The New York Public Service Commission’s newly adopted Clean Energy Standard is a smart solution to a complex problem. It institutes a good public policy that will provide economic and environmental benefits to all New Yorkers for years to come. Not only is this helping our local James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant to remain open, but it is also helping all upstate New York nuclear plants to remain operational. This will keep thousands of jobs in the state, and carbon-free electric generation in New York.

Since the Public Service Commission (PSC) adopted the new Clean Energy Standard, there have been many critics who say nuclear power should not be eligible for subsidies. The criticism from so-called environmentalists is baffling because nuclear power is clean and generates zero carbon emissions, 24/7. Currently, according to the New York Independent System Operator’s most recent data, 4.53 percent of the state’s electricity needs are met with wind and solar sources, 17 percent are met with hydro, and 30 percent with nuclear generation. Without nuclear power, New York would lose an essential source of carbon-free generation. It would likely be replaced by imported power generated from fossil fuels — something that the environmentalist groups vehemently oppose.

There are many reasons why the PSC’s forward-thinking policy is good for the state. Without the Clean Energy Standard, Upstate would lose thousands of jobs, businesses and homeowners would face steeper electricity prices, and our state would lose fuel diversity. If the PSC had not included nuclear power in the Clean Energy Standard, it is likely that all four nuclear-power plants in upstate New York would close — never to reopen. This would be economically disastrous for upstate New York.

For our community, this policy is a win-win. It not only ensures carbon-free generated electricity, but also helps ensure the health of our upstate economy. The four nuclear-power plants — the FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant, Nine Mile Point I and II, and R. E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant — add $3.16 billion to the state’s gross domestic product. They account for nearly 25,000 direct and indirect full-time jobs and contribute $150 million in net state tax revenues annually.

According to the Brattle Group, the plants also reduce energy costs by $1.7 billion per year. This is because nuclear power produces power consistently and reliably, which helps stabilize the energy market. Indeed, in New England states, consumers are experiencing increased energy costs due the closure of Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant. With its closure, the New England market has less fuel diversity, leaving electricity prices closely tied to the cost of natural gas. This was evident this summer as New England’s electricity prices jumped 38 percent (from June to July) mainly because the cost of natural gas increased by 43 percent. With the impending closure of another nuclear-power plant in the New England region, one can expect that costs will continue to go up for consumers in these states.

Last year, our area was devastated when Entergy announced that it would shutter FitzPatrick. Fortunately, many in the community rallied around the plant and a solution was found to what would have otherwise been a catastrophic outcome for the entire region. Other plants would surely have followed the same fate had the PSC not adopted the Clean Energy Standard. We should embrace this policy and applaud this forward-thinking solution.

William (Will) A. Barclay is the Republican representative of the 120th New York Assembly District, which encompasses most of Oswego County, including the cities of Oswego and Fulton, as well as the town of Lysander in Onondaga County and town of Ellisburg in Jefferson County. Contact him at barclaw@assembly.state.ny.us, or (315) 598-5185.

The latest progress report from START-UP NY shows it’s losing participants almost as quickly as it’s adding them.

In an Oct. 28 press release, Governor Cuomo reported: “START-UP NY now has commitments from 202 companies to create at least 4,490 new jobs and invest more than $251 million over the next three-to-five years throughout New York State.”

But that 4,490 job figure is a net increase of only 212 jobs from the 4,278 commitments that were reported in December 2015. Since then, the governor’s office has twice announced additional commitments: 135 jobs in March and 817 jobs in October. So while the program added new commitments to create 952 jobs, its total count of five-year commitments rose by only 212 jobs. That’s because 740 existing commitments were lost. This means that for every four jobs that START-UP added since December, it lost three jobs.

As we explained in July, START-UP appeared to have peaked during 2015, adding about 2,100 five-year job commitments in each of its full years of operation (calendar 2014 and 2015).

Unless the program adds 1,843 new commitments in the next two months — and doesn’t lose any commitments in the meantime — 2016 will be the weakest year for START-UP since its creation.

The drop-offs wouldn’t be so surprising if the program actually was limited to genuine start-ups. Nationwide, nearly one-third of start-up firms failed between 2013 and 2015, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. New York State has stretched START-UP’s eligibility to include existing companies, but the numbers still aren’t impressive.

Of the 39 companies listed in the October announcement, 16 are existing New York businesses, and seven are existing companies that are “new to New York.” Only 16 companies would fit any definition of true start-ups. The new companies are distributed across the state, with the biggest concentration — eight companies and 213 new jobs — located at University at Buffalo.

As the Empire Center’s E.J. McMahon wrote a year ago, “few economic development initiatives in New York State’s history have been the subject of more marketing hype than START-UP NY.” But a program of tax-free micro-zones on and near college campuses is nowhere near potent enough to overcome New York’s other competitive disadvantages, which the governor has compounded with policies including opposition to natural-gas pipelines, a costly renewable-energy mandate, and the nation’s highest minimum wage.

Ken Girardin is the communications and marketing manager at the Empire Center, overseeing the center’s external communications operations and maintaining its presence on social media. Contact him at kgirardin@empirecenter.org. This article is drawn from Empire Center’s NY Torch blog.