New York Now

Environmentalists ask questions of former Assemblyman Pete Grannis the new commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. This is New York now. Funding for New York now is provided by the New York State Health Insurance Program operating New York State Public employers and employees the employer plan a plan as great as the Empire State. The New York State Builders Association Research and Education Foundation were dedicated to training educational programs and research studies focused on the residential building industry. For more information visit Misbah dot com United University professions represent thirty three thousand academic and professional on all state operated campuses at the State University of New York. Your new piece is that you need not make silly with additional funding provided by w o any t support for New York now his website comes from Philips Lytle. It

says York now with your hopes are better. There was a moment back in January when if you were listening you could hear a great cheer from environmentalists across the state. That's when they heard that the newly elected governor had nominated Assemblyman Alexander Pete Grannis to be the commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. Although Grannis represented the concrete jungle of Manhattan's Upper East Side while in the legislature he had also been a long time advocate for the environment and a key figure in passage of clean air and clean water legislation because of his track record reps from organizations like the Adirondack Mountain Club environmental advocates and Riverkeeper hailed his nomination not so much the sportsman who wondered what this city boy would do when faced with questions about trapping angling and hunting. But now that Grannis has the job. Environmentalists have questions for him so we thought that we would invite the new commissioner to come into the New York now studios and answer a few of those questions Welcome to the

show. Thank you very much. It's great to see you. I'm very glad to be here Susan. Are you enjoying your new get it. I am. It's is a very very exciting place to work and the wonderful people there are thirty five hundred. Some of the most talented men and women that are in public service at this agency and it's my great privilege and thrilled to be able to work with them as part of a great team. So Commissioner do you have a mission in mind. Well I guess I have three parts of the mission I think. First and foremost is to restore this agency both by the morale of the people that work there and its reputation nationally to the level it once had as one of the premier environmental regulatory agencies in the country states suffered under the talky administration. It had lean times. I don't think their focus was the same as the current administration's Spitzer administration is much more focused on environmental protection and for some of the environmental laws that we have stewardship of our great resources that we're responsible for the millions of acres of public lands and watching over the streams and rivers and so what about this job where you're not prepared for. I think the sheer size of

this agency I went from a relatively small managerial responsibility in the Literally I have just my staff to being responsible for you know 3500 men and women who really know their work but have been at this agency in it for many of them as long as I've been in the legislature. I think that was number one and number two which I've been cautioned about is time the time is so easy it passes so quickly that the work is interesting the issues are very varied they're very interest they're exciting some of them some of them are very routine. But at the end of the day the time seems to have disappeared. So I was cautioned about being very very careful about using my time and making sure that I wasn't over scheduled and that the things that were important we got that the most attention and not try to do everything that seemed to be interesting. I know Peter Burley fairly well and he is the former environmental commissioner. Did he give you any advice. Not only the former environmental commissioner but my predecessor in the assembly as well. Yes he did and he first and foremost he said watch your time. You have to manage your time he came

in the air. We had lunch and he said here are the 10 things I wish I knew when I became commissioner. And so I went through this long list of. It's priorities and how to focus resources and how to how to use my time to the best advantage. Well like I mentioned the New York now crew recently visited with a group of environmentalists interesting way enough at a bar 74 State Street in Albany. It was the site of last month's green drinks get together green drinks as a networking organization for people in the environmental community. Here is how one organizer describes green drinks. Murphy I work in the environmental Business Association in New York stink. So looks like you're having a good time here tonight. What's going on. I am having a great time. This is green drinks. It's something that goes on all around the globe. You know over 200 cities. And I thought that it was a great idea to get it activated in Albany again and I think it's activated. They were absolutely having a good time who better to come to for questions about for the

new commissioner than the people drinking green drinks and they did have super questions. Are you ready to hear a few. I certainly am so. Here we go. Northeast Regional Director for Stirling planet and I also serve as the chair of the Apollo Alliance. What is Sterling planet Planet energy other attribute markets like energy efficiency carbon credits. So you're clearly into the environment. What question would you have for us. I have a real interest in the climate change division newly established in the role that will play in the various regulatory and policy initiatives that we're facing in the state right now how that will interface with and with the dormitory authority and with the PSC as they do energy efficiency portfolio standards. It's a key office and I can't wait to see what he'll do with it.

