independent System Operator, has the job of making sure that New Yorkers always have sufficient electricity. While DEC is limiting generation capacity, NYISO, in a recent analysis, has sounded the alarm about the declining reliability of our electricity system, especially in New York City. It warns that 'reliability margins will shrink in upcoming years,' with little margin today and that margin shrinking to zero before the decade is out."