Council Moves To Improve City's Electric Power Picture

Councilmember James Gennaro (D- Fresh Meadows), chair of the Environmental Committee stated: "The council is committed to providing clean air and clean water for New Yorkers.

The City Council approved a bill last week which positions New York City to provide cleaner and more environmentally friendly energy and could in the future reduce stress on the city power supply.

The measure requires the city to determine whether co-generation, the process of capturing energy normally lost in producing power and uses it again, and natural gas technology are appropriate for certain city-owned buildings and facilities.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D- Manhattan), commenting on the measure, stated: "With increasing demands on our power supply, and the threat of global

warming growing daily, we must move to

reduce our dependence on power plants with outdated technology. The council has already started work by increasing the number of green (environmentally friendly) taxies on city streets and making city buildings more environmentally friendly. This bill is another step toward providing clean energy for New Yorkers, and just as importantly, it paves the way for providing alternative sources of energy for our overtapped system."

Also commenting on the bill's passage, Councilmember James Gennaro (D- Fresh Meadows), chair of the Environmental Committee stated: "The council is committed to providing clean air and clean water for New Yorkers. To further our efforts, we need to continue to update and improve technology at the city's facilities so that they provide clean, reliable and more efficient energy."

Under the approved bill, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services is required to conduct an assessment of city facilities with 500-kilowatt or greater peak electricity demand to determine whether co-generation and natural gas-based distributed generation projects are appropriate for these facilities.- John Toscano