Office of Borough President James P. Molinaro
Staten Island, New York
Wind power at no cost to City: B.P. Molinaro asks the President, Governor and Mayor to make Island renewable energy capital of New York City
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Borough President James P. Molinaro today asked New Yorkers to imagine President Obama, Governor Paterson and Mayor Bloomberg joining him at the former Fresh Kills landfill to cut the ribbon on New York City’s first wind farm.
Can it happen?
“Yes it can,” said Molinaro. “All three leaders have recently announced investments in wind power, and I ask them to join me in making my Fresh Kills wind farm proposal a reality. It is time we turned this environmental nightmare into the renewable energy capital of New York City.”
In President Obama’s speech to Congress this week, he announced a $15 billion annual investment to develop technologies including windpower. In Governor Paterson’s “State of the State” address last month, he proposed innovative financing mechanisms to help New Yorkers retrofit their homes and businesses and invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy. In Mayor Bloomberg’s “State of the City” address, he said he will encourage investment in windpower by identifying the best places in the City to generate it.
“We can start right here on Staten Island,” Molinaro said. “Fresh Kills is the only site in the City that has been tested and proven suitable for a wind farm.”
A 14-month, $500,000 study commissioned by Molinaro and underwritten by the New York State Energy Research and Development Agency and BQ Energy determined that not only is a windfarm feasible at Fresh Kills, but it is the only location in New York City that could support wind energy. Seven 400-foot wind turbines would generate 17.5 megawatts of energy, which is equal to 3% of Staten Island’s energy use.
“This wind farm could generate enough clean, renewable energy to power as many as 5,000 homes,” said Molinaro. “That’s equal to 4.3 million gallons of oil, so we would reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and it wouldn’t cost the City a dime!
“Private companies would compete for a lease to develop a wind farm at Fresh Kills at their own expense, at absolutely no cost to taxpayers,” added Molinaro. “All that is needed is for the City to begin the process.
“However, since I first made this proposal in 2004, not one government agency has taken the lead to make it a reality,” said Molinaro. “Surprisingly, what’s preventing this important project from moving forward is the regulatory agencies involved. I have heard every possible excuse as to why this project cannot progress, ranging from the ridiculous – windmills kill too many birds – to the physically incorrect – landfills cannot physically support windmills.”
Molinaro has written to the President, Governor and Mayor asking their support and assistance to get his Fresh Kills wind farm project moving forward. “Now is the time to make the Fresh Kills wind farm a reality, and I am confident that this project will gain momentum, and that Staten Island will become a leader in environmentally-friendly power.”
February 26, 2009