Governor Pataki's Energy Indepence Plan

The plug-in hybrid program described in the previous post is only one of eight of New York state's Governor Pataki's inititives he proposed in his 2006 State of the State Address and Executive Budget, to reduce our dependence on imported energy. This energy independence plan promotes greater use of clean, renewable fuels, and will spur additional research and development into clean and alternative energy sources. Among the initiatives proposed by the Governor and approved by the State Legislature were:

1) The elimination of all State taxes on renewable automobile fuels, including ethanol (E85), biodiesel, and compressed natural gas (CNG), hydrogen, and other renewable fuels, providing a savings of approximately 40 cents/gallon for consumers.

2) A $10 million competitive grant program, administered by NYSERDA, for private sector gasoline companies to install renewable fuel pumps for E85, biodiesel, CNG, or other renewable fuels. It is estimated that the program will support the installation and operation of between 400 and 600 renewable fuel pumps at private stations across the State. The New York State Thruway Authority is already moving forward with its program to install renewable fuel pumps at all 27 Thruway travel plazas.

3) The expansion of the State’s Empire Zones program to provide tax benefits to clean energy companies regardless of where they are located in New York State. These tax incentives will be available to qualifying companies engaged in research, development, or manufacturing of energy-efficient or renewable energy technologies or products.

4) A $5 million competitive grant program, administered by NYSERDA, for start-up companies that are developing or deploying the next generation of vehicle batteries, propulsions systems, and lightweight vehicle parts and components.

5) The elimination of "exclusivity contracts" between fuel providers and retail service stations, which only allow the service stations to sell specific brands of fuel. In most cases, these brands do not include renewable fuels. Since the “exclusivity” contracts prohibit service stations from obtaining renewable fuels like ethanol (E85) from other sources, these fuels are not available for sale to consumers.

6) Tax credits to cover up to 50 percent of the cost of purchasing alternative fuel vehicle refueling equipment that would be used by facilities selling E85, biodiesel, CNG, hydrogen, natural gas, liquefied or petroleum gas.

7) A $5 million competitive grant program, administered by NYSERDA, for the development of hydrogen fueling stations across New York and the conversion of existing internal combustion vehicles to be able to operate using hydrogen fuel.

What do you think of these inititives, which ones would you support and which would you discourage?  I will give you my choices after you have a few days to discuss this.

Comments

[Engineer-Poet]

The only thing with a future is #5.

[Nucbuddy]

If, by "energy independence", Pataki means national energy independence, that would seem to be not any of his state's business.

If a nation has assigned some negative national value to imported energy, then naturally it should impose a national import tariff equal to that value.

If a nation a nation is worried about too-steep a ramp-up in future energy prices, then naturally it should encourage its securities traders to speculate on future energy prices. One way to accomplish the latter might be to reduce security-trading taxes.

[david foster]

Why on earth would a program like this include subsidies for fueling facilities selling compressed natural gas (#6)? Are these people not aware that natural gas is also subject to shortages, and that such shortages are likely to be much more extreme than oil shortages, given the difficulty of transporting natural gas by sea?

[Engineer-Poet]

They may be aware of it, but the press and public (which gives them points for coming up with "green" and "energy independence" initiatives) apparently are not.

This is a good subject for letters to newspaper editors.

[Android Tablet PCs]

Jason,
You can discover what Steven Carew "has got" by visiting wholesale the website for Rhino Hydro. There are a few "update" items there, dated 2004.

But, the essence of Steve's invention is described under the "technical" menu selection, as follows:

"This electro generating plant employs magnets and springs to help create a perpetual motion which hiphone drives a generator. Thus giving you the electricity you need."

Get the picture, Jason? Hard to imagine Steve can't get funding . . .2945abc45 0422