D'Esposito seeks tailwinds from Long Beach

Daily Point

Congressman targets Hochul's clean energy goals

In a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul this week, Rep. Anthony D’Esposito targeted the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, calling its clean energy goals "unrealistic" and saying its implementation would "ultimately hurt New Yorkers and the New York economy."

In the letter, timed with the start of the state’s Future Energy Economy Summit in Syracuse, D’Esposito emphasized his concern for the electric grid and lack of necessary infrastructure and capacity to meet the CLCPA’s standards. D'Esposito, who is running for reelection against Democrat Laura Gillen in one of the nation’s battleground congressional races, suggested the law could increase energy costs and cause blackouts and other problems.

D’Esposito is no stranger in the effort to stop Equinor’s now-halted offshore wind project in the ocean off the coast of Long Beach. At the time, D’Esposito said he supported wind power more generally, but specifically opposed Equinor’s proposal and its lack of communication with local residents.

But D’Esposito’s letter to Hochul made clear that his concerns go beyond Equinor's specific proposal. The letter, said D’Esposito spokesman Matt Capp, "ties into Anthony’s current opposition to the offshore wind projects off Long Beach," arguing that those projects were rushed to meet the CLCPA goals.

“I think it’s just another example of Hochul using these initiatives without enough research and time put in place,” D’Esposito said in an interview with The Point. “I think they are unattainable… We keep pushing it without doing the research and we keep expecting business owners and smaller municipalities to deal with this without seeing any benefit from the state of New York. It is absolutely ridiculous.”

There is not much of a breeze between the two candidates on Equinor. “Any infrastructure program must have strong community buy-in before it can move forward. That requires consistent outreach, engagement, and communication. Equinor didn’t do that,” Gillen told The Point in an email.

Long Beach, a key piece of the district and long under Democratic control, last year voted for a Republican majority on its city council — and a Republican Nassau County legislator. D’Esposito, who supported city residents in their opposition to Equinor last year, even speaking from the House floor on the issue, could be hoping that Long Beach continues its red wave this year. But D’Esposito said he is voicing concerns that go beyond party lines.

"Quite frankly, I think you’re seeing a large amount of individuals who may not have been registered Republicans, who may be independents or Democrats, who are supporting Republican candidates or Republican elected officials because of offshore wind and these issues," D’Esposito told The Point.

D’Esposito said the Equinor project highlighted the problems with the timelines and goals of the CLCPA because they encourage potential developers and others to move too quickly, without consulting the community.

D’Esposito noted that Gillen had previously served on the board of the New York League of Conservation Voters, which has endorsed Gillen in this year’s race. D’Esposito serves as co-chair of the Congressional Offshore Wind Caucus — but, he said, he’s not there to promote offshore wind projects to his constituents, but instead to hold Equinor accountable and "prevent it from happening again."

D’Esposito argued that the climate goals coming from "Hochul and the Democrats in Albany" impact a host of other issues, including electric vehicles, charging stations and battery storage.

While D’Esposito isn’t running against Hochul — or Albany Democrats — the battle lines, it seems, haven’t changed.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

Pencil Point

Takes on Trump at Arlington National Cemetery

For more cartoons, visit www.newsday.com/0904nationalcartoons

Subscribe to The Point here and browse past editions of The Point here.