Adirondack Council * American Lung Association of New York State Citizens Campaign for the Environment * Citizens' Environmental Coalition
Environmental Advocates of New York * Friends of the Bay Global Warming Action Network of Central New York * Group for the East End Hudson Riversloop Clearwater * Kids Against Pollution * Long Island Neighborhood Network Long Island Sierra Club * New York Interfaith Power and Light New York Public Interest Research Group * Pace Law School Energy Project Physicians for Social Responsibility/NYC * Renewable Energy Long Island * Riverkeeper September 14, 2007 Honorable James W. Wright Honorable Robert K. Sweeney New York State Senate New York State Assembly Legislative Office Building, Room 509 Legislative Office Building, Room 837 Albany NY, 12247 Albany NY, 12248 Dear Senator Wright and Assemblyman Sweeney: Thank you for your efforts this past spring to try to update lighting standards in New York. The bills you sponsored and worked to get passed in your respective houses take positive steps to help New Yorkers use less electricity through lighting. Improving the efficiency of lights will have multiple benefits for New Yorkers. Lighting accounts for about 20% of total electricity use. More efficient products use less electricity, which lowers utility bills, avoids pollution, and improves the transmission system's reliability. In 2005, the legislature and Governor Pataki saw the benefits in creating energy efficiency standards for a series of products and appliances by enacting a bill sponsored by Senator Wright and Assemblyman Tonko. It makes sense for New York to build off of this legislation by amending the Energy Law to set standards for lighting. Senator Wright's bill (S.6190) uses this structure. Light bulbs need to be modernized in New York. The incandescent bulb, as we know it, has barely changed since it was first created in 1903. Clearly the 21st century can do better. A Compact Florescent Light bulb (CFL) uses about 75% less electricity for an equal amount of light and has a life span about 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb. A bulb utilizing solid state technology, Light Emitting Diodes (LED), requires even less power and also lasts a very long time. The technology for more efficient light bulbs continues to grow and change. CLFs are cheaper and better at producing warmer (more desirable) light, and some can even be used with dimmer switches. LEDs can produce a wide range of colors and continue to drop in price. Even incandescent bulbs can use considerably less energy to produce the same amount of light, and certain manufacturers plan to produce higher efficiency incandescent bulbs within this decade. Light efficiency legislation should set specific standards and timelines. This will help light bulb manufacturers better predict market conditions. It will also guarantee specific energy savings. California is doing just that, in legislation that requires regulations, by December 31, 2008, to reduce energy consumption for residential indoor lighting at least 50% below 2007 levels, set commercial indoor lighting and all outdoor lighting standards, and create an enactment date. We support and encourage Page 2 of 2 New York setting a similar residential indoor lighting standard, stringent commercial and outdoor lighting standards, and a date when selling bulbs that fail to meet these standards is prohibited. These provisions are in Assemblyman Sweeney's bill (A.8641b), and should be incorporated in the final legislation. One important issue that must be addressed as New Yorkers switch to more efficient lights is the toxics found in certain bulbs. Fluorescent light bulbs contain mercury, a known neurotoxin, which affects a child's ability to walk, talk, and learn. The California bill creates a recycling program for bulbs containing mercury. New York needs to create a mandatory recycling program to give residents a convenient way to dispose of burnt out bulbs, while keeping toxic mercury from entering our environment, as in Assemblyman Sweeney's bill. We encourage you to bridge the differences between these two pieces of legislation and work to get a bill passed and on the Governor's desk this year. Thank you for your efforts to date and your consideration on this issue. Sincerely, Jason K. Babbie Senior Environmental Policy Analyst New York Public Interest Research Group Steve Breyman, PhD Executive Director Citizens' Environmental Coalition Neal Lewis Executive Director Long Island Neighborhood Network Adrienne Esposito Executive Director Citizens Campaign for the Environment Gordian Raacke Executive Director Renewable Energy Long Island Lisa Rainwater, PhD Policy Director Riverkeeper, Inc. Kyle Rabin Executive Director Friends of the Bay Cathey E. Falvo, MD, MPH President Physicians for Social Responsibility/NYC Mannajo Greene Environmental Action Director Hudson Riversloop Clearwater Jane Fasullo Outreach Chair Long Island Sierra Club Robert DeLuca President Group for the East End David Gahl Air & Energy Program Director Environmental Advocates of New York Scott M. Lorey Legislative Director Adirondack Council Nick Byrne Director Kids Against Pollution Richard Smardon, PhD & Ollie Clubb Co-Chairs Global Warming Action Network of CNY Walter Simpson Co-Founder WNY Climate Action Coalition Fred Zalcman Executive Director Pace Law School Energy Project Michael Seilback Senior Director of Policy American Lung Association of New York State Edward Bennett President New York Interfaith Power and Light _______________________________________________ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