So I'd love to hear what the expectations are. So what are your expectations. Well I think the question obviously focused on one of the governor's top priorities which is climate change. It's a big big issue obviously it needs national attention which it's not getting and the states are now the leaders in focusing on climate change issues in the budget we got 12 new positions. It's almost unprecedented to create a climate change offices the governor's initiative and Peter a lot of it says the questioner just mentioned is the head of that the new Department formally of the American Lung Association of the American Lung Association and a great ally of mine and he the fights we had on clean indoor air. But he is an amazingly talented and capable leader for this new effort. We are focusing on a Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative with 10 other states. Reggie it's called Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. It's a collaborative effort of 10 states to try to reduce emissions from our power sources voluntarily was setting voluntary caps but very very sort of progressive and far reaching efforts and Pete's

heading that up for us and the work that we're doing to come about with a program to auction these pollution credits which is unprecedented the way we're doing it we're going to auction them right from the start rather than giving them to the polluters for free and then having them trade them which is the norm across the world right now. Didn't the governor say something about wanting to expand the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. It will be we're starting with Reggie and that's on power sources. But we're clearly looking at what's going on in California which is all sources. And I think if we can make this auction work which we're very confident we can and if we can do this as a collaborative effort on power sources our next initiative is going to be expanded out to the rest of the contributors to greenhouse gases. How far can the states actually go. Commissioner when you have a federal government that is not quite focused on this I think we can make initial strides I think what we're trying to do is set the standard for the next administration in Washington if we can figure this out. If the feds aren't

ready to do this or the States are ready to take the lead I think there's some very progressive thinkers in the environmental movement that are working with us and with other states to try to do this. It's at the end I think we all have to make a contribution we did small things or small things that individuals can do they're small things that communities can do. They're little bigger things that states can do. Collaboration is a multi state's can do more. But we're all going to have to do our part and this is an issue that affects individuals right up through the biggest corporations and I think we're all going to pitch in. Not surprisingly this group of people that we spoke with at 74 State Street is very interested in climate change. So here is another related question. Susan I'm hearing you supply a.. Where are you from originally from New York City. So of course I'm very accustomed to public transportation and I loved it down there and I'm really amazed at this capital district area even though there is wonderful public transportation available. A lot of people don't use it. They get on that

north way every day and I sat in traffic. Gasoline always time when they could be using the commuter buses all the transportation in Albany and now in Saratoga Springs. So we're going to be talking with Commissioner Grannis about public transportation. Do you have a question for him of statewide interest. Yes I do. I'd like to ask the commissioner if he has any plans to encourage people to use more public transportation. Wave of the future. You heard her it's the wave of a future and as a former New Yorker and my district was much in New York the traffic is bad in the city as it is around the Albany region. Surely public transportation is the big another big contributor to at least transportation in general to greenhouse gas concerns. So carpooling obviously we're going to be focusing on carpooling try to encourage our own staff to to carpool really. So you're going to talk the talk and walk the walk. Absolutely we're you know I think we're going to try to set the standard we have a sustainability task force

in the department with people from all different parts of the agency that are all working internally to come up with ideas on how we can make our agency a model for other agencies in the state which is what our goal is to do it first and then say here we can do it. You do it and follow us in this in this effort. But clearly carpooling is a factor I think making sure that transportation routes are appropriate for where people are coming from where they need to go and timing of transportation services are things that we're working with the OT on. And one of the messages from Governor Spitzer and Maya nomination and other agency heads is that we're. Directed to work together. This is not a state that can function with each agency doing its own piece. This overlap of agency responsibility so will be working with the OT and regional transportation agencies. Do you have any plans on building more bus routes or subway systems or high speed rail. Those aren't really in my agency's responsibility obviously there's a lot going on that you're saying if you don't work with the O2 and we are and you know this is on planning a lot of issues dealing with planning but

we're working on smart growth initiatives which are efforts to encourage communities to grow internally. And I don't want to talk about that yet. We're going to get to smart growth in a second but that's directly related to this whole effort because transportation links using infrastructure that exists using bus routes that do exist are subway routes in the city of New York. You know that exist to try to encourage growth around those areas where we already have an infrastructure to service the people that live in those communities. And so we don't have to build more highways we don't have to build more you know subway lines that go out to new parts when we ought to be using the resources that we have to encourage people to use public transportation going back to the question and communities that use the transportation services that exist today. We have another question about greening the greening of the New York State Here's Matthew. Welcome it. Thank you for your time and I wonder what the BBC plans to do to promote green business isn't green buildings green businesses and

green buildings how are you going to promote that. Well we already have been we have a green building tax credit program which we're now revamping which provides tax credits for builders that are going to build green buildings in fact our headquarters is in a green building. But it's a tax credit. Seven or eight buildings have been have already been built using the tax credits we want it to be needs to be more widely used We're going to make the credits hopefully easier to use and more attractive to builders to build green buildings greening we're setting up a whole series of initiatives both with the governor's office on global climate change initiatives that include greening. Devolving buildings are small things that can be done do you believe in a swapping out the the old bulbs for the compact fluorescents or cutting down the amount of light that's needed even with the fluorescents which we get with our agency last week. So the man who asked the question Matthew Shapiro said to me that green businesses are going to be the engine driving the economy. Absolutely right you agree. There's so much there's so many business opportunities innovative

