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LIPA’s six-year plan for a zerocarbon power grid By BRANDON CRUZ bcruz@liherald.com
Skye Margies/Herald
Mimi Pierre-Johnson, Hempstead Mayor Waylyn Hobbs and Nassau County Legislator Carriéé Solages at the Rosa Parks Hempstead Transit Center, speaking about sharing constituents’ concerns about public transit equity on Long Island.
Fighting for equity Protesters stage bus rally from Elmont to Hempstead By BRANDON CRUZ bcruz@liherald.com
Public transit users from Uniondale, Roosevelt, Hempstead and Elmont united for a bus rally on Feb. 4 in honor of both Rosa Parks’ birthday and Transit Equity Day, to demand exactly that: an equitable distribution of funding and resources to the county’s public transportation system. Organizers from the Elmont Cultural Center and New York Communities for Change organized the ride-along and rally, planning to take protesters from a bus stop in Elmont to the Rosa Parks Hempstead Transit Center in order to show those who were unfamiliar with Nassau Inter-County Express bus service how long it takes to get from one place to another, and the inconvenience and stress involved. But because NICE buses were not operat-
ing at the Elmont stop — at Russell Avenue and Dutch Broadway — protesters were delayed in getting to the transit center. ECC organizer Mimi Pierre-Johnson, who helped stage the rally, said this was a perfect example of just one inconvenience that everyday riders face. “We want to bring attention to the inequalities in transportation on Long Island,” Pierre-Johnson said. “We’re fighting for more services, more funding, and more equity in our communities.” Organizers also made clear that “equity” includes fair pay for NICE’s bus drivers. Among those who attended the ride-along and rally was County Legislator Carrié Solages, who noted that the high property taxes residents pay often don’t find their way back to many communities equitably. CoNTINued oN Page 4
T he Long Island Power Authority recently unveiled its c o m p re h e n s ive I n t e g r at e d Resource Plan, outlining how it will achieve the state’s goals of creating a zero-carbon power grid in the next six years. New York state’s Climate Act of 2019 established several ambitious goals to combat climate change. The state plans to move away from fossil fuels, generating 70 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and 100 percent by 2040 — with an overall goal of reducing greenhouse emissions by 85 percent by 2050. LIPA’s Integrated Resource Plan shows how it will make the shift from fossil fuels, which account for almost half of Long Island’s electricity production, with “imports” from other regional energy markets, such as coal and oil, responsible for 34 percent. Meanwhile, clean, renewable sources, such as solar, account for just 5 percent. But by 2030, LIPA, which is headquartered in Uniondale, plans to repurpose its existing power plants and cut fossil fuel use to just 14 percent, while slicing import use in half, to 15 percent. According to LIPA, this could be accomplished by increasing the production of off-
shore wind energy. “Everybody thinks this is something we’re doing in the future,” Thomas Falcone, chief executive officer of LIPA, said at the recent public information session on Monday in Uniondale, in which he presented LIPA’s plan and invited comments and questions from residents. “We’re doing these things right now.” But one key factor the plan fails to address is how LIPA’s proposed overhaul of its infrastructure and a shift in power sources will financially impact ratepayers. LIPA is a public authority that contracts with private companies, like PSEG and National Grid, which provide the electricity and operate the systems that LIPA oversees. According to LIPA, they are the third-largest “not-for-profit” public utility in the United States. However, despite this not-for-profit categorization, LIPA’s rates are the fourth-highest in the nation compared with utilities of similar size, according to the latest U.S. Energy Administration report. “I read the (Inte g rated Resource Plan) and saw a lot of great things in there,” said Fred Harrison, a retired teacher who attended a public information in Uniondale. “They address that we’re going to need more electric vehicle charging stations and CoNTINued oN Page 16