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By Bob Duffy, Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce President & CEO, Dottie Gallagher, Buffalo Niagara Partnership CEO, and Rob Simpson, CenterState CEO President & CEO
Special to the USA TODAY Network

New York is emerging as a leader in some of the world’s most important growth industries, including semiconductors, microelectronics manufacturing, AI and more. This remarkable opportunity is due, in part, to work done over generations to invest in these industries and rebuild our Upstate economy. This strategy has only been made possible through a focus on leveraging our assets, one of which is a robust mix of energy assets delivering some of the cleanest and most abundant power generation in the U.S.

Today, as we sit on the cusp of a long-sought economic revival, it is more obvious than ever that the economic opportunity awaiting our region's residents hinges on our continued ability to power our businesses and our homes both reliably and affordably. And while that may sound like a simple statement, it belies a political and economic complexity decades in the making. A long period of economic disinvestment in Upstate has constrained energy supply and distribution. Meanwhile, the rapid return of energy intensive industries to New York State is creating unprecedented new demand on our aging infrastructure. Electrification mandates only raise the stakes for all of us as we seek to meet this remarkable moment for all New Yorkers. If we fail to meet these demands, everyday realities – like whether the lights come on when families flip a switch – could become uncertain in parts of our state.

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