technologies that are going to be developing that is clearly it's going to be a massive new field as we figure out better ways to generate wind power power from wind geothermal what technology development and green buildings and building are retrofitting existing buildings and training you know people on how to use wood for fuel and other kinds of things that mean there's a huge huge new field that's going to be associated with climate change and lots of other things. It's fascinating. We did a town meeting here a few months ago called shrinking your carbon footprint. And one of the issues that came up was the the very large amount of money that you have to put out upfront to create solar panels on your home. You get the tax credits and you do get some breaks but still that's a lot of money and perhaps out of reach of the middle class New Yorkers. Well the prices are dropping the technology is changing the tax credits are obviously making some difference. We are looking for ways to encourage more people to use possibly fuel

cells in the future which are even more efficient as solar panels. Wind issues are the wind issues are coming up but there are controversies with some of these I wish I were some of these solutions involve things that people don't necessarily like. They want renewable energy sources but they don't want windmill farms dotting the landscape so working on citing regulations for for wind generators and so there's a lot going on this is a very very exciting time in the environment and particularly on these issues involving energy and global climate change. OK so you brought up energy. Where are we with the article 10 quick siting of power plants where the governor has a very ambitious bill that is being negotiated with a legislature that really focuses on new clean energy sources. We are not interested at this point in encouraging you know coal fired power plants. We are really looking to encourage and fast track clean energy sources what about whichever it calls clean coal. Well I think there's considerable controversy over what clean coal really means coal gasification coal

liquefaction there are other issues I don't think at this point in the discussions obviously the senator has a very strong held view on coal. And maybe there are technologies out there that can produce energy efficiently with clean coal. So you wouldn't shut the door on it. Well I don't think we're shutting the door we really are trying to do. We're not they Article 10 citing bill doesn't exclude coal technologies it just doesn't fast track those at least in the governor's draft. And that's what's going on that it's sort of gotten mixed up but we have a fast track proposal the governor does for the kinds of technologies that are we're trying to encourage in trying to get people to build clean technology power sources. But the other ones are still in the mix and people want to go through that all citing procedures and permitting procedures which are extensive no matter what you do. They're still in the mix. So as John Cleese would say now for something completely different. It's only with the environmental Business Association of New York State. So what are you doing here tonight.

I'm here having a good time with friends and talking about environmental issues. I understand that you have a question for the commissioner but you're not sure quite how to phrase it so we're going to work on this together. OK great. I want to know what's going on with the brownfields legislation. Where's it going when is it going to go somewhere. How do we get over this hump. OK so that's you phrase that pretty well I have to give you an answer. Thank you. I'll tell my boss so consider your boss told Donna So what do you think what's going on in a brown field. An excellent question. We have some of the best Brownfield programs in the country. They're not working as well as they should. A lot of tax credit money for brownfield cleanups is going for development there are expensive developments with very little of the amount of money going for the actual cleaning up of sites. How did that happen. Well I don't think we truly anticipated when we did this bill is a very contentious negotiation between the Senate is some bully and the executive at that point in the prior administration coming to an agreement was not easy and the tax credits were there. I think the last piece they were

hauled out and they clearly have resulted in vast amounts of money going for project development rather than the real focus of the program which is cleaning up the sites for business development or housing or recreational use. So we have a very ambitious bill to fix the program and it's being negotiated with the legislature now to cut back on the amount of the credits that are going for the development on top of the clean sites. But giving richer credits for the people to clean up the sites themselves and we're negotiating with the legislature. It's one of these things that is out there lots of people love the tax credit program assurance giving hundreds of millions of dollars to several very very large developments a Ritz-Carlton I think in the Hudson Valley that was in a couple big projects in the city of New York. But on the other hand this is the engine that is driving some economic development places like Buffalo and Rochester. And we don't want to kill off the incentive program. And so we're trying to marry what we really want which is my agency's responsibility which is finding ways to encourage the cleanup of these sites and then working with the

economic development people to see whether or not the added credits that go along with developing on top of those sites are truly appropriate for what the community needs and wants. I guess some of the developers are a bit angry I was reading that Rochester Democrat and Chronicle today. And yeah there is a development group there who wants to build on top of a brown field in Rochester something called the Lighthouse Point and they're suing the state. What what's your comment and why why is the U.S. ruled their development ineligible. Well we we do have standards even though they're not as tight as we want and we do have standards on whether or not the the limiting factor is the cost of cleaning up the site. But we're not interested in doing is having somebody buy a very mildly polluted site spend a few hundred thousand dollars to clean that site up and then get millions and millions of dollars worth of credits for building a big project on top of that site. So we have the ability to turn down applicants based on the pollution in the ground and whether or not that is really a limiting factor on the developments going on it's not an additive right

