A group of New York lawmakers, including Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., came together for a second time recently to continue developing the Empire State as an “advanced energy center.”
Diaz, who helped found the group, hosted the meeting of the New York State Intergovernmental Energy Partnership (NYSIEP), which also includes Congressman Steve Israel (Long Island), Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll, and Assemblywoman RoAnn Destito (Rome).
The meeting focused on providing Bronx-based businesses with information on how to access federal resources, including funds still available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. They also announced some recent progress in their efforts.
Diaz also announced the borough’s plan to install 15 BigBelly Solar Compactor/Recycling Kiosks. The receptacles are solar powered and designed to reduce greenhouse gas admissions by eliminating a standard garbage truck’s journey by up to 80 percent, according to a press release from Diaz’s office.
Congressman Israel also played a pivotal role in the gathering by collecting support to expand the federal Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Bond program. PACE bonds finance energy efficiency upgrades for both commercial and residential property owners who then repay the loans over time through property taxes.
“PACE bonds are an innovative way to help property owners in New York ‘go green,’” Israel said.
The program includes funding for energy upgrades like double insulated windows, solar panels, and geothermal heat pumps.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.