There’s no part of the plan mandated to occur. (And) We have to consider cost when we consider item actions in it.
(02/02/12) St. Lawrence County legislators are scheduled to take another look at a Climate Action Plan next week. When legislators asked the County Planning Department to write the plan last March, they wanted ways to save money by being more energy efficient.
The climate plan was tabled last summer, when students and professors at the four universities in Canton and Potsdam started a cost-benefit analysis of some ideas in the plan.
The Planning Department wants to incorporate some of the
student analysis into the climate plan. But last month County legislators voted
not to take the plan off the table.
Republican Legislator Mark Akins says the 57-page plan is
too complex. But he also says some parts
are just common sense. The plan suggests
buying energy efficient vehicles, and doing more tele-commuting, to reduce
driving costs. It also promotes
car-pooling by employees. Akins doesn’t
like that idea, "Two people are working side by side, working
for county, I would hope they would car pool.
But I’m not going to tell them they have to car-pool."
But supporters of the climate plan say there’s no mandate
for things like car-pooling. Clarkson University
political science professor Stephen Bird worked with students on analysis of
the plan. He says car-pooling would be
voluntary.
And Bird says the County would NOT be on the line for any
new funding if legislators pass the plan, "There’s no part of the plan mandated to
occur. We have to consider cost when we
consider item actions in it."
When doing the cost-benefit analysis, Bird says they were
well-aware that the county does not have money to spend on the climate
plan. He says they were looking for ways
the county could save money, and for ways it could attract funding from the
government and others that offer grants.
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