LIPA’s Newly Released Renewable Energy Proposal Will Make Long Island a Renewable Leader
(Long Island, NY) Today groups praised the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) and Governor Cuomo for moving forward with plans to purchase renewable energy for Long Island. Almost a year after superstorm Sandy, with recovery efforts still underway, LIPA released an historic Request for Proposals (RFP) to invest in 280MW of renewable energy, enough to power more than 80,000 Long Island homes. This would facilitate the largest renewable energy investment in Long Island history and could lead to building one of the nation’s first offshore wind farms.
Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg, (D-Long Beach) who’s district was devastated by superstorm Sandy, highlighted the urgency to act on climate change, “There is no longer any doubt that our climate has changed and has become more extreme. This is impacting health, safety and quality of life for so many. After witnessing Sandy’s utter devastation and its lengthy aftermath, we all know changes are necessary in order to help stabilize our severe weather.”
Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Renewable Energy Long Island, National Wildlife Federation and the Sierra Club have been working with partners across the state to ensure New York meets its renewable energy targets, an effort which has gained steam post-Sandy. While the Governor has supported the advancement of solar energy, the state and Long Island continue to be behind in meeting their renewable energy goals. In light of the devastating impacts of superstorm Sandy, this broad coalition is calling on the Governor to fight climate disruption by making significant commitments to advance wind power for New York.
“As someone who witnessed superstorm Sandy ravage my community and my home, it is clear that our energy choices must change. Investing in large-scale renewables is an investment in a cleaner, safer future. This RFP is an opportunity for Long Island to be a leader in the fight against climate change,” stated John McNally, resident of Long Beach, and Associate Director of The Energeia Partnership at Molloy College.
“Long Islanders understand the real devastating effects of climate change. We need to act now to curb harmful polluting fossil fuels and increase renewable energies, including investing in offshore wind. It takes us a few months to site fossil fuel power plants anddecades for clean offshore wind. We must reverse this pattern, tackle climate change and create a new energy paradigm,” stated Adrienne Esposito, executive director, Citizens Campaign for the Environment.
“Offshore wind turbines have been operating across the Atlantic for two decades. Europe’s 55 offshore wind farms have created 58,000 jobs while generating carbon-free electricity”, said Gordian Raacke, executive director of Renewable Energy Long Island. “Long Island has a vast offshore wind resource and its time to make the needed investments to harvest this clean and abundant supply of energy.”
With surrounding states moving ahead on plans to invest in offshore wind, Governor Cuomo has the opportunity to make New York a national leader or let the state fall behind in developing a clean tech economy. With the potential for thousands of jobs throughout the region and the potential to spur a larger clean tech economy, the appeal of offshore wind is attracting a broad coalition of supporters.
“Renewable energy resources have the potential to create new, high paying jobs for our region, which is exactly what we need to continue Long Island’s recovery through high tech jobs. An investment in offshore wind will address the issues of climate change while at the same time providing additional power for our island’s economic growth,” said Roger Clayman, Executive Director of Long Island Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO.
“The benefits of investing in offshore wind are tremendous. We can help protect our coastal communities from the threat of climate disruption while creating reliable high paying jobs and making Long Island a clean tech leader. What we need is leadership,” saidDavid Alicea, Sierra Club Organizing Representative. “Governor Cuomo needs to decide, should we stick with dirty, outdated fossil fuels or make smart investments in 21st century clean solutions like offshore wind.”
“As we approach the anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, it is more important than ever for New York to rethink its energy choices,” said Catherine Bowes, Senior Manager atNational Wildlife Federation. “Increasing production of clean energy like offshore wind power is urgently needed to protect our wildlife and communities from the devastating impacts of climate change, and the Long Island Power Authority has a critical role to play in helping New York reach this new clean energy frontier.”
Contact:
David Alicea, Sierra Club, 631-223-6330, David.
Adrienne Esposito, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, 516-390-7150
Gordian Raacke, Renewable Energy Long Island. 516-313-6611 Gordian@
Miles Grant, National Wildlife Federation, 703-864-9599. grantm@nwf.org
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organizations, with more than 2.1 million members and supporters nationwide. The Sierra Club works to safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and litigation.
Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE) empowers communities and advocates solutions for our shared environment and public health and is supported by over 80,000 members throughout New York State and Connecticut. www.
RELI is a membership-based, non-for-profit organization promoting clean, sustainable energy use and generation for Long Island. RELI seeks public participation in energy policy decisions to encourage energy efficiency, use of renewable energy sources, and to protect our environment, economy, and public health.
National Wildlife Federation is America’s oldest and largest conservation organization, with an over 75 year history of inspiring Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future. NWF is working on behalf of over 200,000 members in New York to advance appropriately-sited clean energy in order to protect wildlife from the urgent threat of climate change. www.nwf.org
