Renewable Power Options for the East End

Today we look at renewable energy options for Long Island’s electric grid including solar and wind power as well as off shore wind farms under construction for New England.   

Long Island’s electric power is supplied from various sources both on and off island.

The Long Island Power authority says that the biggest part of the cost of power is the cost of fuels, primarily natural gas. And that cost is highly variable – changing with market conditions.

Next month LIPA will choose from among proposals for solar and wind generated power for Long Island.  Advocates say that solar or wind power generation will reduce our carbon footprint and lower the cost of power delivered to Long Island.

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Gordian Raacke of Renewable Energy Long Island (RELI) and Clinton Plummer of Deepwater Wind are heard on today's program.  

listen here

Additional Information about today's topics:

Details of Block Island Wind Farm under construction 

and proposal for Long Island

LIPA's Power Supply Charges

PSEG/Long Island incentives to reduce electic power demand

Tri - State Transportation Campaign - Ryan Lynch

The lack of adequate mass transit on Long Island’s East End has been long - recognized but has not received the attention it deserves.

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign  is a non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to reducing car dependency in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Today we talk with Ryan Lynch, Associate Director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign about the state of mass transportation on eastern Long Island and the metro area.

We learn that LIRR's plan for 'Scoot' shuttle trains on the east end from Speonk to Montauk and from Ronkonkoma to Greenport has been cancelled. 

listen here:

This is another in the  monthly series about issues of land use, water and energy resources, transportation and the food industries on the twin forks of Long Island.  It is heard on the 2nd Thursday each month on listener-powered WPKN Radio - 89.5 FM and streaming live at wpkn.org.

Renewable Energy on Long Island - a talk with Gordian Raacke, Updated

September 11, 2014

We talk with Gordian Raacke, director of RELI – Renewable Energy Long Island. 

Renewable Energy Long Island describes itself as a "membership-based, non-for-profit organization promoting clean, sustainable energy use and generation for Long Island.RELI provides information to consumers and contractors and publishes a green business directory, the Long Island GreenGuide in print and online.

Update:

We talked with Gordian Raacke in April 2013. 

Since then, the state decided against privitization of Long Island's power system. LIPA still oversees the system, which is being managed by PSEG - Long Island, a subsidary of Public Service Electric & Gas of New Jersey.

In May this year, the East Hampton Town board voted to set a goal to meet all its electrical energy needs using renewable sources by the year 2020. and to meet all its energy needs with renewable energy sources by 2030.

Deepwater Wind won a federal lease in July 2013 to develop a 200 megawatt off-shore wind farm  30 miles east of Montauk.  They applied in March to supply the power to LIPA.

LIPA decided last month not to build another gas-fired power plant planned for Yaphank.

 PSEG-Long Island presented a long range plan criticized for not including renewable power sources.

Listen here 

Saving Accabonac Harbor

August 14, 2014

Accabonac Harbor in the hamlet of Springs in East Hampton, New York is a scenic and diverse tidal marsh system.  As with many areas of the town, the Harbor, also known as Accabonac Creek, has been under pressure from developers of second homes as well as other environmental threats. 

Residents of the area formed the Accabonac Protection Committee in 1985.

Francesca Rheannon talks with Cile Downs and Jorie Latham of the committee.

Listen here

More information about the work of the Accabonac Protection Committee is online at Accabonac.org

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Ruben Bess Valdez talks about the Shinnecock Shellfish Hatchery and pollution of the bays.


September 13, 2012 - Updated July 10, 2014

The people of the Shinnecock Indian Nation have been harvesting shellfish from the waters of what is now Southampton for millennia.

Tony Ernst, Sustainable East End co-producer  talks with Ruben Bess Valdez, of the Shinnecock Shellfish Hatchery about the challanges to developing the oyster business in the face of increasing

pollution of the waters surrounding the reservation.

July 10, 2014:

Here is an update on activities at Shinnecock:

According to the Southampton Press, as part of a federal aid package awarded last month for restoring reservation shoreline damaged during Superstorm Sandy, the tribe, will receive funds to repair the crumbling shellfish hatchery building.  

In addition to restoring the shoreline, other projects intended to dampen the effects of future storm-driven waves are being considered.  Restoring eelgrass beds in the near-shore waters of eastern Shinnecock Bay could act as a dampener for waves and storm surge, as could an oyster reef the tribe would like to create along the tidal shallows off its shores.

