BY ROSE ADAMS
Congress members Nydia
Velázquez and Jerry Nadler
urged Gov. Andrew Cuomo in
a letter to fund the infrastructure
improvements necessary
to build an offshore wind plant
in Sunset Park.
The request comes as the
state is evaluating proposals
for its 2020 Offshore Wind Solicitation,
which asked energy
companies to submit plans to
build offshore wind farms for
the state’s consumption, along
with turbine manufacturing
plants and a shipping yard
within the state.
The winning proposal,
which will be announce later
this year, will not only increase
Virtual OPEN HOUSE! 12/17 at 10am and 7pm
Please RSVP: nyscas-info.touro.edu/open-house
COURIER L 14 IFE, NOV. 20-26, 2020
the state’s dependence
on clean energy, but will create
thousands of manufacturing
jobs, according to the New
York State Energy Research
and Development Authority
(NYSERDA), the agency overseeing
the bidding process.
One of the three eligible
bids, put forward by the Norwegian
energy company Equinor,
names Sunset Park’s
South Brooklyn Marine Terminal
— a largely unused 72-
acre lot just south of Industry
City — as its proposed assembly
and shipping site.
If NYSERDA selects Equinor’s
bid, the state will spend
$200 million, matched by $200
million from private fi rms, to
Two Sunset Park Congress representatives are urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo to help fund a wind turbine assembly
plant at a southern Brooklyn port. REUTERS/Andreas Mortensen
upgrade 65 acres of the southern
Brooklyn port into a viable
port and factory space, where
workers will build wind turbines
from parts that are manufactured
upstate.
Sunset Park locals have
argued that the South Brooklyn
Marine Terminal is the
perfect place for the assembly
plant because of its industrial
history and a local need for
well-paying, sustainable jobs.
elázquez and Nadler, who
represent Sunset Park, echoed
those calls in their letter, saying
that the South Brooklyn
Marine Terminal is particularly
well-suited for the improvements
because of its deep
waters and its close proximity
to the offshore wind farms.
The plant would also bring
thousands of jobs and needed
economic renewal to the community,
they said. “A project
at SBMT will be part of the
ecosystem of working waterfront
we foster in Brooklyn,”
the pols wrote.
The state funding, if granted,
would add to the $57 million that
Mayor Bill de Blasio promised
the terminal in his State of the
City address earlier this year..
The port improvements
comes as the state is trying to
ramp up its sustainable energy
infrastructure in accordance
with the 2019 Climate Leadership
and Community Protection
Act (CLCPA), which requires
that 70 percent of the
state’s electricity come from renewable
resources by 2030, and
that at least 35 percent of benefi
ts go to the communities most
affected by climate change.
EASY
BREEZY!
Reps urge Cuomo to fund
Sunset Park offshore wind hub
COLLEGE PROGRAMS
FOR EVERY DREAM.
MORE TAILORED PLANS
FOR EVERY STUDENT.
Touro NYSCAS students succeed at achieving
more of their career goals because they don’t let
Wide variety of associate and
the metro area
convenient class times
Personalized one-on-one advising
JOIN US! Visit NYSCAS.Touro.edu | 888.722.7166
Touro is an equal opportunity institution. For Touro’s complete Non-Discrimination Statement, visit www.touro.edu
/NYSCAS.Touro.edu
/open-house
/www.touro.edu
/www.touro.edu