[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24251]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  CONGRATULATING DR. ROHIT T. AGGARWALA AND THE CITY OF NEW YORK FOR 
           RECEIVING THE ``FRIEND OF THE ENVIRONMENT AWARD''

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GARY L. ACKERMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 19, 2008

  Mr. ACKERMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Dr. Rohit 
T. Aggarwala, the Director of New York City's Office of Long-term 
Planning and Sustainability, within New York City Mayor Michael 
Bloomberg's Office of Operations, for receiving the prestigious 
``Friend of the Environment Award'' from the Alley Pond Environmental 
Center (APEC) on November 13th, 2008. APEC, located in Douglaston, 
Queens, is a superb educational center committed to environmental 
understanding and awareness. Rit, as he is known by his friends and 
colleagues, is at the forefront of Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC initiative, 
a sweeping sustainability plan for New York City's future.
  A native of New York City, Dr. Aggarwala holds a BA, MBA, and PhD 
from Columbia University, as well as an MA from Queen's College in 
Ontario. Prior to joining the City government, Dr. Aggarwala worked at 
the Federal Railroad Administration, and currently chairs a 
subcommittee at the Transportation Research Board, which is part of the 
National Academy of Science. He is the author of several articles about 
transportation policy and about the history of New York City.
  Under Rit's leadership as Director, New York City's Office of Long-
term Planning and Sustainability is implementing a long-term 
sustainability plan to ensure New York City's continued prosperity, 
growth, and health. On Earth Day, 2007 the Mayor's Office of Long Term 
Planning and Sustainability released PIaNYC, which included 127 
separate initiatives to protect New York's future, including: housing 
an additional 1 million New Yorkers affordably; increasing access to 
parks, playgrounds and open spaces; reclaiming brownfields; developing 
critical backup systems for the aging water network to ensure 
reliability; providing additional reliable power sources and upgrading 
existing power plants; and reducing water pollution so we can open the 
City's amazing waterways for recreation.
  Madam Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to join me in commending Dr. 
Aggarwala and New York City's Office of Long-term Planning and 
Sustainability for all of its hard work and dedication promoting sound 
environmental building practices, and for helping New York City lead 
the world as a Green global citizen.

                          ____________________