Rep. Steve Israel

Upping the Pace for Going Green

2009-09-25T13:48:07-04:00

Yesterday at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting, former President Bill Clinton and a coalition of green energy visionaries discussed my federal legislation and announced the expansion of a game-changing idea: Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Bonds.

PACE Bonds empower all those property owners who like the idea of "going green" to finally get there. Too often, the energy efficiency upgrades cost too much to make sense today. But PACE Bonds are small municipal loans that allow property owners to increase their home or building's energy efficiency with little to no upfront cost. The loans are attached to the property, not the owner, and paid over 20 years with a small assessment on the annual property taxes (which in most places are also deductible). The money saved on monthly energy bills can exceed the cost of property tax assessments, making the upgrades pay-off immediately and not five or 10 years later.

With PACE Bonds, property owners can do what most say they want to do: save money and help the environment. And, businesses that manufacture green technologies can do what they want to do: take advantage of an estimated $500 billion in energy efficiency retrofit work.

Former President Clinton secured commitments from 50 mayors across the country to adopt PACE Bond programs. These 50 towns will be cutting carbon emissions, displacing foreign oil, creating new markets for green technologies and saving money on energy costs. The next step is to take PACE Bonds national. I'm introducing legislation in Congress to give federal support to PACE Bond programs so that property owners across the United States have a an easy path to "go green."

For more information, visit my website by clicking here. For video of former President Clinton discussing PACE Bonds at the Clinton Global Initiative, click here.

Top Ten Things the Health Care Bill Won't Do

2009-08-21T12:17:30-04:00

The debate about health insurance reform has become one of shouting matches, email spamming and piles of misinformation. It seems that most of the yelling is based on fear, not fact, and it's getting pretty extreme. With that in mind, I've put together a top ten list of things this bill absolutely will NOT do.

1. Encourage Americans to perform their own surgeries with detailed instructions from www.whitehouse.gov.

2. Give health care to aliens. I mean actual aliens from other galaxies.

3. Force our sons and daughters into Nursing or (wait for it) Euthanasia School.

4. Give the government control over our bank accounts or the weather.

5. Create internment camps so people that don't like the idea of better health care can live in tent cities policed by the National Guard.

6. Merger alert! USA-Mexico-Canada, Inc. (A co-op to reduce administrative costs).

7. House all doctors and dentists at the DMV.

8. Kill anyone's grandparents.

9. Establish Powerball-style "see a specialist" lotteries.

10. Make health care somehow more expensive than it already is.

For more information about what actually is in the health care bill, you can visit my website at http://israel.house.gov/healthcare.

Roll Back the Darkness in a Sustainable, Cost-Effective Way

2009-07-13T16:16:53-04:00

Imagine a U.S. development program that can dramatically improve global health -- even saving 4,000 lives a day. It can significantly reduce violence against women. It can help combat the effects of climate change. It can enable millions of poor girls to attend school. It can help the world's poorest save and earn more money. And these results can be achieved with relatively small amounts of money in some of the most unstable places like Pakistan and Somalia, where results are most needed.

We are talking about deploying small-scale solar devices through microfinance projects designed to empower woman as small business leaders. Funding solar villages can help meet the basic energy needs of the more than 3 billion people in the world with no reliable access to electricity and be one of the highest returns on investment for U.S. development assistance.

Every day, tens of thousands of people are burned by kerosene lamps. Not only are these lamps dangerous and dirty, they are expensive and provide poor lighting, which destroys eyesight. Solar-powered lanterns can replace the kerosene that billions of poor families rely on to light their homes. Most importantly, solar-powered lanterns and the hours of light they provide bring hours of increased safety and security for communities in dangerous areas. LED lanterns can even double as chargers to power up electrical devices. In terms of cost-effectiveness, an LED lantern pays for itself in less than a year.

Just a few years ago in rural India, a small group of women transformed their lives and their village with a small stock of solar lanterns. The housewives-turned-entrepreneurs sold solar and other renewable energy products; their main income generator was portable solar lamp rentals, which provided eight hours of light to families who rented the lanterns. The women turned a profit, improved their village, and demonstrated the demand for these devices in remote areas. Their success was made possible with a small grant from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a Department of Energy lab located in Colorado.

This is exactly the type of smart program we need to help recreate around the developing world. Other solar devices, such as solar cookers, can reduce the devastating environmental impact of chopping down trees to provide fuel for fires. The resulting deforestation leads to severe flooding and ruined soil quality. Leading climate scientists also contend that black soot from cooking stoves across the developing world is contributing as much as 18% of the planet's warming. The dangerous toxins from the cookers also cause respiratory illnesses which lead to 1.6 million deaths each year -- more than the number who die annually from malaria. Solar devices can be a cost-effective way to slow global warming and save lives. And we're giving people sustainable ways to improve their own lives, by owning businesses that create wealth.

