Write in your support for "shore power" and reduce port pollution

Adam Armstrong of the blog "A View From the Hook" recently forwarded me some information regarding a power rate case before the New York State Public Service Commission to establish shore power at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. Community members are urged to write in letters of support so that terminal operators can pay a special electricity rate for on-shore power, thereby making it cost efficient for them to use that over the highly polluting diesel generator power that is currently used.

Adam sums up more of the details surrounding this case and the overall issue through a post on his blog, which I have re-posted below. If you are concerned about air quality and pollution in our area, I strongly urge you to support this issue by writing a letter to the Public Services Commission (contact information included below)

Can you help eliminate 100 tons of NOx, 100 tons of SOx and 6 tons of particulates per year from our neighborhoods' air, and our kids' lungs?

The Public Service Commission (PSC) is hearing a case that would set electricity rates allowing for cruise ships to "plug in" to the electricity grid while in port at the "Brooklyn Cruise Terminal" in Red Hook.

Currently, these ships "idle" constantly in port (as do the container and cargo ships), burning an extra dirty form of diesel that is at least 90 times more polluting than that used by trucks. 1 ship/day = 12,000 cars/day.

The smokestack emission from the ships - container, cargo and cruise - emit the harmful, polluting, asthma inducing and carcinogenic substances I listed above.

The proposal to "plug in" the cruise ships to "shore power" while in port would eliminate these emissions from the ships visiting the Cruise Terminal, and the cruise operators have committed to doing this, but they need an appropriate power rate to make it work, economically.

Even though this will not be the case with the container and cargo ships at the Container Terminal, it is an important first step in eliminating these harmful pollutants from our air.

Can you write an email or a letter to the PSC stating your support for establishing a Con Edison "stand-by" electricity rate that cruise ships can use?

The details are below - email and mailing address - and important information in the last three lines (bold).

Please take note of the PSC Case No. 09-E-0428, which should be included in any correspondence, and the specifics of how the letters should be addressed.
(They should be addressed to either the chairman of the PSC or one of the commissioners as listed below - your choice - directed through the secretary.)

Thanks so much for your support on this important matter. Please spread the word.


Here are the details -

Comments can be directed to any one of the following Public Service Commission members, and routed through the Secretary:

Chairman: Garry A. Brown

Commissioners:
Patricia L. Acampora
Robert E. Curry, Jr.
Maureen F. Harris, Esq.
James L. Larocca

Send you letters to the Public Service Commission at the address below:

Secretary to the Commission
Hon. Jaclyn A. Brilling
Secretary to the Commission
New York State Public Service Commission
Empire State Plaza
Agency Building 3
Albany, NY 12223-1350
Phone: (518) 474-6530
Fax: (518) 486-6081

Email: secretary@dps.state.ny.us


Reference should be made to PSC Case No. 09-E-0428, Proceeding before the Commission as to the Rates, Charges, Rules and Regulations of Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc.

Parties commenting should include a reference to stand-by rates (the company electric tariff the ships would take power under as their needs will be intermittent).

What the settlement proposes is a collaborative to explore changes to standby rates to facilitate development of a tariff that could be used by cruise ships and others.