The Elements of A Plan For New Energy Future Are Emerging
By Neal Lewis, Esq.,
Executive Director, Neighboorhood Network

The challenges presented by the twin crises of global warming and skyrocketing fuel prices both spring from the same root cause of reliance on a finite supply of dirty fossil fuel. In Washington D.C., there has been a bipartisan failure to enact a foresighted national energy policy.

On Long Island, as we live the adage: “think globally and act locally,” a consensus is growing for action on energy issues. While federal leadership is still needed, what we see emerging from a series of local initiatives are the elements of a comprehensive clean energy agenda that can position Long Island to lead the Nation to a new energy future.

Any new energy plan must begin with leadership. For four years representatives of our towns and counties have come together to learn and share experiences as part of the Clean Energy Leadership Task Force. Now, Long Island’s elected leaders are stepping up and providing the kind of leadership lacking in Washington.

As suburbia began in Levittown, so too it was Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi’s idea to start the effort to green the suburbs with a very aggressive outreach and education initiative called “Green Levittown.” Meanwhile, in Suffolk County, a series of government building retrofits are either underway or already completed. Suffolk Executive Steve Levy estimates that these efforts are already saving taxpayers more than a million dollars annually. In Babylon, an innovative green home program has just begun which provides the financing to cover the retrofit costs so that homes can be made green without any out-of-pocket expenses to the homeowners. In Hempstead, Supervisor Kate Murray has installed solar panels on three municipal buildings including Long Island’s largest municipal solar panel installation at town hall (40kw). Congressman Steve Israel has organized a task force of businesses to help build the “green collar” clean energy companies that will provide solutions to our energy challenges.

Leadership on energy issues and moral consistency is coming to the forefront through the Long Island Interfaith Environment Network. Started in 2006, this multi-faith effort focuses on achieving energy efficiency for places of worship to save money, but also to serve as role models for their congregations. Energy audits from LIPA and National Grid have now been requested by more than 70 places-of-worship.

A recent LI Index poll showed that a significant number of Long Islanders have received energy efficiency information primarily from environmental organizations, and that many are acting upon that information by making their homes more energy efficient. However, this is no time to rest. Despite a rise in public awareness, Long Islanders continue to use more energy each year than the previous year. That is why LIPA’s announcement to launch in 2009 a much more aggressive program of outreach and financial incentives to promote energy efficiency (called Efficiency Long Island), is so critically needed.

In addition to leadership and expanded public awareness, the other element of a clean energy plan, is to utilize the power of law to mandate higher energy efficiency standards. This year, Long Island is on its way to becoming the only region in the Country where every new home (of the 3,000 to 5,500 built annually) will be required to be designed, built, and tested to meet the the EnergyStar® Homes standard. To achieve this goal, all 13 towns must adopt the law. So far eight have done so.
Energy Star Homes can eliminate the emission of almost 1.5 million tons of CO2 over the next 20 years; equivalent to saving over 6,900 rail freight cars filled with coal. Meanwhile, every family living in an Energy Star Home stands to save $23,000 during their mortgage period even if energy costs don’t rise at all. If energy prices rise at the rate oil has averaged for the last 20 years (11% annually), then each family would avoid about $75,000 in energy bills. When viewed as a regional economic development plan, this one law will keep hundreds of million of dollars out of the hands of utilities and OPEC states annually, or more than $2 billion saved during the next two decades.

Neal Lewis is an environmental attorney and executive director of the LI Neighborhood Network, an Island-wide research and advocacy group active on promoting clean energy initiatives, alternatives to toxic pesticides, smart growth and sustainable development, open space preservation and environmental stewardship. 
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