As preparations for the New York Energy Summit in Syracuse next week are finalized, Republican lawmakers are urging participating leaders and international experts to include a cost analysis of New York’s clean energy goals and power grid reliability in the discussion.

Environmental experts, government agencies, power generators, unions and others will attend the two-day Future Energy Economy Summit at the Syracuse Marriott Downtown Hotel.

Several details of the September 4-5 summit are still under wraps, but it will focus on moving away from dependence on fossil fuels. Hochul’s office has publicly announced the planned topics, but no specific speakers for the planned panel discussions.

Stakeholders have said they hope the summit will provide clarity on the delay in the state’s timeline to meet emissions reduction goals set out in the 2019 climate law, after a recent state report showed New York is not on track to transition to 70% renewable energy by 2030.

“We need to know what impact this will have on every New Yorker and, most importantly, on our economy,” said State Senator George Borrello, a Republican member of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee.

Republicans in New York are pushing to delay the emissions reduction requirements enshrined in the climate law, giving the state more time to make the changes.

Dozens of state business leaders also questioned the feasibility or realism of the government’s guidelines.

High inflation and supply chain problems have increased costs and hampered clean energy construction projects, and several state agencies have failed to meet the timeline set out in state law.

“The state is hesitating, and now because it is hesitating, the deadlines could be missed,” said Blair Horner, executive director of NYPIRG, on Tuesday. “And that is being used as an opportunity by those who oppose the climate bill and want to slow the parade even further.”

Republicans argue that the need for next week’s summit shows that the state’s ambitious clean energy goals set out in the 2019 climate law are not the right approach.

Senate Republicans this week released an agenda of proposed legislation they say would protect the environment and taxpayers alike, and are calling on state and federal leaders to include an analysis of the initiatives’ likely costs and their impact on New Yorkers next week.

“We want to offer New Yorkers a reasonable alternative to what the Democrats and the governor are offering,” Borrello said.

The senator said Democrats, who hold a legislative majority, have not done a sufficient cost analysis of green energy mandates, and he is baffled by the lack of answers about the reliability of the power grid to meet the state’s electrification needs.

Republicans in the Assembly are supporting about 7,000 affordable energy bills aimed at easing the burden on New York’s electricity customers from renewable energy projects.

Rep. Phil Palmesano, the ranking Republican on the Assembly Energy Committee, is concerned that the expensive projects will not reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and that more New Yorkers will leave the state if they have to bear the costs.

“We are accountable to voters and businesses on this,” Palmesano said. “If we implement this plan, it will cost billions and billions of dollars. Why shouldn’t we have a vote on it?”

Horner, who is considering attending next week’s summit, said the upcoming conversation is critical as the state considers delaying its clean energy deadlines.

“The problem, of course, if you believe the science, is that there is no time to lose,” he said. “And the last thing New York or the world should be doing is slowing down its efforts to move away from fossil fuels.”

A spokesman for Gov. Hochul’s office said Tuesday that the state is committed to advancing its clean energy goals. He did not respond to questions about the extent to which the state might scale back its green energy goals set out in the climate law.

“Under the circumstances, New York consumers can expect dramatic fluctuations in electricity bills and astronomical costs following extreme weather events,” a spokesperson for Hochul’s office said in a statement. “Governor Hochul is driving the clean energy revolution to protect New Yorkers, investing $1.6 billion in energy affordability initiatives this year alone.”

Last month, Hochul acknowledged that renewable energy projects had experienced setbacks due to inflation and global supply chains, but told reporters that recent floods, tornadoes and other storms showed that the state’s planned climate action could not be delayed.

“We will continue to work toward a clean energy future to help protect our climate and environment, and I will not allow anything to stop me from achieving those goals,” the governor said.