I am happy to see our Governor prioritizing energy efficiency in his proposals outlined last week; clearly this will only multiply the benefits of simultaneously pursuing more renewable energy options. (this article has been excerpted for easy consumption! the bold text is my own – totally biased – formatting)
NY Times April 20, 2007
Spitzer Unveils Initiatives That He Says Would Have State Consuming Less Energy in 2015
By Nicholas ConfessoreGov. Eliot Spitzer proposed one of the most ambitious energy conservation plans in the nation yesterday, pledging a package of legislative and regulatory measures that he said would allow New York to consume less energy in 2015 than it does today.
… ”By embracing ambitious energy efficiency standards and renewable energy goals throughout state government, we will catalyze the growth of the clean power industry.”
… In his speech, Mr. Spitzer said that imposing the new standards would ultimately cost less than building new capacity to meet any extra demand. He said that it currently costs one-third as much to save a given amount of energy through efficiency programs as it would to produce the same amount of energy by building a new power plant.
… ‘‘The governor is putting energy efficiency and conservation back into the heart of the state’s energy policy, which is exactly where it belongs,” said Jason K. Babbie, an energy policy analyst for the New York Public Interest Research Group. ”To say that we’re going to be using less energy in 2015 than we are in 2007 gives New York a real leadership role.”
… ”Just as we have contributed to climate change,” he said, ”we must now contribute to stopping it.”
