Call Governor Cuomo: two geothermal bills need his signature

 

Two bills are awaiting Governor Cuomo’s signature that could make a big difference for New York’s clean energy economy. Both bills create important tax incentives for the development of geothermal energy systems—innovative technology that uses thermal energy stored in the Earth and brings that energy into homes and businesses through a series of pumps and heat exchangers.

 

Will you send a message to Gov. Cuomo asking him to sign this legislation and allow this renewable technology to flourish? Call 518-474-8390 (Bill numbers: S.4279/A.5508 and S.2905/A.2177-A).

 

Buildings consume 40% of the total energy used in New York every day, mostly via natural gas, propane, home heating oil combustion or electrical resistance heating. Fossil fuel combustion and electricity production (via gas/coal-fired power plants or nuclear facilities) have negative environmental consequences through greenhouse gas emissions, generation of toxic waste and air pollution, excessive use of water resources and harmful extraction mining. These impacts are significantly minimized by geothermal heating and cooling. Since geothermal technology uses energy stored in the ground, it is not dependent on time of day or year, and works in all weather and in every climate.

 

Also, this technology has a positive economic effect on the state’s utilities because it lowers the need for expensive energy infrastructure that is only needed a few days of the year when use of air conditioning spikes. When geothermal systems are installed in homes and businesses, indoor air quality improves and costs for heating and cooling are lowered—passing the savings on to the consumer.

 

Geothermal systems are New York’s best alternative to achieving net zero energy goals, but in order to  facilitate the technology’s growth, it deserves the same financial encouragement as wind and solar energy.

 

Please support these important geothermal tax incentives. Call Gov. Cuomo at 518-474-8390 (Bill numbers: S.4279/A.5508 and S.2905/A.2177-A). Thank you for taking action!