House Bill Would Fund Manhattan- JFK Rail Link

Crowley, a member of the House Ways & Means Committee, said the bill would provide at least $370 million in new funding for energy conservation and efficiency-related projects.

A bill to encourage greater use of renewable energy, which was approved by a House committee, could provide the funding for the proposed Manhattan-to- John F. Kennedy International Airport rail link, Congressmember Joseph Crowley stated recently.

Crowley said the proposed Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2007 includes a provision to convert $2 billion in unused, unworkable 9/11 New York Liberty Zone tax credits into funding for regional mass transit projects. Included would be funding for the rail line linking Long Island, Brooklyn and JFK to Lower Manhattan.

Crowley, a member of the House Ways & Means Committee, said the bill would also provide at least $370 million in new funding for energy conservation and efficiency related projects.

The Queens/Bronx lawmaker stated: "Through targeted incentives for consumers and business alike, this energy bill tackles the growing threat of global warming and the dwindling supply of fossil fuels by encouraging more use of renewable energy and better conservation."

He also thanked committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D- Harlem) for his leadership on the "forward-thinking, responsible legislation that will help America and New York to lead the way in energy conservation and renewal".

The bill creates a new category of facilities qualifying for tax credits. It includes power plants that generate power from ocean waves and tides. In addition, the bill authorizes $2 billion of new, clean, renewable energy bonds for public power providers and electric cooperatives that use renewable resources to produce power.- John Toscano