Ways to use green home and business practices to help boost the economy and conserve energy were at the forefront of discussion between candidates for the 46th Senate District.
With only a few weeks left before Election Day, incumbent Sen. Neil Breslin, D-Delmar, and challenger Charlie Voelker discussed their feelings about a recent environmental legislation known as Net Metering Reform, one of the only 2008 priority measures to become law, according to EPL/Environmental advocates.
`Net metering is the practice that credits consumers for the clean energy they generate themselves,` according to information provided by EPL. `[It] will update state policy to save consumers money, reduce stress on aging transmission lines, and protect New Yorkers from the pollution generated by traditional power plants.`
The reform credits consumers for generating solar and other alternative forms of energy.
Voelker said the reform is a good way to boost the economy.
`It’s a stimulus package,` he said. `It’s a great thing; we need to do it. We need to support any ways that we could possibly get people to make sacrifices to generate their own power and decrease their carbon footprint.`
He said the best way to cut the deficit is to generate revenue, and alternative energy is a way to do that.
Breslin said he also supports net metering, citing it as a win-win.
`It gets homeowners to think about solar panels,` he said.
He said he suspects more manufacturers will produce solar panels if the government passes legislation that supports their use.
Breslin recently was scored on his environmental record by EPL and received one of the highest scores in the Senate, according to the EPL Web site.
The EPL advocacy group, established in 1969, scores state legislators on how they vote on sound environmental regulation.
`Every year, New Yorkers count on EPL/Environmental Advocates’ Voters’ Guide to show how their representatives in the state Capitol voted when faced with the choice to protect or pollute our irreplaceable natural resources,` said Robert Moore, executive director of EPL/Environmental Advocates.
Breslin scored a 92 this year, according to the EPL/Environmental Advocates scoring report. The Average score among Senators was 75 for Republicans, 85 for Democrats.
He said his score reflects his attitude toward the environment.
Voelker cited some hurdles that will need to be overcome before the reform can reach its full potential.
He said the U.S. power grid is not able to generate large amounts of wind energy.
He also said that local businesses are interested in the reform, but the current `power producers` want status quo, citing special interest money as a problem.
Voelker said people who are not interested in seeking out alternative energy sources are either `misguided or have a lot of investments in Exxon-Mobil.`
Another shortcoming of net metering is that it does not affect enough people, since a majority of homeowners do not use alternative energy.
He also said there is a lack of manufacturers for alternative energy, specifically solar panels.
Voelker said he wanted to see some other initiatives passed as well. He said funding government agencies that support environmentally friendly initiatives is important, but the state needs to take a stand and understand that changing the poor environmental practices will not be easy.
He said there should be mandates that all state-funded buildings have adequate recycling programs, and he said many state buildings and state parks do not have adequate recycling containers available.
`You’ll find them, but you have to look for them,` he said.
`The environment is a national crisis. People are going to start to have to make sacrifices. We can make money recycling. We can make money on energy.`
He said the process starts with education. Kids must be taught in school how to treat the environment.
Breslin also said there are several other important pieces of legislation he would like to see passed, including the Bigger, Better, Bottle Bill; increased funding for mass transit; tax breaks for generating clean energy; more protection of the wetlands and federal mandates on car manufactures for higher miles-per-gallon of gasoline.
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