QUEENS RESIDENTS VOICE OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR PROPOSED MAJOR TRANSMISSION PROJECT CONNECTING OFFSHORE WIND TO RAVENSWOOD

Before State Officials, Queens Residents, Community, Business & Environmental Justice Leaders Gave Supportive Public Input as Part of State Permitting Process

QUEENS, NY, July 24, 2024 — Dozens of Queens community members and leaders showed up at the Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement this week to speak out in support of the Queensboro Renewable Express, a proposed major transmission project designed to deliver offshore wind energy to the Ravenswood Generating Station in Long Island City. Rise Light & Power, which owns Ravenswood and is developing this project, presented at two information sessions, which were followed by public statement hearings hosted by officials from the New York State Department of Public Service. All participants at the hearings spoke in favor of the project, while none voiced any opposition.  
 
“We’re grateful to this community for their strong support, and to Riis Settlement and the NYS Department of Public Service for hosting us,” said Clint Plummer, CEO of Rise Light & Power. “This project is a critical part of our Renewable Ravenswood vision, under which we plan to transform the site into a clean energy hub, providing a just transition for our union workforce and an environmental justice win for Western Queens. We are honored to have earned strong support for this project from residents and leaders across the city who recognize the importance of bringing clean energy to Ravenswood.”
 
The Queensboro Renewable Express will deliver renewable energy from one or more offshore wind farms to New York City via underwater transmission cables and related onshore facilities located at the Ravenswood Generating Station. It will have the capacity to deliver over 25% of the renewable energy New York State is seeking from offshore wind, which will help the State in achieving its target of 100% emission-free electricity by 2040. All of its onshore components will be located at the Ravenswood Generating Station, New York City’s largest power generator, which today powers one in five homes in NYC on the hottest days of the year. All of its offshore components will be safely buried beneath the floor of the East River, New York Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. 
 
“This project is essential for the future of renewable energy in New York. It is Closely aligned with and will advance the goals of the CLCPA and will help support the move to electrification here in New York City. RISE has committed fully to this project as well as many others and we strongly urge the state to award this project in advancement of its goals of a cleaner environment and moving away from the use of fossil fuels,” said James Shillitto, President of the Utility Workers Union of America, Local 1-2.
 
​”As the CEO and co-founder of a nonprofit that fights for economic justice, as well as a lifelong Queensbridge Houses community member who has personally experienced economic injustice, I am proud to express my support for Rise Light and Power’s Renewable Ravenswood Project. This project will bring real careers and valuable workforce development to Western Queens, as well as improve the health and wellbeing of those who call this region home. I urge the Public Service Commission to approve Queensboro Development LLC’s application for an Article VII Certificate, which is critical for the success of Renewable Ravenswood,” said Bishop Mitchell Taylor, CEO of Urban Upbound.
 
“NYC-EJA is encouraged by the strong and positive feedback from laborers, residents, and other advocates during the Queensboro Renewable Express public information session and hearings. We commend Rise Light & Power for taking this step in implementing a just transition for New York’s largest power plant, bringing urgent relief to Queen’s asthma alley, and towards the Climate Act’s 70 percent renewables and zero emissions energy grid mandates,” said Eddie Bautista, Executive Director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance.
 
“Renewable Ravenswood is New York City’s most significant environmental justice project, and the Queensboro Community Express is its foundation. You saw vocal community support because this is a community-driven project to transform New York City’s largest fossil fuel plant into a renewable energy hub, and we will stand behind it and fight for it until it becomes a reality. Thousands of NYCHA residents want clean energy, good paying jobs, and transformational investment, which the Queensboro Renewable Express will provide,” said Lynn Spivey, President, NAACP-NYCHA Branch.
 
“Tuesday’s public hearing demonstrated that when it comes to clean energy, New Yorkers understand that there can be no transition without transmission. Bringing offshore wind power efficiently from Long Island to the Ravenswood Generating Station will help the site’s decarbonization journey from a fossil fuel power plant to a clean energy hub that’ll advance environmental justice and serve as an example of the way forward for countless power plants across the state and country,” said Julie Tighe, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters.
 
