Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo on Dec. 17 outlined his 2019 policy agenda, including an initiative to make the state’s electricity 100 percent carbon neutral by 2040. The announcement follows the state’s adoption of an ambitious energy storage target of 3 gigawatts by 2030. Cuomo expects the new goal to put the state on the path to eliminate its carbon footprint and become the most progressive state in transitioning to renewable energy.

New York joins California, Hawaii and most recently Washington, which have set goals or committed to 100 percent clean energy. The state already has a clean energy standard, adopted in 2016, requiring half of the state’s electricity to come from renewable energy by 2030. Renewable sources account for about one-third of the state’s power generation, while natural gas leads the sector.

Cuomo urged the legislature to consider the 20-point agenda in the first 100 days of the next legislative session.