Washington,
DC –
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Environment and Public
Works Committee, announced today that Kevin Law, President and CEO of the Long
Island Power Authority, will be testifying on Wednesday, October 28 during a
hearing on the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. Kevin Law is
expected to testify as part of a panel featuring some of the nation’s leading
energy providers.
“I
am honored to have Kevin Law testify as part of these historic hearings,” said Senator
Gillibrand. “The Long Island Power Authority has been at the
forefront of combating global climate change through investments in efficiency
and clean energy development. Mr. Law’s testimony will provide a unique
perspective from an entity that already operates under a program to reduce
emissions. I look forward to welcoming him to Washington and hearing his
expert testimony as we work to strengthen America’s national security, grow
good-paying, green jobs, and stop the effects of global climate change.”
“I
welcome the opportunity given to me by Senator Gillibrand, Senator Boxer, and
the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to share LIPA’s unique
perspective on this groundbreaking energy legislation,” said Kevin Law, President
and CEO of LIPA. “As the second largest public power company in the nation,
LIPA has been leading the way to reduce greenhouse gases and invest in energy
efficiency and renewables. This new bill has the potential to create green jobs
and build a 21st century clean energy economy for Long Island and
the country.”
The
Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act was introduced by Senate
Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry, and Senate Environment & Public Works
Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer on September 30, 2009. The legislation
sets a framework for reducing carbon emissions and investing in energy
efficiency, clean transportation, green job growth, and clean energy research
and development to reverse the effects of global climate change.
LIPA
provides electric service to approximately 1.1 million customers in Nassau and
Suffolk Counties, and the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. It recently launched Efficiency
Long Island, a 10-year, $924 million energy efficiency program that will
make a wide array of incentives, rebates and initiatives available to LIPA’s
residential and commercial customers to assist them in reducing their energy
usage and thereby lowering their bills. In addition, LIPA issued an RFP to add
50 mega watts of on-island solar generation to be tied directly to grid and is
currently negotiating with the winning bidders. This would be the largest solar
project in New York State. More than half of those mega watts are proposed to
be installed at Brookhaven National Laboratory, a facility run by the
Department of Energy.
LIPA’s
Solar Pioneer and Entrepreneur program has seen the installation of Long
Island’s 2,000th solar roof and has rebated approximately $40 million for solar
panels. This summer, Senator Gillibrand announced a key Senate panel approval
of $500,000 for this program.
Through
its various incentives and rebates, LIPA has helped transform the regional
economy, create clean energy jobs, and increase the use of solar power for residences,
businesses, municipalities, and schools. In his testimony, Law will discuss
LIPA’s involvement with New York’s aggressive and comprehensive clean energy
initiatives and how they can work for the rest of the Country. Senator
Gillibrand has continuously pushed for more federal investment in renewable
programs such as LIPA’s.
LIPA
has invested in renewable resources and clean energy technology by:
- Implementing
a residential and commercial customer “smart meter” pilot program - Implementing
an expanded residential and a new commercial solar and wind net metering
program. - Introducing
a backyard wind program to incentivize the installation of residential wind
mills. - Creating
repowering studies to determine the technical and economic feasibility for
modernizing Long Island’s power plants. - Applying
for funds for a proposed Smart Grid Corridor along one of Long Island’s most
economically important areas.