How do we address these problems and what can government do?

NYLCVEF advocates a multi-pronged approach that will marshal a variety of government programs and incentives to build a cleaner and more sustainable future. Our approach to energy combines government action with citizen responsibility. New York State needs a holistic approach to the energy crisis that goes beyond encouraging renewables to encompass energy efficiency, transit improvements and the creation of more sustainable communities.

Our energy policy centers on three areas:

• Energy efficiency: It is essential that consumers reduce the amount of energy they use. This doesn't mean giving up our air conditioners of flat screen TVs. It means using energy more intelligently, creating incentives for conservation and creating smarter, more energy efficient homes and offices. Our program for energy efficiency calls for:
• Creating new "green" building standards: We need to require developers to take simple and common-sense steps to build smarter buildings.
• Developing incentives to encourage individual building owners to retrofit their properties. Simple improvements such as installing energy-efficient lighting and improving insulation can reap enormous energy savings.
• Universal deployment of smart meters: Smart meters show a customer how much electricity he or she is using on an hour-by-hour basis. The City of New York estimates that it can reduce its energy usage by 4% simply by smart metering all city buildings.

• Smart growth and transit: While New York State is one of the largest energy consumers in the country, the state's per capita consumption is among the lowest. This owes in large part the state's unusually high dependence on mass transit and on the density of the state's built environment. Creating a sustainable energy future means reducing the use of fossil fuels to provide transportation for both people and goods. We need to rethink our built environment and create the sorts of communities that encourage smarter living and cleaner and more efficient transportation. Our agenda focuses on:
• Smart growth: We can create more efficient homes while building livable communities that are attractive to 21^st century workers and businesses. Smart growth principles emphasize walkable, higher-density communities, mixed-income and mixed-use housing, and transit-centered development. Higher-density communities that are well served by transit significantly reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. New York State residents as a whole use nearly twice as much electricity as the average New York City resident. Likewise, New York City's urban dwellers have carbon footprints that are less than a third of the average American.
• Fund and expand our transit network: New York State's transit resources, particularly downstate, are invaluable assets in a carbon-constrained future. Our transit systems provide a highly energy-efficient means of transit that protects us energy price volatility and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. We need to invest in our transit network to both expand it and keep existing infrastructure in a state of good repair.
• Expand rail freight capacity: Transporting freight by rail is four times as fuel efficient and half as expensive as using trucks. Unfortunately, New York's rail freight infrastructure is poorly developed in many parts of the state. We need to develop the infrastructure to dramatically increase rail freight usage throughout the state.

• Invest in renewables: Clearly one of the most important activities for the state government must be to increase renewable energy generation. NYLCVEF will be publishing a detailed report this summer that will outline our strategy for achieving this. Our report will focus on what incentives the state needs to provide to encourage the use of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. We'll map out a strategy for addressing prominent regulatory issues such as fast tracking the sitting of clean-energy facilities, targeting monetary incentives where they will have the most impact and what sort of outright mandates will make sense in New York's regulatory and political environment. Be sure to check back on this site for frequent updates.

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