Officials with the New York Power Authority have been called out for their extensive use of a private plane even as the agency seeks to meet the state's cleaner-energy goals, according to the Democrat & Chronicle.
"We're trying to move toward a clean energy agenda but then people within an agency are using, literally, the most polluting form of transportation," said Chuck Collins, co-author of a report on the environmental harm caused by private-plane travel, per the Democrat & Chronicle. "You have to ask. Is this necessary?"
Not only do private planes release 10 times as much planet-heating pollution as commercial air travel, according to Collins' report, but such travel also is incredibly costly. Executives, media members, and NYPA employees have been extensively using the agency's $7.5 million plane at a time when the NYPA has been pushing for a rate increase for customers, per the Democrat & Chronicle.
An investigation by the USA Today Network found that NYPA president and CEO Justin Driscoll used the private turboprop plane 42 times in a period of just over one year. Of these trips, 23 of the flights were less than one hour in length. Four times, Driscoll flew from Westchester to Albany, which is only a two-hour drive, according to the Democrat & Chronicle.
"It seems like Justin Driscoll is more concerned with the speed of his travel than the speed of building public renewables," said Michael Paulson, leader of the Public Power New York campaign, which has been urging the state to use more renewable energy sources, per the Democrat & Chronicle.
The agency has defended the use of the private plane, saying it has served an important purpose in transporting not only executives and trustees but also other vital employees to locations around the state.
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"The trips include engineers, operations staff, and senior managers who conduct regular maintenance and inspections at NYPA facilities, including the ongoing $1.1 billion modernization and digitization of the Power Authority's flagship Niagara Power Plant, the largest power producer in the state," said agency spokesperson Paul DeMichele, according to the Democrat & Chronicle.
In 2024, the NYPA's turboprop plane burned through 39,400 gallons of fuel, producing over 425 tons of planet-heating pollution, the Democrat & Chronicle reported.
The extensive use of private planes has come not only as New York has pushed for cleaner, renewable energy, but also as public scrutiny of the practice has increased.
Recently, celebrities from Taylor Swift to Steven Spielberg have faced backlash for traveling by private plane.
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Definitely 👍 According to Oxfam, the world's 50 richest billionaires are responsible for more heat-trapping pollution in 90 minutes than the average person produces over their entire lifetime. Travel by private plane is a big reason why.
Critics have pushed for the NYPA to find a more environmentally friendly and economical mode of transportation, such as having engineers fly commercial and then use EVs to reach their destinations, according to the Democrat & Chronicle.
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