Guest Column
Energy still an issue
By George Winner

Falling gas prices have quieted the summer's outcry over the high cost of fuel, but I hope that doesn't give us a false sense of complacency or cause us to take our eyes off the energy future.

Fortunately over the past month or so, I've been receiving a flurry of what are labeled as a "Citizen Letter: An urgent message from a concerned citizen." It's a form letter, and it's nicely packaged. I'm not sure where these letters originate, or how my constituents are able to personalize them to send to me, but they're useful. They've kept me in touch with an issue that I agree must be an ongoing concern in New York State: energy.

These recent citizen letters focus on New York's energy planning and, in part, state, "We need an energy plan that works for New Yorkers, not energy companies. It should emphasize efficiency and promote renewable, reliable sources of electricity like wind and solar."

At a time when there's so much noise buzzing throughout the political world, it's been refreshing to hear that the public hasn't gone entirely deaf on the energy issue. Believe me, it's an issue that must continue to and at least a little, but preferably a lot of citizen attention.

You might recall that earlier this year the State Legislature approved and Governor George Pataki enacted into law a cap on New York's sales tax on gas. While we can argue the pros and cons of the gas tax cap, let's keep in mind that this year's new law also included proposals to provide consumers with a tax credit for the purchase of home heating oil that contains biodiesel fuel: create a tax credit for the purchase of energy efficient residential home heating systems; and require the State Thruway Authority and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to develop a plan to make alternative fuels, such as ethanol, available at Thruway service areas.

The Legislature also pledged to continue discussions on encouraging the development and use of alternative sources of energy, energy conservation and the purchase of energysaving products and materials. In other words, we need to make sure that this year's state-level energy agreement marked the beginning of continued cooperation within New York government to do anything and everything within our grasp that ensures a more positive short- and long-term energy future for New Yorkers.

I hear you about the necessity of a long-term energy response to cure this nation's debilitating dependence on oil. While there's really very little impact we can have here at the state-level in comparison to a concerted federal plan, there are some ways that New York can lead the nation down a better road. We absolutely should. These long-term responses are absolutely the key to effectively addressing the energy issue.

I mentioned not long ago that as we fast approach a changing of the guard in New York government, particularly with the election of a new governor, we'll inevitably reexamine the successes (and the failures) of the tenure of Governor George Pataki. I believe it's fair to say that we'll look favorably upon many of the governor's environmental and energy initiatives, and I hope that these initiatives will continue to serve a guideposts for the next governor and the decade ahead in New York, particularly in the arena of renewable fuels and alternative energy.

So gas prices are falling, but we really can't afford to let down our guard against an energy future that remains, at best, unsettled. We need to continue to focus on balancing our short- and long-term responses in a way that's responsible, fair and realistic -- but always with an eye toward saner and more stable energy policies and practices.

The writer serves as New York senator reprsenting the 53ed District.