Rick Karlin reports in the Times Union that this week the state Senate declined to take a vote on Gov. Kathy Hochul's nomination of New York Power Authority acting President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll to permanently take over the position. For now, Driscoll will remain in the position in an acting role. This is the second major nomination defeat for Hochul this year as the Senate voted 39-20 against her nomination of Appellate Justice Hector D. LaSalle to lead the state Court of Appeals. In this case, progressive senators, backed by climate activists and the SEIU 1199 labor union, said they thought Driscoll was too close to the fossil fuel industry to become the chief of the state's largest power producer. PublicPowerNY, an activist group that opposed Driscoll's nomination, in a statement said, "New Yorkers realized we need far more visionary leadership to pave the way. Justin Driscoll is not that nominee to lead NYPA.... For the good and future of NYPA, Justin Driscoll must resign immediately as we search in earnest for a leader who has a history of negotiating in good faith with labor, fighting for environmental justice.” Activists did not like that Driscoll previously worked as a lobbyist at Brown & Weinraub, which has relationships with fossil fuel companies, and also did not like Driscoll’s campaign contributions to Republicans, and NYPA’s sale of discounted power to companies such as Amazon. NYPA was mandated by lawmakers earlier this year to go completely fossil-free by 2030. Read more about this story in the Times Union.