Humanitarian aid and microfinance organizations have been among the first to embrace small-scale solar devices. Solar lanterns are providing increased security for communities. Solar-powered water-purification systems are providing clean drinking water to refugees. Camps in Sudan, Chad, and Nepal have all begun using solar devices and the results so far have been overwhelmingly positive.

One of the smartest foreign assistance initiatives the United States could undertake is to jump-start these promising solar-powered efforts around the world. There is currently a bill pending in Congress (sponsored by Congressman Israel) to help authorize five years' worth of funding starting with an initial $10 million investment in the deployment of these devices to the developing world, and another $90 million investment over the next four years to bring commercially viable and affordable renewable energy options to the world's poorest through microfinance programs targeted at empowering women. The House of Representatives has committed to the initial $10 million investment. If passed, this bill could create a long-standing program to provide financing for millions of LED lanterns to be distributed through microfinance organizations, as well as the development of next-generation solar cookers. It would also be a game-changer for U.S. businesses working to develop solar technology, providing them with new demand and competition to spur research and development.

Going green is no longer simply a luxury for wealthy countries. As these simple solar tools show us, exactly the opposite is true. People in impoverished, resource-scarce, conflict-ridden areas need renewable energy more than anyone. We now have the technology to light up the darkness in cost-effective, sustainable ways. Funding these innovations should be a priority for U.S. foreign assistance.

Congressman Steve Israel represents New York's 2nd Congressional District. Isobel Coleman is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and directs the Council's Women and Foreign Policy program.

Right-Wing Radio Spreads Flu Lies

2009-04-30T18:21:19-04:00

The last thing our country needs is radio hosts spreading dangerous misinformation about the flu outbreak. But that's exactly what we're getting thanks to people like Michael Savage, Jay Severin and Neal Boortz. These right-wing demagogues are targeting America's immigrant community and trying to turn a possible pandemic into politics.

This is simply deplorable and seriously dangerous.

A few days ago on his show, Michael Savage said, "Make no mistake about it: Illegal aliens are the carriers of the new strain of human-swine avian flu from Mexico." That is nothing more than fear-mongering and race-baiting in search of ratings. This is exactly the type of rhetoric that fuels discrimination and violence, and those violent acts are why last night the House voted to pass the Hate Crimes Bill. Apparently that wasn't enough of a signal to these guys that they've lost and tolerance and unity have won, but we'll keep fighting.

We can't afford to make this serious health emergency into a conservative radio circus. Americans need to stay calm and informed by listening to their doctors and our public health officials. And I'm asking Michael Savage, Jay Severin, Neal Boortz, and anyone who would repeat their arguments to stop now. Stop spreading these lies and work with us to keep Americans healthy and safe.

Incentivize Detroit to Get Efficient

2009-04-02T14:47:45-04:00

I want the American auto industry to survive. But I don't want them to survive because of perpetual Congressional life support.

What Detroit needs is a jump start. For years, Americans gobbled up clunker vehicles because gas was cheap. Because of the demand for what they were making, the American automakers didn't see a reason to seriously retool. Toyota and Honda were busy making smaller, lighter, more energy efficient vehicles. But Americans still wanted their SUVs, so Detroit kept selling them. Then, the bottom fell out. As oil prices spiked our tastes suddenly changed and SUVs became passÃ©.

Oil prices may have stabilized since then, but the future still demands the smaller, lighter, more energy efficient vehicles. So how do we get our auto industry to fast-track that future? It's not with a bailout, or with over-regulation of our businesses. Automakers, car dealers and parts suppliers understand one thing above all others: purchase orders. We need to incentivize Detroit to get efficient. We do that by generating demand for fuel-efficient vehicles.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act presents an opportunity for us to do this. We still have non-allocated funds from that bill as well as the funds declined by Republican governors. If our goal is to stimulate, I say we commit those funds to to one of our biggest, most historic and neediest sectors: the auto industry.

Along with Rep. Jay Inslee of Washington, I introduced a "Cash for Clunkers" bill in the House of Representatives (H.R.520). We put this out there in January hoping that the quickly moving recovery package would embrace this idea. The bill passed without it, but there is still time to make it happen.

Our bill puts the highest possible priority on one thing: efficiency. If we are going to reinvigorate the auto industry we need to modernize it at the same time. Our "Cash for Clunkers" program would let clunker owners, anyone with a car that got 18 miles per gallon or less at the time of purchase, turn in their old vehicle to be scrapped in exchange for a voucher to buy an energy efficient vehicle or public transportation. Vouchers range from $1,500 up to $4,500 for any car that exceeds CAFE efficiency standards by 25 percent. This year, that would mean a car that gets about 34 miles per gallon or better. If you buy a car that is 50 percent above CAFE standards, you'd get an extra $1,000 added on to your voucher.

