New York state regulators on Thursday approved two massive transmission projects to carry clean electricity into New York City, boosting hopes that the nations largest city could start to meaningfully wean off fossil fuels this decade.

At a hearing in Albany, five out of the state Public Service Commissions seven members voted in favor of a proposal to construct power lines from hydroelectric dams in Qubec and upstate New York solar and wind farms. Once completed, the two projects combined are expected to reduce New York Citys demand for fossil fuels by 51%.

Simply put, if we cant deliver renewable energy to New York City, we cant reduce emissions from the fossil fuel fleet, Rory Christian, the commissions chairman and lone appointee who hails from New York City, said at the hearing. Should we delay and reconsider our approach at another time, well very likely run the risk of putting ourselves in the unenviable position of paying more for future projects with lesser benefits.

This final approval gives Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), who is campaigning for a full term in office this year, a major climate victory as she heads into a primary election shes currently favored to win.

New York continues to lead the nation with innovative green energy initiatives and has been an example to the rest of the world how to confront the perils of climate change, the existential threat of our time, Hochul said in a statement. Todays decision is a major step forward.

Clean Path New York, a 175-mile line from a substation in New Yorks Delaware County into the borough of Queens, generated little controversy, but carried greater risks, as the project has yet to receive permits and wont come online until 2027 at the earliest. By contrast, the Champlain Hudson Power Express, a 339-mile conduit from hydro dams in Canada to the Queens neighborhood of Astoria, stoked heated challenges from a ragtag alliance of environmentalists, gas-fired generators and Indigenous groups.

The opposition cited concerns ranging from the costs to New York ratepayers and competition to New York energy companies, to fears that Hydro-Qubec, the government-owned utility behind the project, might prioritize Canadians in a disaster or repeat its dark history of seizing Indigenous lands in Canada to build more dams and increase its electricity output.