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Organized Labor ‘Cheers’ Governor Hochul’s ‘Energy Approach’

Published Tuesday, July 15, 2025
by Labor News Story Link To Politico
Organized Labor ‘Cheers’ Governor Hochul’s ‘Energy Approach’

Marie French at Politico reports Governor Kathy Hochul’s “all of the above” approach to meet New York State’s increasing energy needs has been slammed by Environmental Groups - but the Democrat’s recent embrace of new nuclear energy and growing openness to gas pipelines has exhilarated many in the Labor Movement, particularly those who have long worried the State’s transition to clean energy would harm their Members. “We are appreciative of the fact that she’s taking a second look at these issues,” said John Samuelsen, the President of the Transport Workers Union (TWU), which represents more than 160,000 Workers - including some in the Utility Industry. “She’s probably going to have a heart attack if she reads me saying that. It’s probably the first positive thing I’ve said about Hochul publicly in years.”

To Directly Access This Labor News Story In Its Entirety, Go To: Labor cheers Hochul on energy approach - POLITICO

Comments

The best and most efficient way to solve New York State's energy supply crisis and restore thousands of good paying Union jobs is to reopen our coal fired power plants and eventually convert them to burn natural gas. Coal supplies are abundant, reasonably priced and Union-mined too. Totally unreliable, inefficient and environmentally damaging industrial wind and solar farms polluting our beautiful rural landscape are not and never will be the answer to our energy crisis in this State. Solar and wind farms are only about 30 % efficient and are ugly blocks on the beauty of upstate towns and villages. No wind, no sunshine and no power, hardly a formula for a power future. Drive down Route 390 sometime and observe the horrendous ugliness of the windmill farm around Cohocton in the gorgeous Finger Lakes region, or drive down Route 78 and see the visual pollution of the massive windmill farm in Sheldon and Orangeville. Immediate restoration of the Huntley (Tonawanda), Somerset (Barker), Desden (Penn Yan), Dunkirk (Dunkirk) and Cayuga (Ithaca) coal fired power plants will greatly ease the power crisis, and result in thousands of good paying Union jobs in plant operation, plant renovation, trucking and railroad sectors, and generate thousands of MW's of power (and by the way these plants were the largest real property taxpayer in their respective county ). In addition, the Indian Point Nuclear Power station needs to be immediately reopened in Westchester County, and this too will create thousands of good paying Union jobs in the Hudson Valley. The Governor needs to reject nonsensical Green Socialist energy policy included in the 2019 Climate Act, get New Yorkers back to work (by the way wind and solar farm parts are imported from overseas - two overseas shipments of wind farm parts were recently received at the Metro Port in Buffalo-Lackawanna via ocean supply ship - photos available on the internet) - Craig E. Speers, Buffalo AFL-CIO Central Labor Council Delegate & Past Executive Board Member of the Buffalo Labor Council Posted by craig.e.speers on July 28, 2025 at 10:56 am

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