“I strongly urge Article VII be granted for the Queensboro Renewable Express. It is time to break the cycle of pollution in our neighborhoods. It is time we preserve good jobs and create opportunity for our neighborhoods. And it is time for this community to bear the benefits of renewable energy. Ensuring that this project moves forward guarantees all of that and helps us create a supply chain of renewable energy right here in Queens,” said Costa Constantinides, CEO of Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens.
 
“Sierra Club is excited to support the Queensboro Renewable Express. This transmission line is crucial to bringing offshore wind to New York, a key element to help New York State meet our climate goals of 100% zero emission electricity by 2040. Now more than ever we need to support projects like the Queensboro Renewable Expressas a necessary step to bringing clean, renewable energy to New York City,” said Allyson Samuell, Senior Campaign Organizer with the Sierra Club
 
“‘Renewable Ravenswood’ is a paradigm for the clean energy transition and the ‘Queensboro Renewable Express’ is an essential piece of the planned project that should be approved. Moving to 100% renewable energy is the type of ambitious aim that will help New York achieve its climate goals and will greatly improve the quality of lives in the plant’s New York City community. Moreover, the ‘Renewable Ravenswood’ plan commits to maintaining and retraining the entirety of its union workforce who keep the facility operating day-to-day. Climate Jobs New York strongly supports permitting for the ‘Queensboro Renewable Express’ as a vital step in a just energy transition,” said Ben Dorman, Deputy Director, Climate Jobs New York.
 
“The New York Building Congress has long advocated for the growth and success of the renewable energy sector, which is why we are proud to support RISE Light & Power’s Queensboro Renewable Express Project. The greater Renewable Ravenswood plan will allow for offshore wind energy to be transmitted to homes, schools, and businesses across New York City—and this transmission line is a crucial step. On behalf of the Building Congress, I urge the Public Service Commission to approve this project, and help move New York into a future free of fossil fuels,” said Carlo A. Scissura, Esq., President and CEO of the New York Building Congress
 
“The Waterfront Alliance is committed to sustainability and to mitigating the effects of climate change across the region’s hundreds of miles of waterfront. We are excited by the Queens Renewable Express project, which will enhance the resilience of our energy infrastructure, ensuring that it can withstand the impacts of climate change. This project is truly essential for New York’s sustainable future and to allow for the growth and development of the Offshore Wind Industry in the region — and we urge the New York State Public Service Commission to support this important initiative,” said Joseph Sutkowi, Chief Waterfront Design Officer at the Waterfront Alliance.
 
“This project is a brilliant idea and a great opportunity to provide offshore wind energy for not just the residents of Roosevelt Island, but all across the city. Roosevelt Island is a part of “Asthma Alley” and we are happy to see changes coming. This is a moral issue. We need this project, and the Queensboro Renewable Express awakens peoples’ thinking on what is possible for our community by reusing existing infrastructure here in New York City,” said Frank Farance, President of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association.
 
“For decades, the community surrounding the Ravenswood power plant has borne the brunt of pollution that can cause asthma, cancer, and other serious illnesses, in addition to fueling climate change. The Queensboro Renewable Express is critical to ensuring that renewable energy reaches New York City and will help put the state on track to meet our climate mandates and contribute to the just transition that we urgently need,” said Hillary Aidun, Senior Associate Attorney, Earthjustice.
 
“Long Island City Partnership is pleased to see unanimous support at public hearings for the Queensboro Renewable Express – a common sense infrastructure project to deliver clean power to Queens. Approval of the project will allow for a generational shift in the way we get our energy, while preserving high quality union jobs,” said Laura Rothrock, President of Long Island City Partnership.

To learn more about the project, the Article VII process and opportunities to provide public comment on the Queensboro Renewable Express, please visit: https://queensbororenewableexpress.com/.
 
Contact:    Noah Richter, [917-586-3469], noah@pythiapublic.com  
           Lindsay Kryzak, [845-527-8663], lk@clintonstreetstrategies.com