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Dear Paul DeCotis, Energy PlanningBoard,

As you are aware,the priorities of ExecutiveOrder Number 2 are as follows: a “diversity of fuel supplies;(ii) protectionof public healthand safety;(iii) the needsof vulnerablecommunities; (iv) consumercost impacts;(v) the relative economic competitivenessof the State;(vi) the State’snatural resources, (vii) the reductionof greenhousegases; (viii) energyconservation and efficiency; (ix) cleanand renewable energyresources; (x) the maintenanceof reliable electricand natural gassystems.” In accordancewith theseexplicit objectiveswe believe thatyou havean obligation to makesure that New York placesall future energyinvestments in clean, renewableenergy. To bestmeet these objectives, reliance on nuclearenergy and needbe phased out, use brought to a minimum, hydropowermaintained and wind and solar energymaximized while emergingsources of energy,such as geothermal, are kept in consideration.Only this will provideNew York with a “diversity of fuel supplies”while protectingthe healthof the public, reducinggreenhouse gases, relying on our own naturalresources and taking into accountlong term consumercost impacts.

Nuclear energycurrently providesNew York with 26% of our electricity fromsix nuclearenergy reactors at four plants.Of these,Indian Point 2 and 3 in Buchanan,NY will expire in 2013 and2015, respectively. The NuclearRegulatory Commissionhas acceptedapplications to renewIndian Point’s license.Please do not let this happen.Even if Indian Point was a “safe” sourceof nuclearenergy (which it is not; in August 2005 Indian Point2 was leaking abouttwo liters of radioactivewater a day. While the NRC and EPA have statedthat this was not a healthrisk, the EPA also deemedpotential radiation levels at YuccaMountain to be safe,a decisionthat was later ruled to be inadequateand illegal!), nuclearenergy in itself is ultimately extremelydangerous becausethere is no satisfactoryway to disposeof nuclearwaste. Currently the only long term storagesolution that is evenpotentially acceptableis to bury spentfuel rods and other wastedeep underground. Some scientists say that Yucca Mountain, the proposedburial site, shouldnever be allowedto openbecause there are too many risks.These include the possibility of rock fracturesand cracksin the groundthat would leak water andcorrode the storagecontainers and alsothe fact that the rain that seepsinto the mountaineach year could carry radioactivewaste into drinking water.We currently have nosafe solution to nuclearwaste disposal,and there isno guaranteethat any future proposalswould be ableto lastthe necessary10,000 years it takesfor radioactivewaste tobecome safe. Because of this the re-licensingof currentnuclear plants or the creationof new nuclearplants is in direct oppositionto ExecutiveOrder Number 2.

Coal providesNew York with 13%of its electricity. While the U.S. Geological Surveyhas predicted that coal could last the world for up to 1,125years, and the United Statescould supplyitself with coal for 300 years,if U.S. coaluse increasesexponentially by 4% a year, as predicted bythe coal industry, we will run out in 64 years. Also, while all coal mining is environmentallydegrading, mountain top removal is the worst methodused. Right nowmany of New York’s coal poweredplants get their coal from mountain topremoval sites,including TrigenSyracuse Energy owned by SUEZ EnergyResources NA Inc in Syracuse. Mountaintop removalis a form of mining that first stripsa mountainof all vegetationand topsoil, dumpingthis down the mountain.The top of the mountainis then detonated,and the debrisis again dumpeddown the mountain.Next the coal is washed, creatingcoal sludgecontaining coal dust,clay andtoxic chemicalssuch as arsenic, mercury,lead, copper, and chromium. All of this debrisand sludgeare causing serioushealth problems for peopleliving nearthe 470Appalachian Mountains that havealready been destroyed.Problems include liver failure, gall bladder problems,hair loss,and asthma.These people are not residents of New York but they are still people.This is not an industry that New York should support. In the U.S. coal also causes23,500 premature deaths annually, 38,200 non-fatal heart attacks,554,000 asthmaattacks, and billions of dollars in propertydamages. It accountsfor ¼ of toxic mercurypresent in the atmosphereand releases more radioactive particlesthan a normally functioning nuclearreactor. This past summerGovernor Patterson came out in supportof a new “clean” coal poweredplant in Jamestowneven after a similar projectat the Huntley Plant in Tonawandahad to be cancelledbecause it was financially impossible.Furthermore, as statedon GovernorPatterson’s web site, “componenttechnologies of CCS— carbon capturetechnology and sequestrationtechnology — have beenproven independently, they have neverbeen proven to work in concerton the scaleof a commercialpower plant and over a long period of time,” meaningthat thisis a project proposingto useunproven and thereforeunreliable technology. It is a projectwith absolutelyno guaranteefor success. Pleasedo not spend$6 million of preciousstate dollars on a potentiallyworthless project. This projectis in direct oppositionto ExecutiveOrder Number 2 in termsof the protectionof public health,consumer cost impacts,the reductionof greenhousegases, and the useof local resources,as coal is not a local resource.

