Local governments thwart their own environmental goals
Contact:
Regina Weiss
Communications Coordinator
Regina@NewEnergyChoices.org
212-991-1069
917-288-5251
Mineola, NY, September 22, 2008 – The Network for New Energy Choices (NNEC) released a report today detailing how some towns and cities undermine local investment in green energy, and frustrate residents and business owners, by making it difficult to install small-scale solar and wind systems. Taking the Red Tape Out of Green Power outlines simple steps that towns, including those on Long Island, should take to break through their renewable energy gridlock.
Solar contractor Steven Engelmann recently told NNEC that local permit requirements on Long Island cause “by far the greatest delay in the industry, requiring so much time and energy, and delaying jobs to the extent that we have a hard time financially with our business because of it.”
Engelmann, who works in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties, said that “every town and village has very different requirements from one another. If we could have a standardized package of requirements for permitting in each county or for both counties, we would be able to manage the process better. Now, every town we apply in has different requirements than the town before, so we are developing a database of all the towns and villages and what their individual requirements are, which is a huge burden on our business.”
“People who want to install these clean, efficient solar and wind systems can find themselves drowning in a sea of red tape,” said NNEC director Kyle Rabin. “And this goes way beyond a few frustrated individuals, affecting the local economy and the whole community. While the electricity generated may be used primarily by a single home or business, the benefits of these customer-owned renewable systems extend to everyone, including economic growth, reduced pollution, increased local energy independence, and reduced pressure on the local electricity grid. Streamlining the permit process will also give predictability to the private sector, and lay clear ground rules for small-scale renewable energy systems. But failure to streamline the process takes the wind out of towns’ efforts to create a green economy and prevents those who want these systems from saving energy and money.”
NNEC was joined at a press conference today by Long Island environmental advocates and a group representing contractors who install small-scale solar and wind energy systems in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. You can read NNEC’s report or at www.newenergychoices.org.
Englelmann’s company has a full time person who handles the permitting process which, he pointed out, “adds a huge cost to each system we install for our customers. Some towns require architectural review boards, or building permit review boards, which deal with the aesthetics of how systems will look. These take lots of time and energy and have stopped several of our projects from moving forward.”
Kevin Mac Leod, chair of the Long Island Solar Energy Industries Association, echoed these concerns. “When our contractor members go to the towns to get permits to install solar and wind, too often they are frustrated by high fees and engineering requirements that border on the ridiculous. Typically, they have to submit three or four copies of architectural sealed blueprints, tax bills, and a current survey. Not only is this documentation unnecessary, it can add more than $2,500 to the cost of the job, making it less and less cost-effective for the homeowner.
“There are towns that are doing a good job, and we want to highlight that also. The Town of Southampton, for example, rates an A+. They don’t require a permit for roof mounted solar, just an electrical inspection. As a result, they’ve got more solar and wind installations than anywhere else on Long Island.”
Mac Leod added that over the next six months LISEIA will be analyzing the permit and inspection processes of towns throughout Nassau and Suffolk, and issuing a series of report cards.
Skyrocketing energy costs, the desire for energy independence, and increasing public concern about air quality and climate change are increasing demand for solar and wind systems. NNEC recommends that towns and cities take the following steps to streamline the ability of residents and businesses to install these renewable energy systems.
- Remove barriers to photovoltaic solar systems from building codes and simplify the permit application process. For example, exempt solar and wind energy devices from building codes’ standard height limits.
- Allow common small-scale solar energy systems to be installed on a rooftop without a building permit. Alternatively, simplify the permit process so that a contractor or homeowner can fill out a simple form and get a permit on the spot.
- Train building and electrical inspectors so that they are familiar with standard renewable energy systems.
- Waive permit fees for renewable energy installations or adopt reasonable flat fees for permits. In many jurisdictions, permit fees are a percentage of the cost of the system, significantly inflating the price of installation.
- Incorporate information about wind energy opportunities into community planning.
- Establish small wind turbines as permitted uses, with appropriate design guidelines, performance standards, and review processes.
In addition, state governments, including New York, can facilitate the process by mandating that towns adopt consistent and appropriate permit requirements and establish uniform standards, and educating building and electrical inspectors about the proper installation of common renewable systems.
“A regulatory patchwork is very damaging to the renewable energy industry and to the consumer,” said Gordian Raacke, executive director of Renewable Energy Long Island, a not-for-profit advocacy organization. “It doesn't make sense to provide tax credits and LIPA rebates as an incentive, and then have a portion of that eaten up by inconsistent regulations and costs that come with unnecessary delay.”
“Streamlining the review process will save consumers money, increase green jobs in our communities and promote renewable technologies, said Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment. “The public is seeking these renewable choices and we need government to help us make this choice a reality. Revamping antiquated registration and installation policies for renewable energy systems needs to be on the top of the list for all municipalities.”
“This report will help local government officials to facilitate the use of renewable energy in their communities at a time when hundreds of cities and counties across the country are looking for ways to reduce their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in the effort to fight global climate change,” said Damian Pitt, a certified planner who is the principal author of the report.
“It is well known that Long Island is made up of many local governments,” said Neal Lewis, executive director of Long Island Neighborhood Network. “Unfortunately, those multiple jurisdictions tend to arrive at different interpretations of the State building code, which fails to address solar directly. In order for other renewable technologies to really move ahead to gain widespread acceptance, it would make things much easier if the State was to amend its building code to eliminate unnecessary impediments to solar installations.”
The peer reviewed report by the Network for New Energy Choices has been endorsed by the American Planning Association’s Environment, Natural Resources and Energy Division, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, The Vote Solar Initiative, American Wind Energy Association, Solar Energy Industries Association, American Institute of Architects and other national, regional and local groups.
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