Listen here:
  

More information about the Shinnecock Nation and the shellfish hatchery is available at www.shinnecocknation.org/trustees-corner

More information about efforts to clean up the waters of the east end can be found at www.peconicbaykeeper.org

Sustainable East End is produced by Tony Ernst and the program host, Francesca Rheannon.

  

from shinnecocknation.org:

Shinnecock Shellfish Hatcheries 

Back in the 1980’s, the Shinnecock Indian Nation ran a Tribally owned and operated shellfish hatchery which was successful for approximately 10 years, until much of Long Island was adversely affected by the Brown Tide that devastated much of the shellfish industry on the Island. The building from which this Tribal economic development project ran also was one of the first solar paneled buildings on Long Island and was noted for its high-energy efficiency. In the summer of 2004, a small group of determined Shinnecock Tribal Members decided it was time to reassess and evaluate the possibility of beginning a new shellfish hatchery based on re-seeding of the Shinnecock Bay with oyster spawn. With initial funding from the Long Island Community Foundation, and later on the Horace Hagedorn Foundation, Kraft Environmental Family Fund and finally, the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) DHHS, Washington, D.C., the Hatchery was re-born. Today, the Bay has produced thousands of succulent and healthy oysters as well as clams and other shellfish. With pending funding requests, there is a lucrative market for the Shinnecock shellfish whereby once re-established and operational will provide the Nation with a self-sustaining and culturally relevant source of Tribal income. In addition to being a source of economic development, the Hatchery will contain an environmental component of educating Shinnecock and non-Native students alike to the important field of aquaculture and related sciences

Dock to Dish

We look at "Community Supported Fishing" with Sean Barrett of Dock to Dish.

Inspired by the success of community supported agriculture, Dock to Dish introduced a new model for the fishing marketplace that they say "strengthens the viability of the Montauk fishing economy with a membership model" for purchasing seafood.

Co-producer, Tony Ernst talks with Sean Barrett:

listen here

Seedtime: On the History, Husbandry, Politics and Promise of Seeds.

Host Francesca Rheannon talks with Scott Chaskey about his book Seedtime: On the History, Husbandry, Politics and Promise of Seeds.  

Chaskey is manager of the Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett, New York’s first Community Supported Agriculture organic farm.  The farm is owned by the Peconic Land Trust; an organization devoted to preservation of farms and open space on Long Island’s east end. 

Listen here

East Hampton Town Trustee Deborah Klughers

February 13, 2014

Today’s show is another in this series concerning issues of land use, water resources, transportation and the farming and food industries on the eastern end of Long Island. 

Today we talk with Deborah Klughers about environmental issues facing the East End.

Deborah Klughers is an East Hampton Town Trustee.  She is a board member of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation.  That organization rescues and does research regarding marine mammals and sea turtles. 

She is also a mother of four, an organic gardener, a beekeeper and a videographer for East Hampton’s Local TV.

    

Information about the work of the East Hampton Town Trustees is available at www.ehtrustees.com/

Listen here

Update on Southampton Town Sustainability Plan

October 10, 2013 

Here is an update to our talk with Dr. Scott Carlin about Southampton Town's 400+ Sustainability Plan.

We first spoke with Scott Carlin in June (scroll down to listen).

On Tuesday this week, the Southampton Town Board closed the public hearings on the Plan with all 4 members present voting in favor. Written comments can still be sent to the Board for the next 30 days.

During the hearings which started in the spring, many community members wanted the plan to be "less aggressive". So the language in the plan was softened. For instance "Adopt," was changed to "Consider".  Many specific recommendations were deleted.

Details can be found in the revised document dated October 10, 2013 on the Town web site.

Dr. Carlin notes that:

“The sustainability planning process is supposed to be inclusive.  The public hearing process clearly demonstrated that aspect.  Town citizens and regional stakeholders identified a number of concerns with the initial draft plan.  The Town reviewed those comments and amended the Plan, where appropriate. In particular the latest draft gives more attention to affordable housing and policy

incentives"

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The Sustainable Southampton Advisory Committee will present a Public Forum -titled

“A Watershed Event” on Friday, October 25 from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. at Stony Brook Southampton’s Library on Montauk Highway in Southampton. 

The evening’s speakers will Identify the key challenges and priorities facing the Town’s ground and surface waters. 

Town Board Member Christine Scalera will discuss the Town’s storm water management program and Bob DeLuca of the Group for the East End will describe the new Long Island Clean Water Partnership.

Also architect Bill Chaleff will review the Town’s Sustainability Plan 

More info can be found here.

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