Parker Passes Bill Reducing Electric Bills for New Yorkers

Parker Passes Bill Reducing Electric Bills for New Yorkers

Micro hydroelectric generating equipment reduces reliance on fossil fuels

For Immediate Release: June 17, 2011

(Albany, NY)  Late last night, Senator Parker’s Micro hydroelectric bill (S.1149) passed the New York State Senate.  This legislation allows residential and non-residential customers utilizing micro-hydroelectric generating equipment to participate in net-metering.  It encourages small electrical customers to install environmentally friendly sources of electrical power saving them money on their electric bill and increasing the State’s use of clean renewable resources.

This bill also passed the Assembly and will now hopefully be signed into law by Governor Cuomo.  The legislation was one of seven bills Senator Parker proposed in his Alternative Energy Package released this May in his continuous efforts to reduce New York’s reliance on foreign oil and increase New York’s use of alternative energy resources.

“The passage of this bill is particularly important for New Yorkers at a time when the pain at the pump is increasing.  I will do all that I can to help locate cost savings measures and increase our usage of alternative energy resources available right here in our state,” said Senator Parker.  “Including micro-hydro electric is a win-win situation.  It reduces costs to consumers, creates jobs, and saves our environment,” continued Parker.

Net-metering is a way for residential and non-residential customers to use alternative energy to reduce their electric bills by attaching an alternative generating system to their existing meter to off-set the electric usage.  Net metering is presently available in New York for solar, farm waste, non-residential solar electric generating systems, micro-combined heat and power  generating  equipment, and fuel cell electric generating equipment.  Micro hydroelectric energy is created when moving water turns a turbine, the turbine spins a generator, and electricity is produced. Senator Parker’s bill would add micro hydroelectric generators to the alternative energy sources included in net-metering. 

About Senator Kevin Parker

Senator Kevin S. Parker is intimately familiar with the needs of his ethnically diverse community that consists of 311,000 constituents in Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Ditmas Park, Kensington and Borough Park. He is the Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee, former Majority Whip and First Vice Chair or the Association of Black, Puerto Rican Asian Legislators.

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