Currentlynatural gasis usedin a wide variety of roles which include powering generators,heating buildings, and creatingconsumer products. This energysource makes up 25% of energyused in New York. Rightnow this is acceptablebecause natural gasis still an abundant resource.However, natural gas is a by-productof oil meaningthat as oil becomesscarcer and lesseconomically feasible, so will natural gas. Overall natural gasis a positive and cleanenergy source; however, no matter what you burn it will alwaysleave someform of pollutantsbehind in the air, and in the caseof a power plant, as heatin water. This heatcan disrupt wildlife migratorypatterns, egg laying, and in someextreme cases even kill wildlife. Becauseof this naturalgas is an excellentback up power sourcebut it cannot ultimately be relied on as a stablesource of energy.Maintaining naturalgas power generationfacilities is important,as outlinedin ExecutiveOrder Number 2; however,this shouldnot be the main priority.

InsteadNew York needsto focus on alreadyestablished clean technologies such as hydroelectric,solar and . Hydroelectric poweris being usedin many different countriesand is reliable. Thisenergy source makes up 18%of the energyused in the New York. The energyis capturedthrough the useof a damthat builds up waterin a reservoirbehind it,and then is releasedto createenergy through the use of turbine generators.This is goodbecause the water is renewableand a clean sourceof energy. However,it’s also badin that the reservoircan take up a large amountof land andmay thereforedisplace many peopleand destroymany animal habitats and possiblysome animalsthrough the disruptionof migratory patterns. The only other downside tothis is that in someareas there is not an excessof water so this technologycannot be implementedeverywhere. Some places in New York that are currently using damsare the St. Lawrence-FranklinD. RooseveltPower Project, the NiagaraPower Project, Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project,and Small Hydro Projects. Responsiblemanagement and maintenance of thesefacilities is very importantto maintaininga cleanand diverseenergy supply for New York.

Solarpower canbe usedin many placeswhere nuclear energy or coal currentlyis used.It can alsobe usedin conjunctionwith the nationalgrid in a cost efficient way. Solarenergy has been proven effective in heating,cooling, lighting, electricity, andhot water generationthrough use of photovoltaicsystems and passive systems. Passive systemscan be easily installedwith little cost.These systems use a greenhouse heatingeffect. This meanswindows areplaced on south-facingwalls. They absorbthe heat andtransfer it inside.Fans andconcrete floors canmove the heat to the restof the house.Variations of this can be usedto storethe heator evencool the housethrough the use of desiccantsystems. The photovoltaicsystem is more common.It usessolar cells to generateDC power, which can be converted toAC powerto usein homesfor electricity, lighting, or heating.A four-inch cell can produceone watt of energy.Imagine the powerthat canbe producedwhen a roof is coveredwith hundredsof thesecells insteadof shingles.A fixed system, suchas that on a roof, or a tracking systemcan be used. A tracking system,although more expensive,can generatemore electricity since it follows the sun’s paththroughout the day. Placingthe panel ona one-or two-axis designdoes this easily.One-axis designs follow the sun’spath throughoutthe day while two-axis designsfollow the sun as it movesthroughout the day and theseasons. When connectedto the grid the panelscan generateelectricity. Sincesolar power onlycollects what is naturally radiatedfrom the sun,is doesnot pollute air or water resources.Only a minor amountsor cadmiumand arsenicare produced as a by-productand theseare carefully recycledor disposedof properly. Just astraditional sourcesof power aremade financially viable throughvarious forms of governmentsubsidies, , at leastuntil it becomesmore widely used, is greatly benefitedby governmentfinancial assistance.Right now tax creditsand net meteringhelp, but for manyNew Yorkers solarpower is still expensive.However, you can makeit economicallyfeasible. Similarly, wind power, especiallyas the technologycontinues to develop,needs to be kept in mind. FennerWind Farm, near Syracuse,is an excellentexample of a developingwind farm. While the project isn’t perfect,it will ultimately generateenough power for 7,000homes. Right now the turbinesneed to be shut down when the wind gets too strong,forcing us to lose tons of electricity,but as researchcontinues, thistechnology becomesmore efficient. Right now solarpower andwind power accountfor lessthan 1% of New York’s electricity. This is not representativeof a diversity of fuel supplies.All fossil fueled electricity aswell as nuclear poweris ultimately bad for the healthand safetyof New Yorkers.As fossil fuels run out, whetherthis happensin 10 yearsor 100years, they will becomeless and lesseconomically feasible and therefore more economicallyharmful to New Yorkers.Investment in cleanand is theonly way to truly follow throughwith the objectivesset forth in ExecutiveOrder Number 2. As theclassof Biology 225 atLe MoyneCollege,we arethefutureof New York and this issue isextremely important to us. Thank you for hearin our opinionsand consideringsafer andgreener energy alternatives. Please email a responseto maggijt~stu lemoyneedu

Thank you, Biology Class225 Fall 2008 Le Moyne College Syracuse,NY 13214 ~ o~

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