Publications > Green Sheet New York Archives

GREEN SHEET NEW YORK

Vol. 11 - No. 5
June 2006


Inside this Issue:
A Clean Energy Future For New York: Environmental Advocates Leads Charge to Save Clean Energy Funds
Director's Chair
Staff News
Clean, Safe, Secure Energy for New York
Edith Read, In Memoriam
Power Scorecard: Helping Consumers Choose Clean, Reliable Power
About GSNY

A clean energy future for new york:
environmental advocates leads charge to save clean energy funds

New York’s clean energy future is dependent on stable funding and visionary leadership. Thanks to the efforts of Governor Pataki, Minority Leader Paterson, environmental groups, clean energy companies, and others, for the second year in a row, clean energy won out over politics in Albany.

In the NYS Legislature’s budget proposal, lawmakers included a short-sighted plan to grab control of clean energy and energy efficiency funds. This ploy would subject clean energy programs to the politically charged, backroom deal-making we know as the state budget process.

Proponents for controlling these funds said that appropriating the monies would increase transparency and accountability. They are clearly unfamiliar with the state’s budget process.

This year alone, New York will invest almost $200 million in renewable energy and energy efficiency. These funds are managed by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Recent audits by the State Comptroller attest to NYSERDA’s responsible and transparent management of these funds.

Environmental Advocates asked the question, "If it’s not broken, why fix it?"

Global Warming Facts From Environmental Defense 21% America's global warming pollution produced by individual households 57,200,000 tons Carbon dioxide produced by power plants in New York State 25 lbs. Global warming pollution emitted per gallon of gas used in cars 350 lbs. Pollution reduced by lowering the thermostat 2 degrees in winter

Small Investment, Big Benefits

Clean energy funds come to NYSERDA by means of a small surcharge on our electricity bills, the Systems Benefit Charge and the Renewable Portfolio Standard—about one dollar per bill for most consumers.

New York’s clean energy investments have already reduced electricity use by more than 1,400,000 megawatt hours and cut peak demand by the equivalent of three large coal-fired power plants. We have reduced annual emissions by 1,280 tons of nitrogen oxide, 2,320 tons of sulfur dioxide, and 1,000,000 tons of carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide reduction is equivalent to removing 200,000 automobiles from New York’s roadways.

Since their inception, energy efficiency programs have saved New Yorkers an estimated $195 million, per year. Savings will increase to $420-435 million at full implementation.

Our clean energy funds are also attracting hundreds of millions of dollars to Upstate New York. Projects like the Maple Ridge Wind Farm in Lewis County are being built—bringing jobs and revenue to communities while reducing air pollution and providing a hedge against rising energy costs.

Renewable energy companies choose where to build their projects. Stable funding is a strong incentive to bring projects, and jobs, to New York. However, if these funds were subject to the uncertainties of the state budget process, clean energy companies might question whether their long-term contracts were safe from the whims of the Legislature—and individual legislators.

Victory for Clean Energy

In late April, at the urging of hundreds of Environmental Advocates’ members, the Governor vetoed the Legislature’s attempt to move clean energy funds into the general budget. And on April 26, the Republican-controlled Senate gave up its attempt to override the Governor’s veto. This was the only veto the Senate did not override. 

Several senators voiced their opposition to the legislature’s money grab. Senate Minority Leader Paterson made public statements, along with Senators Breslin, Coppola, and Stachowski. Some Senate Republicans made their concerns known within their conference.

Senator Paterson, leading the Senate Democrats, emerged as a hero on this issue, recognizing the important role these funds play in the future of clean air and clean energy in New York. Mayor Bloomberg and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer also weighed in to support the Governor’s veto. n

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Director's Chair

Energy prices are on everyone’s mind these days. With winter's heating bills behind us, summer will have our electricity bills going through the roof as soon as we turn on the A/C.

One of the biggest reasons for rising energy prices is our continued reliance on imported fossil fuels. Our natural gas and electricity bills have gone sky high because the prices of gas and oil have increased dramatically.

You may be curious to know how New York's legislators have been trying to address our energy problems. As you read in this month’s cover story, the first thing the Legislature did was try to grab the $200 million earmarked for New York’s energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. By doing so, lawmakers could have turned the state’s clean energy funds into a pork-barrel slush fund. But Environmental Advocates of New York, along with other organizations, renewable energy companies, labor unions, the State Builders Association, Mayor Bloomberg, Attorney General Spitzer, and others, ultimately defeated this misguided proposal.

