While federal and state governments set emissions control policies and our State makes decisions on the siting of power plants, it is critical that Suffolk County participate in the development of a comprehensive energy plan. The plan should outline the County’s projected energy needs and contain a strategy for meeting those needs in an environmentally sound and economically feasible manner.

Regarding air quality, Suffolk County, and the entire New York metropolitan region, qualifies as a non-attainment zone under the Environmental Protection Agency’s (“EPA’s”) new particulate matter standards (PM2.5) and ozone standards. The EPA has classified fine particulate emissions as “likely carcinogens” and linked them to a higher incidence of asthma and other lung ailments. Though new EPA guidelines will reduce emissions from many mobile sources of pollution in future years, the County and municipalities should act promptly to reduce diesel emissions from government fleets and encourage private fleets to do the same. Similarly, the government should play a leading role by making its own facilities and operations energy-efficient and by establishing policies that encourage the private sector to follow suit. This is especially important given that average household electricity consumption on Long Island increased 15 percent over the past six years.