Published: May 27, 2008 09:54 pm      

LEGISLATURE: A green frame of mind

Niagara County lawmakers were encouraged on Tuesday to get serious about their plans to go green.

Representatives from a pair of local organizations are seeking changes in the way Western New York counties do business. They asked members of the Niagara County Legislature’s Administration Committee to consider additional stronger steps to help ensure the county operates in an environmentally friendly fashion.

David Chudy, vice president of the Western New York chapter of the Working Families Party of New York, and Roger Cook, executive director of the Western New York Council on Occupational Safety and Health, urged committee members to follow the lead of their counterparts in Erie County by considering proposals that would incrementally increase the county’s use of renewable energy and would require that all diesel vehicles in the county’s fleet be retrofitted with air pollution filters.

Chudy and Cook said they are planning to push for similar action in other local communities, including Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties.

“Our interest is to try to do this throughout Western New York,” Chudy said.

Chudy and Cook are hoping lawmakers in Niagara County will follow proposals similar to those being considered by the Erie County Legislature. In Erie County, lawmakers are discussing a resolution that would increase the county’s use of renewable energy such as wind and solar power to 25 percent by 2013. In addition, the Erie County Legislature has been asked to consider retrofitting diesel vehicles in its fleet with pollution control devices that are designed to reduce the amount of particulates released into the atmosphere.

Niagara County lawmakers have previously agreed to require higher environmental standards for all future construction projects. In February they tabled a resolution that called for the purchase of energy-efficient equipment whenever possible. That measure was tabled pending a review of the potential costs.

County Manager Gregory Lewis, who said he wholeheartedly supports the concept of so-called “green” initiatives, said such items require thorough analysis. He indicated on Tuesday that his office would work with county attorneys to determine if the type of resolutions endorsed by Chudy and Cook made sense for the county, both environmentally and financially.

“This is a very complicated thing,” Lewis told committee members. “I want you to understand the costs and benefits.”

Chudy and Cook agreed to return to discuss the matter in greater detail at the committee’s July 15 meeting.

In other matters, committee members:

n Tabled a resolution calling for the elimination of Niagara County tax for the City of Lockport water supply line.

n Authorized a proposal from the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency to repay $1 million in county funds that were used to help establish the IDA’s Revolving Loan Fund. The payment arrangement calls for the money to be repaid in $200,000 installments to be made over the next five years.

n Authorized the creation of a county Brownfield Development Corp. that will oversee revitalization projects as part of the Niagara County Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Program, a $1 million grant-funded partnership between the county and the City of Niagara Falls.