When it come to wind turbine siting, state Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, has a new idea — one for rural New York, one for New York City.

Borrello has introduced S.7620 in the state Senate to require equal placement of wind turbine construction and operation of wind turbines in New York City compared to the rest of New York state. The senator proposes amending the Public Service and Environmental Conservation laws to require certificates not be granted to build or operate industrial wind turbines outside of New York City without granting a certificate to build or operate a similar project inside New York City.

The legislation could be considered when the next state legislative session begins in January, but it is unlikely to be reported out of committee so that it could get a full Senate vote.

Borrello’s legislative justification cites both the Office of Renewable Energy Siting, a board created by as part of Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act in the 2020-21 state budget. The ORES was created to fast-track siting for proposed industrial-scale renewable energy projects by streamlining local comment periods, automatically granting permits if they aren’t acted upon quickly enough and giving the state greater authority to approve renewable energy projects as opposed to local elected officials. Borrello also mentioned his long-standing effort to keep industrial wind turbines out of the freshwater Great Lakes.

“If this is truly the ‘existential threat to humanity’ that is often referenced by those special interests, then the cost and logistical challenges of placing industrial wind turbines in New York City should be created to fast-track siting for proposed industrial-scale renewable energy projects, and to assist New York in meeting its aggressive renewable energy goals with the same vigor that it has been outside New York City,” Borrello wrote in his legislative justification.

There are also ongoing concerns raised by New York Independent System Operator projections that New York City could have power shortfalls starting 2025. The deficit is as large as 446 megawatts, driven primarily by the combination of a forecasted increase in peak demand and the unavailability of certain generators. Beyond 2025, the STAR report found that New York City’s reliability margin would improve when the Champlain Hudson Power Express transmission line from Quebec to New York City is completed.

The transmission line is expected to enter service in the spring of 2026 — but delays in the transmission line could extend the shortage of available power in New York City.

Transmission lines must also be built to get renewable energy produced elsewhere in the state to areas in New York City that need it.

“Those special interests pushing this conversion to all-renewables in our state are largely from New York City,” Borrello wrote. “The five boroughs consume by far the most energy and are also the most dependent on fossil fuels. Therefore, New York City should shoulder an equal, if not greater, share of this burden to radically change our power generation.”