Tag Archive for NY

NY State Department of Environmental Fracking Conservation?

 

New York Dept. of Fracking

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation officials and Fracking Interests are running hand in hand… so what about the Environmental Conservation interests of New Yorkers?

 

Disturbing news is emerging that despite public outcry, the NY State Dept of Environmental Conservation(DEC) is succumbing to intense lobbying efforts from the fracking industry,
***stop press as we just learned ***
or worse may actually already be in bed with them.

It was recently reported in this Huffington Post article “Fracking Industry Enjoyed Privileged Access to Controversial New York DEC Environmental Review” that while public and environmental groups were getting the runaround and being forced to jump through hoops to be heard (and 70,000 chimed in against!), the fracking lobby has not only had direct access to the DEC, they had:

  • several months’ (reports range from 6-10 weeks) early notification of impending regulations and recommendations so they could strategize, organize and maximize their lobbying efforts properly,
  • they have had input on tailoring upcoming regulations, and
  • may have even steered the environmental review process.
  • at best, the DEC have left all these accusations highly questionable-at worst they’re all true.

Then Came this article from Brendan Demelle at desmogblog.com: Science Trumped by Politics In Cuomo’s NY Fracking Plans?

After Governor Cuomo said the regulations would be based on science conducted (which seemed to support the public outcry) and not politics, it seems state employees and regulators may not necessarily see it that way since they allowed fracking industry:

access to drafts of the state’s permit plans,… used that information to lobby hard against testing for radioactivity in wastewater, for example.

it goes on to say

seventy New York state legislators on both sides of the aisle pointed out six major issues they said were under-addressed …
Instead of focusing on issues like these, DEC staff were busy discussing zoning questions with industry lawyers and providing drillers with a chance to weigh in on the expense of complying with environmental protections.

We love the one where the fracking industry is now talking about getting rid of fracking waste “water”- by legally spraying it on local roadways!
You must read it.

****stop press*****
As if this all wasn’t outlandish enough…
it is now coming to light that the person at the DEC in charge of all this, is being outed as a fracking and drilling proponent who also publicly supports climate change denial.

Is that who we want in charge of our state’s Environmental Conservation!!

Read about it here: Top New York Regulator Promoting Shale Gas Signed A Climate Denial Petition Stating That Increases In CO2 Are ‘Beneficial’

It begs the key question:

So is Bradley Field, the petroleum engineer and drilling proponent who can’t remember if he is a climate change denier; the holder of a singularly influential position to determine the outcome of shale gas development in New York state as the issuer of permits and the overseer of regulations — Is this Bradley Field nonpartisan? It’s a relevant question.

Not only relevant, it begs other questions:

  • should any singular unelected government official wield so much power?
  • Shouldn’t that person in charge of environmental conservation always err in favor of environmental conservation?
  • and who is watching the “watcher”?

Now, Grenpeace’s Executive Director Philip Radford has weighed in, and we need to stand with them:Why Is Governor Cuomo Letting a Climate Science Denier Regulate Fracking?  They are asking Mr Field to step down and asking you to sign the petition telling Governor Cuomo to get rid of him. 

 

We will continue to follow this story…

editors note:
Truth be told, I’ve started and stopped writing this artcle 3 times, the original story here goes back weeks…and I can’t let it go.

To now, All Our Energy has sought to remain pragmatic on political issues and it is overwhelmingly clear, we cannot. Our voice must be heard.

NY and East Coast Offshore Wind

 

View off the Long Island South Shore off shore wind farm

Our representation of what the proposed offshore wind farm will look like from the area beaches. Can you see the turbines?
Well you won’t be able to, so we didn’t even bother to photoshop them in!

Two articles floating today you need to know about.  

First up is  East Coast Could be Powered by Wind  from Jake Richardson at Cleantechnica.   It describes how the ENTIRE east coast could be powered by 100% offshore wind power.

 

Second is an incredibly well thought out and in-depth look at…

The Turning Point for Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy from Catherine Bowes and Justin Allegro at National Wildlife Federation

Check out their FULL REPORT: The Turning Point for Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy: Time for Action to Create Jobs, Reduce Pollution, Protect Wildlife & Secure America’s Energy Future (pdf)

How do we help others get it, and see it’s interconnected-

  • create jobs,
  • reduce pollution,
  • protect wildlife,
  • secure America..?

                                   your suggestions…???

NY Solar: Four Times as Nice

20120621-184130.jpgIn response to NY State Governor Cuomo’s call to quadruple the state’s solar capacity, called Solar In New York: It’s Strategy to Make Solar Shine by Elisa Wood, just published today at Renewable Energy World

Interesting points include

Cuomo proposed competitive bidding to attract large-scale solar projects. … NYSERDA, has set out a plan to realise Cuomo’s goal, which the authority says could bring 269 MW of solar to the state from 2012-2015, and 110 MW some time after. NYSERDA calls the plan ‘aggressive but achievable’.

To attract industry investment, the state must provide a more consistent policy for long-term growth, say solar advocates. To that end, they have been pushing for a solar feed-in tariff (FiT)

(We ask “why only Industry Investment? Why only Solar?”),

…solar renewable energy credits (SRECs), or other methods to move the industry beyond developing hundreds of megawatts of solar into thousands of megawatts.

Cuomo also is opening up new opportunity for big solar projects through his new ‘Energy Highway’ initiative to upgrade the state’s aging infrastructure. As part of the (‘Energy Highway’ ) initiative, his office issued a formal solicitation in April 2012 seeking ideas … to fix various energy problems…. so that it reaches its target of getting 30% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2015 and more beyond that. The state hopes to draw $2 billion in private investment.

The article goes on to mention our local utility LIPA’s involvement, achievement and proactive stance in delivering utility scale solar at minimal cost to ratepayers.

Now if we could just get them all to agree that homeowners, non-homeowners and the public at large should be more easily and readily able to

  • Sell their rooftop solar into the grid at a realistically profitable price (similar to what they pay the big corporations).
  • Generate more energy than they use (this is already too limited – to only 5% above use in most cases!)
  • Have access to participate in off-property “virtual metering”, “community” or “cooperative” projects (like community wind in Minnesota) where individuals can invest their money to generate any viable renewable energy (wind and eventually ocean/wave as well) and sell it to and through the grid. Millions of apartment dwellers can never be investors, and are relegated to be just “consumers”, never providers.

That’s not to say individuals shouldn’t do what they can with solar on their roof, but if we need more, why not pay New Yorkers for it and allow more?

News flash: it is not a free market out there. These types of projects are near impossible to do because current tax code and utility laws are set up to keep the already picked winners in their monopolized place at the top, and keep what I’d like to call “democratic energy” from expelling them from that position.
No: you cannot invest in renewable energy except through megacorporation stocks or a small generator on your property that only offsets your use.

This is the number one thing keeping renewable energy and the “green economy” in it’s so-called place. It is going to take a “green revolution” to get there.

Governor Cuomo it’s a start, but a half one at best. Why are we soliciting mega corporations, with development money that guarantees no results, This, when the average New Yorker, who would love to, cannot invest in renewable energy other than offsetting only their own household use and only on their own home, or by buying stock in, say BP, as one of the few mega companies with a dedicated solar division? That doesn’t allow New Yorkers, to do more!

That’s the question that defines All Our Energy’s entire existence.

Would you like to invest in renewable energy? Let’s find out how to do that and get things done differently, together!