PRESS RELEASE

April 19, 2007

NEW YORK'S ENVIRONMENT AND CONSUMERS WILL REAP BIG BENEFITS UNDER GOVERNOR SPITZER'S ENERGY EFFICIENCY PLAN

ALBANY, NY)— New York Governor Spitzer’s proposal, announced this morning, to reduce electric energy use in New York by 15% by 2015 couples vision and common sense. 

 No state or national leader has previously supported this scale of efficiency program, one which meets all of our new needs for electricity—and then actually reduces our current level of dependency on fossil fuels.  Neither New York nor any other state can persist in expanding its use of increasingly expensive and increasingly unreliable imported fossil fuels.  Increased efficiency will now be New York’s “First Option” for our energy future.

 This 15% goal is common sense because energy efficiency is by far the lowest cost way to meet New York’s current and future energy needs—and it does so while also promoting significant job development in our state. 

 “This is a banner day for New York’s economy and its environment” said Fred Zalcman, Executive Director of the Pace Law School Energy Project.  “Governor Spitzer’s ‘15 by 15’ initiative promises to be the nation’s most intensive effort so far to tap our cheapest and most abundant energy resource: improved efficiency”.

 "Energy efficiency is the key to meeting our growing energy needs, lowering consumer electric bills, and reducing global warming pollution," said Ashok Gupta, air and energy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Governor Spitzer's commitment to energy efficiency will make New York the benchmark against which all other states will now have to be measured." 

David Hepinstall, the Executive Director of the Association for Energy Affordability, stated that “Low income energy consumers can no longer afford to pay these rising prices.  We applaud Governor Spitzer’s aggressive proposal to lower average energy bills through greater efficiency.” 

 "Increasing our investment in energy efficiency is one of the smartest things New York can do to reduce all types of air pollution, including the pollution that causes global warming" said David Gahl, Air & Energy Program Director at Environmental Advocates of New York. “The Governor’s initiative will help protect New York’s natural resources from increased levels of mercury contamination, destruction of our forest ecosystems by acid rain, and the wide ranging negative effects associated with global warming." 

For a copy of Spitzer’s speech this morning and details on the 15x15 plan, visit www.eany.org/SpitzerSpeech.pdf.  

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Environmental Advocates of New York is the state’s government watchdog, holding lawmakers and agencies accountable for implementing policy that protects natural resources and safeguards public health. Environmental Advocates works alone and in coalitions, and has more than 7,000 individual and 130 organizational members. The 501(c)(3) is also the New York affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation. For more information call 518.462.5526 or visit www.eany.org.