Assemblyman
Crespo’s proposal to ensure State’s health and safety infrastructure
has power during emergencies is included in State’s budget deal
ALBANY, NEW YORK – (03/21/2013) --- New York State is a step closer to protecting its critical health and safety infrastructure thanks to legislation (A. 4862A/S.3845)
proposed by Assemblyman Marcos A. Crespo earlier this year and included
in the budget deal reached with the Governor and the Legislature (A3008D).
The proposal, set to become state law, will begin the process of
including microgrids in emergency planning to protect vital
infrastructure with an eventual full roll-out of the technology when
recommendations required by the proposal are funded and implemented.
According to Assemblyman Marcos A. Crespo, member of the Assembly Standing Committee on Energy, “Had
New York State constructed microgrids to protect hospitals, first
responder headquarters such as police and fire stations, emergency
shelters, schools, water filtration plants, sewage treatment plants and
other infrastructure, the extent of the damage caused by Super Storm
Sandy would have been tremendously mitigated.”
He
added, “In New York, hospitals, police stations, fire stations, sewage
and water filtration plants all lost power rendering inoperable critical
health and public safety infrastructure. This loss of power threatened
the lives of hospital patients and elderly and harmed our environment
when tons of untreated toxic waste was released into waterways and
neighborhoods.”
Microgrids
are a group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources
within clearly defined electrical boundaries that act as a single
controllable entity with respect to the grid. They can connect and
disconnect from the grid to enable them to operate in both
grid-connected or island-mode.
The
proposal, which will be adopted as part of the State’s 2013-14 budget,
was strongly supported by Senator Malcolm A. Smith, Co-Chair of the
Bi-Partisan Task Force on Hurricane Sandy Recovery.
Specifically, the proposal requires the Department of Public Service
and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to
collaborate with NYSERDA and report, by April 1, 2014, on how to
implement and fund microgrid technologies to protect vital public health
and safety infrastructure.
Crespo
said, “The extent of severe damage caused by recent storms demonstrates
the tremendous benefits of having microgrids in place to protect
critical public health and safety infrastructure.” He added, “It is very
clear that microgrids are needed in order to fully protect the
expensive and extensive public safety and health infrastructure New York
has developed.”
“In
addition, microgrid technology can serve to save lives by not only
protecting the communication systems of first responders but also by
protecting the electrical needs of hospitals and nursing homes where
patients are connected to life-saving electrical equipment.”
He
added, “News accounts documented the life-threatening loss of power to
hospitals, nursing homes and residences for the disabled. Infirmed and
fragile elderly had to be moved to higher floors and evacuated without
access to elevators and life-sustaining electric equipment. Some 4000
nursing home patients needed the help of 1,500 the National Guard to
evacuate facilities where power was lost. My proposal will help prevent
such chaos in the future.”
“New
York State has started spending $10 billion of the $33 billion in Super
Storm Sandy federal disaster relief on repairing the damage to electric
circuits and the power grid. But soon loss of power and damage to
critical public health and safety infrastructure will be prevented. I am
excited that my proposal will be acted upon and New York will take the
next steps to prevent the widespread loss of power and damage to
critical infrastructure we have witnessed,” declared Crespo.