In May, legislators also made marginal cuts in gas taxes. Always a popular election year gimmick, the proposal would save the average New Yorker about $40 a year. Not enough to make a difference at the pump, but maybe enough to make a difference at the ballot box. This slight decrease will cost the state about $400 million—money that usually supports the care and maintenance of our roadways and bridges.

However, lawmakers have put forth some good ideas. Of particular note are bills introduced in the Assembly that would reinstate New York's power plant siting law and our energy planning process, making sure that state officials are forecasting our energy needs and planning how best to meet them. With three weeks to go before the legislative session ends, we hope lawmakers act on these proposals before another year of high energy prices catches up to us. n

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STAFF News

Long-time Communications Associate Laura DiBetta, has left Environmental Advocates of NY for an opportunity to do program work with the Land Trust Accreditation Commission in Saratoga. Laura will be greatly missed as her institutional knowledge and expertise are unparalleled.

Erica Gulseth is moving from her position as Event & Development Assistant to join the communications team as our new Communications Assistant. Erica joined Environmental Advocates in 2005, and quickly impressed staff with her high standards and dedication. Erica has a B.A. in Political, Legal and Economic Analysis from Mills College in Oakland, CA. Erica will be working closely with the Communications Director to align outreach with organizational goals. She is particularly interested in our on-line communications.

In early June, Elizabeth Whitney joined Environmental Advocates as our Event and Development Assistant. Elizabeth recently graduated with honors from Siena College with a degree in American Studies. She has a wealth of event planning experience and is a welcome addition to Environmental Advocates.

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Clean, safe, secure energy for New york

From the Great Lakes to the Long Island Sound, New York is home to a tremendous, untapped natural resource. We have the potential to tap more wind power than any other state east of the Mississippi. And Environmental Advocates of New York is sharing what we know about this clean, safe energy source with state legislators and residents to make sure they can make informed decisions based on facts and research, not myths and misconceptions.

New York is home to four wind farms producing more than 700,000 megawatt hours of power—Wethersfield, Fenner, Maple Ridge, and Madison. A coal-fired plant would have to burn approximately 300,000 tons of coal to generate the same amount of energy.

In addition to generating clean, safe energy, New York’s wind farms benefit communities by creating jobs and expanding the local tax base. Studies also show that wind farms do not negatively affect property values.

Environmental Advocates is also sharing research we’ve collected to address common myths and misconceptions about wind power development.

For example, one common misconception is that wind turbines are destructive to wildlife, particularly birds and bats.

Research shows that the average turbine results in 2.19 bird deaths per tower, per year. This is significant when compared to telecommunications towers, now common to our landscape, which can cause up to 250 bird deaths per tower, per year.

For more information on wind power, visit www.eany.org. n

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edith read, in memoriam

Edith Read, a great lady and environmentalist, died on April 26, in Rye, New York. She was 102 years old.

In addition to her role in founding Environmental Advocates of New York in 1969, Edith worked with the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks. Edith took the credo "think globally and act locally" to heart, and her honors demonstrate her devotion to conservation. She was the first person—and the only woman—to be honored by the Rye District Boy Scouts of America in 1959, for her work at the Rye Nature Center. In 1985, Westchester County honored Edith by establishing the Edith G. Read Natural Park and Wildlife Sanctuary at Playland Park—thereby preserving and maintaining 170 acres of valuable fresh and salt water ecosystems along the Long Island Sound. In 1995, Edith was again recognized for her remarkable contribution to protecting Westchester’s natural environment by the establishment of the Edith Read Environmental Advocacy Fund at Pace Law School.

Edith will be missed by all who had the good fortune to know and work with her.

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Power scorecard
helping consumers choose clean, reliable power

Have you considered switching to a new electric provider? Have you thought about buying power from a clean, renewable energy resource? Don’t know where to begin?

Now you do.

Environmental Advocates of New York is the New York sponsor of the Power Scorecard. A free website maintained by Pace Law School Energy Project and sponsored by a coalition of environmental groups, the Power Scorecard grades electricity products according to their environmental impacts. The Power Scorecard provides a rating in eight environmental areas and gives an easy-to-understand performance rating for each product.

Most people don’t realize that electric power plants are the number one source of pollution in the United States.

To evaluate your electricity options, visit www.powerscorecard.org.

For additional information contact Sam Swanson, Pace Law School Energy Project, or email samswanson@aol.com.n

 

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GREEN SHEET NEW YORK
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EDITOR, GSNY
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