Cuomo pledges New York will be coal-free by 2020

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants his state to be coal-free by 2020. The Democrat made the declaration in his State of the State address Wednesday, announcing he wants his state's three remaining coal plants to be closed or shifted to renewable energy by 2020. The coal plants account for 4 percent of New York's energy, and one plant is already scheduled to close this year. Cuomo said public health is the top priority. "We will help the few remaining coal plants transition, but we must clean our air and protect our health and that must be our first priority," Cuomo said. Cuomo announced an energy plan in December that sets the goal of a 40 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from the energy sector by 2030. Cuomo also wants 50 percent of the state's electricity to come from renewable energy by 2030. Among the commitments Cuomo has made to renewable energy is installing 150,000 new solar panels and 300 new wind turbines and converting all State University of New York campuses to renewable energy by 2020...more