CoWNA Supports Shore Power ... And You Should, Too

At the urging of the newly formed Environmental Committee, CoWNA joined The Word on Columbia Street and A View from the Hook and sent a letter to the New York State Public Service Commission in support of shore power -- and we urge all our Columbia Waterfront District neighbors to do the same. Shore power allows ships to plug into the electrical grid, rather than idling and spewing pollutants into our air. A great idea, right?

Here's our letter. Use it as a sample when you write your own.

Columbia Waterfront Neighborhood Association

Brooklyn, NY 11231

February 16, 2010

Hon. Jaclyn A Brilling

Secretary to the Commision

New York State Public Service Commissin

Empire State Plaza

Agency Building 3

Albany, NY 12223-1350

Dear Secretary Brilling:

This letter is to inform you that the Columbia Waterfront Neighborhood Association (CoWNA), which represents the Columbia Waterfront neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, is in support of the proposed standby rate for the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal currently being reviewed under 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."

It is our understanding that access to such a standby rate would allow terminal operators to utilize on-shore power at an affordable rate, and thereby discontinue use of highly polluting diesel generators that are currently used by ships while at the port.

Our community is situated directly north of the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal and directly adjacent to the Brooklyn Marine Terminal and the Red Hook Container Terminal. As such, port emissions have a major impact on our daily lives. The standby rate and on-shore power will go a long way toward improving the air quality of our neighborhood and New York City in general.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Norman R. Cox

President