program. So and So this obviously I haven't seen the lawsuit I saw the news article about it. This is you know. People love the program because the way it's structured in the way I think it it's easier to Havill or is it so popular that it's not going to be able to on its own. It's what it is it's running at a level that's not sustainable. Roughly 50 projects in the pipeline all of their pollution tax credits a brownfield tax credits will amount to over a billion dollars in subsidies to various developments around the state. That's just for 50 projects so there's no way at this level that kind of commitment to this program can be sustained. So we're basically trying to pare the program back focus it on clean ups and then working with the economic development team the Spitzer administration has in place particularly up state with a with a new economic development czar if you will for upstate Dand understand Gunderson to have to find another program that might be the appropriate program to encourage the businesses the communities want

to meet. So we're not just you're not just going to eliminate this program. No no it's going to go read and this approach to that I think needs fixing it needs to be scaled back in some regard and I think that's what the sort of the the goal of the bill that the governor introduced late in the session is just to try to rationalize the credits that are available for this program for focusing on brownfield clean ups. You're ready for one more question. One last question here we go. And who might you be. So do you say it's Anderson. Where are you from. I'm from. Petersburg New York but I work here in Albany. And what are you doing here tonight. Well I'm the chairman of the committee on the environment which is a local group associated with the architects in the area and Green Dreams is where it's at. So that's why I'm here. Clearly you're hearing your support green drinks but you're having a red drink. That's true because it's organic So that's the hard core. So Jody you have a question for Commissioner Grannis What is it.

Well it's actually quite an easy question the D.C. building is one of the first lead certified buildings in the area. And what is LEED certified. It's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and it's a national standard and it's actually in silver but because it's a government building we can show people the building and we can bring people in and brag about how excellent it works and the benefits of building green and the cost benefits and the worker production benefits. And so my question is when will be able to get in and see if we want to give the committee on the environment wants to give an open tourer to people in the area. So you have a building don't you want to brag about it. Absolutely absolutely. I was surprised when I got one of my first revelations when I got on the job is that people weren't being provided the opportunity to come through and see this wonderful new building. So working on the procedure for letting people come in and so they can see what we've what we've got see our headquarters see that see the green technology that's at work there.

What kind of green technology do you have there. We have it has to do with air water and clean indoor air it has to do with energy use it has to do with the movement of air in the building it has to do with a lot of things with insulation and how the building is designed. These are all standards that are national standards for how these green buildings can be built they're green so over. And I guess it's silver and gold are the top things and so we're very proud of this building it's a it's a different kind of building internally. There's some grumbling about the office layouts but why. Well there are no doors in the building and no walls go to the ceiling. Our door is environmentally a no no no but it had to do with air flow though I don't think it's all done with cubicles and workspaces and. So we have a basically agency of whisperers because there are no walls or go the ceiling so everybody that wants to do something confidential has to go to an interior conference room. But I agree with the questionnaire we are going to provide the opportunity for people to come through and see this building. We don't own the building we lease it and so we're working with the owners to make sure that people can have that opportunity and I agree completely with the question we have to be showing this off.

We only have about 30 seconds but real quickly you're giving a million dollars to communities in the Adirondacks for Smart Growth what is what are you hoping to see. We're hoping to see communities use the money to either hire or retain professionals to help them plan community growth. Again this goes back to other issues we've talked about we want communities to if they're going to grow to grow within the infrastructure footprint that they have today sewage treatment plants and roadways rather than the real. Enemy of environmental protection which is sprawl. So the extent that we can help communities plan for growth we can achieve what we care about in protecting the environment. We can achieve that for community protections and enhancements and keeping people in the communities and providing jobs there and encouraging businesses to locate within developed communities and that's what we hope for the hope for the outcome of the of these grants are going to be giving out we're very very proud of that I think we're excited about the possibility of what these grants might produce or effect.

We are just about out of time but I want to watch thank you very much for joining us today it's been my pleasure absolute pleasure. We've been speaking with the new commissioner for the Department of Environmental Conservation Pete Grannis and I hope you'll come back and talk to us again. I would be glad to Susan and I hope you come back to see you next time. Funding for New York now is provided by the New York State Health Insurance Program operating New York State Public employers and employees. The employer plan a plan as great as the Empire State. The New York State Builders Association Research and Education Foundation

were dedicated to training educational programs and research studies focused on the residential building industry. For more information visit Misbah dot com United University professions represent thirty three thousand academic and professional that not all state operated campuses at the State University of New York UPI Is the union. Big city with additional funding provided by w ne t. Support for New York nows website comes from Philips Lytle.