[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 131 (Tuesday, October 8, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1784]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      IN RECOGNITION OF THE CLEAN AIR COMMUNITIES PROJECT PARTNERS

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                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 8, 2002

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to The 
Clean Air Communities Project Partners for their commitment to 
implementing technologies that will ensure that the air that we breathe 
is cleaner.
  In 1999, Clean Air Communities was created by Natural Resources 
Defense Council, Northeast States Clean Air Foundation, Northeast 
States for Coordinated Air Use Management, Con Edison, and New York 
State Department of Environmental Conservation to promote clean energy 
strategies and to reduce pollution.
  On October 7, 2002, this coalition of private and public partners 
announced the launch of New York City's largest commercial solar 
electric system in Brooklyn, New York. Clean Air Communities, New York 
State Energy Research & Development Authority, Greenpoint Manufacturing 
and Design Center, and PowerLight joined together to fund this exciting 
new project which will generate and store electricity while reducing 
the demand on New York's power grid.
  In bringing together public and private partners around projects like 
this, Clean Air Communities continues to demonstrate that these 
collaborative partnerships work: to achieve better air quality; to 
increase our energy security and independence; and to provide real 
alternatives to the communities most in need in our city.
  The solar panel array will convert sunlight directly into 
electricity, thereby generating clean electrical power. By relying on 
solar energy, some of the harmful emissions that pollute the air and 
cause health problems will be eliminated.
  I believe that it is critical that we invest our resources in 
developing new technologies to expand the possible uses of renewable 
energy. We know far too well the dangers that climate changes can pose 
to the global environment. By utilizing renewable energies, we can help 
to reverse the negative effects that decades of reliance on fossil 
fuels have caused. Moreover, renewable energies will help to 
accommodate the growing demand that the increasing world population 
places upon the environment.
  I commend Clean Air Communities for advancing air quality, renewable 
energy alternatives, and environmental justice in New York and applaud 
their efforts in creating model initiatives such as this.

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