Islandwide Energy Summit to Focus on Energy Demand & Ways to Reduce Energy Consumption Growth & Fossil Fuel Dependence July 28th Meeting Brings Experts & Public Together To Develop Energy Action Agenda for LI Uniondale, NY - July 26, 2005 - The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) today announced it would convene a Long Island Energy Summit that seeks to explore ways to make Long Island more energy independent and less reliant on oil and other fossil fuels. "Despite increasing energy costs, Long Island continues to consume energy at record or near-record levels," said LIPA Chairman Richard M. Kessel. "While current supplies of all forms of energy are adequate to meet demand, experts predict that some forms of fossil fuel energy will become more expensive in the future as they become scarcer, which begs the question: How will Long Island meet the challenge of meeting consumer demand as supplies decrease while prices increase?" On July 28, starting at 8AM at the Sagtikos Theatre of the Brentwood Campus of Suffolk Community College, representatives of Long Island's energy providers, business leaders, environmentalists, and consumers will explore that question and will seek to establish an Action Agenda that will help improve long-term energy efficiency on Long Island. "We're truly at a crossroads regarding Long Island's energy future," "It would seem that the energy efficiency path offers Long Island the best opportunity for a long-term solution, but all sectors of the Long Island economy must engage in the effort to get the most out of our energy supplies and the money spent on all forms of energy," said Mr. "The skyrocketing cost of oil and with it natural gas is a threat to Long Island's economy, which is so heavily dependent on these fossil fuels" said Mr. Kessel. "The price of a barrel of oil has exceeded $60 and could possibly reach as high as $80 per barrel in the near future," Summit speakers include: Richard Kessel, LIPA Chairman; Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy; Robert Catell, KeySpan Chairman and CEO; Kevin Rooney, Executive Director, Oil Heat Institute; Subimal Chakraborti, Regional Director, NYS Dept. of Transportation; Lee Koppelman, Executive Director, LI Regional Planning Board; Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, Citizens Campaign for the Environment; Gordian Raacke, Executive Director, Renewable Energy Long Island; and Neal Lewis, Executive Director, Neighborhood Network. A keynote speech on international and nation energy trends will be given by Timothy F. Sutherland, CEO, Pace Global Energy Services. Suffolk County Community College president Dr. Shirley Robinson Pippins will offer welcoming remarks, and Action Agenda discussions will take place after the presentations to develop consensus on ways to: stimulate greater conservation for all fuel types; get the government and private sectors working more closely to reduce overall energy use; utilize more alternative energy resources to help lessen demand for traditional fuel sources; and build greater consumer awareness of the need to use all energy types more efficiently. "Last week LIPA set a new one-day peak demand record for delivering electricity to Long Island," said Mr. Kessel. "We also set a new record for the amount of electricity delivered over a five-day period. Long Island seems to have an insatiable appetite for electricity and other forms of energy. When will it stop? Will it ever level off? Can we collectively address these and other questions to put Long Island on more of an even footing with other areas of the country when it comes to commodity price and meeting demand? We need answers now!" The public is welcome to attend the Energy Summit. Summit details and directions can be found on LIPA's Web site at www.lipower.org. ### Contact Information: Press Release 07/26/05 5:25 PM Eastern |
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