ALBANY, N.Y. -- In 10 years, New York will be getting 70% of its electric power from renewable sources, so clean-energy advocates are discussing how to send that power where it's needed.

Solar and wind farms and offshore wind now in the planning stages now need transmission infrastructure, but much of New York's existing electrical grid was built more than half a century ago.

Anne Reynolds is executive director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York; she pointed out that in just a few years, the limits of the current grid could start slowing down clean-energy development.

"There's a sense of urgency now to talk about the transmission we need and to plan for the grid of the future, knowing that it will take maybe five years to get those projects under construction," Reynolds said.

The New York State Public Service Commission recently released a new proposed plan for achieving the renewable-energy mandate put into state law in 2019.

In April, New York also passed the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth Act. Reynolds said that requires the state to determine the combination of new renewables, new transmission and energy storage needed to meet clean-energy goals.

"That study's happening now," she said. "It's got two parts: all we need for upstate New York and what we need for offshore wind. And the study's supposed to be completed by the end of the calendar year."

Last week more than 200 New Yorkers logged in to a virtual town-hall meeting hosted by ACE New York to discuss the need for greater transmission capability in the state.

Participants in that meeting raised concerns about preserving open space and farmland. But Reynolds noted much of the increased capacity can be achieved without creating new transmission corridors.

"We would aim to have this transmission be in existing rights of way as much as possible," she said. "So you wouldn't be developing new green fields to build this transmission necessarily. You can upgrade existing lines to make them be able to move more power."

She said simply making much of the electrical grid stronger and more resilient will help New York state achieve its renewable-energy goals.

As millions of Americans are struggling to fill their gas tanks, a new report shows that rising prices are padding the bottom lines of powerful oil and gas companies.

Exxon and Chevron alone brought in more than $12 billion in profits during the first quarter of 2022, more than $7 billion dollars more than the same period a year ago.

Karl Frisch - senior advisor with the government watchdog group Accountable.US, which produced the report - said the industry is taking advantage of converging global crises, including the war in Ukraine and pandemic-related inflation.

"And rather than spending those billions of dollars in additional profits to help stabilize prices for consumers," said Frisch, "they are showering those profits on their already wealthy executives."

Industry groups have argued that - after suffering years of low oil prices due to overproduction and a drop in demand during the pandemic - stronger than projected revenues are helping companies get back on track.

Others have noted that the drive for high quarterly returns is business as usual for publicly traded companies with a fiduciary obligation to maximize profits.

Frisch said it's disingenuous for highly profitable companies to point to leaner years as a reason to waste profits that could be put to much better use. He said these companies never lose.

"When Big Oil loses money, we bail them out," said Frisch. "When Bil Oil makes money, they just make money, and they do nothing to help consumers. You're talking about an industry that took billions of dollars in Paycheck Protection Program funds from taxpayers during the height of the pandemic."

Frisch argued the industry is wasting an opportunity to invest in energy strategies that can better withstand shocks to the global economy, shocks that are only projected to increase as the impacts of climate change grow.

"The best way to limit the impact on consumers is to start shifting away from these sources of fuels," said Frisch. "And that is something that the oil and gas industry already invests in, and they could invest in it even more."

A coalition of more than 60 environmental and community groups are calling on Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and other elected officials to act faster to avert the worst impacts of a warming planet.

Patricia Nelson, finance director for Safe and Healthy Colorado, lives in Weld County, which produces more than half of the state's oil and gas. She said instead of ramping up production, Polis should direct the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to stop issuing fracking permits.

"We also need to implement some kind of just transition program to retrain workers, because people in communities like mine, we don't have any other choice," Nelson asserted. "There aren't any other jobs for us."

The coalition delivered a petition urging the Polis administration to declare a climate emergency and to develop a more comprehensive plan to phase out fossil-fuel production no later than 2030.

Climate scientists warn pollution from fossil fuels must peak and begin to drop within three years in order to keep global temperatures from reaching dangerous levels. The governor's office has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Kevin Cross, convener of the Colorado Coalition for a Livable Climate, said the governor's current greenhouse-reduction road map doesn't move fast enough, and largely lets the oil and gas industry off the hook. He pointed out many politicians have been afraid to push for a faster transition to cleaner energy, but making incremental progress is no longer an option.

"We really didn't act as a society back in the 1990s, 1980s, when it would have been a relatively easy problem to address," Cross recounted. "Now the emergency is upon us, and we need to act quickly."

More than eight in 10 Coloradans consider climate change a serious problem, and 98% say wildfires threatening homes are serious as well, according to a recent poll.

Nelson argued the single biggest barrier to action on climate is the fossil-fuel industry, but she is cautiously optimistic if enough Coloradans make their voices heard, lawmakers will find the political will to act.

"Given that there is so much influence by the industry -- because of the lobbying that happens, because of the large donations -- we still have a lot of work to do," Nelson acknowledged. "We're going to have to continue to put pressure on these politicians that were meant to serve the people, not corporations."

Duke Energy's solar panel rebate program expires this year, and faith groups such as the North Carolina Council of Churches and Interfaith Power and Light are urging churches across the state to take advantage of the program during National Faith Climate Action Week, which begins today.

Anne Hodges-Copple, bishop suffragan of the Diocese of North Carolina, said dozens of North Carolina congregations have saved on energy bills using the program.

"There's all kinds of partners ready to help make this line up in a way that just has a huge benefit to any worshiping community that needs to save money," Hodges-Copple pointed out. "As well as cares about taking care of the earth."

A 2018 survey by the U.S. Energy Information Administration found many commercial buildings, including churches, spend thousands of dollars a year on lighting and space heating and cooling.

Elizabeth Bennett, director of stakeholder engagement for Duke Energy, said churches may be able to receive up to $75,000 in rebates.

"And what the rebate program does is not only provides a rebate for nonprofits who want to install solar, but really helps them through the process," Bennett explained.

She noted church leaders should first look at the program's eligibility requirements and added there are plenty of resources to help congregations start the process.