To the Editor:

The Enterprise letter by T. Ellis [“Keep the wealth of New York in the state,” Nov. 25, 2020] about the Champlain Hudson Power Express power line, details troubling consequences. Many appear to fall mostly on upstate New York and all the way up to Quebec.

It seems New York City basically gets the benefits of the energy while the consequences fall on the upstate environment and everyone else, all the way up to, and including, the peoples of Quebec.

Would it make more sense to tap energy resources already geographically located in New York and states nearby? I have to also wonder whether tapping New York’s plentiful natural gas supplies, nearly in New York City’s backyard, would make at least a little bit, or even far more sense for New York State as a whole?

New York’s extraordinary regulatory resources would no doubt employ the highest state-of-the-art technology to protect the environment to the greatest extent possible. This appears highly preferable to forcing that regulatory responsibility on others likely less resourced, or otherwise less capable of aggressively protecting the environment where the energy is sourced.

Today it has become very politically expedient to oppose all fossil fuels, oil, natural gas, coal, and also carbon-free nuclear energy, sources that have historically provided New York energy reliability regionally through a wide diversity of supply sources.

The wind does not blow all the time, nor does the sun always shine. While renewables can help, they are no panacea when it comes to reliability absent other sources.

Is it good public policy to eliminate the diversity of sources of supply — that you can readily control for reliability and cost reasons, and instead embark upon an economically and environmentally costly and uncertain path — ultimately leading New York to be highly dependent upon a foreign source of supply?

I just wonder whether short-term politically expedient decision-making has not painted New York State into a corner — leaving it stuck pursuing a solution that is far more harmful to New York State, and way out of proportion to the magnitude of the problem it seeks to solve.

And, finally, I also wonder: Will the consequences of the proposed path simply come home to roost on all New Yorkers — after our currently elected officials are long gone?

Christopher Corbett

Colonie

Editor’s note: Christopher Corbett notes he is an engineer and was employed by New York State Department of Public Service, Energy Division from 1974 to 2006.