If we are going to help Detroit, we need to do it with a program that also helps our environment and the consumer. After four years, this program could reduce our oil consumption by 40,000 to 80,000 barrels a day, cutting our carbon emissions, cutting our dependence on foreign oil, and cutting costs for American drivers.

"Cash for Clunkers" is a game changer and Detroit finally seems ready to change its game.

Saving the Economy Requires a Mix of Medicines

2008-12-15T12:51:47-05:00

If the holiday season is getting too festive, sit with me at a House Appropriations Committee hearing with three State Governors about the effect of the economy on state and local budgets.

Last Thursday, Governors John Corzine (D-NJ), Jim Douglas (R-VT), and Jim Doyle (D-WI) testified about massive budget cuts, social disruption, and economic dislocation. It was the policy version of "It's A Wonderful Life," where states and localities are becoming Pottersville.

One of the most prominent prescriptions for America's ailing economy has been infrastructure investments. But during the hearing, Governor Corzine made the following point:

Unless we help the states plug the hole in their operating budgets, any good we do through infrastructure stimulus will be canceled out by cuts in social services and the safety net.

To put it another way, you can spend $400 billion over several years on new roads and bridges, but if the states cut $400 billion from their operating budgets in the same space of time, we're running in place.

I believe that infrastructure investments are essential to rebuilding America's economy and creating jobs. And, I have cosponsored legislation to create a National Infrastructure Development Corporation. But infrastructure isn't the sole strategy for dealing with a spiraling economy.

The federal government needs to provide expedient relief to state operating budgets. That means fully funding educational programs, reducing state matching requirements for federal grants, and restoring revenue sharing.

We can rebuild our infrastructure and repair state and local budgets at the same time. It's time to listen to our state and local officials and "plug the hole" Governor Corzine talked about.

If we hear and act on their advice, we can craft a bill that will keep local services moving, ensure education doesn't suffer, prevent climbing state and local taxes, and create jobs and revenue to boost our ailing economy.

Not Taking 'Yes' for an Answer

2008-09-18T10:40:38-04:00

There are some people who just don't like to take "yes" for an answer.

Take, for example, some House Republicans who have spent the past two months stomping and stampeding for a bill to allow drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf, and then reject it when it is presented to them.

Oh, I know -- the Democratic compromise isn't perfect. It doesn't give the Republicans one hundred percent of what they want. But, it is a product of compromise and consensus. And I think the American people are sick and tired of Members of Congress who pull so hard to the extremes that the country doesn't move forward.

The Democratic bill that passed the House this week permits drilling fifty miles offshore with state approval, and one hundred miles offshore without state approval. In return, it repeals tax subsides to big oil and compels oil companies to pay royalties on flawed leases from the late 1990s, and puts those funds into renewable energy investments (in contrast, the Bush administration sought to slash total energy efficiency and renewable energy budgets by over $450 million this year). And, it requires utility companies to generate 15 percent of electricity from renewable sources -- such as wind power, biomass, wave, tidal, geothermal and solar -- by 2020.

Frankly, there are things I don't like about the bill. Even President Bush's own Department of Energy has stated publicly that drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf won't achieve any consumer price reduction until the year 2030 - and then an average of about 2 cents a gallon. And, I don't think that the solution to fossil-fueled global warming is more fossil fuels.

But I recognize that a complicated and complex energy issue won't be solved by throwing sound bites at each other. And some people certainly won't let facts get in the way of some good political rhetoric. So I swallowed hard, and to the Republican chant of "drill, baby, drill," I joined my colleagues in supporting reasonable and responsible conditions for expanded drilling.

The response? "It's not enough."

Huh?

They demanded that we lift prohibitions on offshore drilling and we did it.

Now they're saying a fifty mile exclusion is too much. They want oil derricks to be within three miles of a shoreline. Three miles.

And if we said three, my guess is they'd reject that for a mile and half.

It sounds to me like the Republican insistence to drill was never about drilling. It was about finding a bumper sticker to take into the upcoming elections. It wasn't about producing more domestic energy, it was about producing more press releases.

Spotlight on the House: An Agenda for Success

2008-09-17T07:22:03-04:00

A few weeks ago, I moved my youngest daughter into her new dorm room in Vermont. After driving several hours north and lugging her belongings three flights up, I officially had two daughters in college. It's always been a goal in my family to send both of the kids to college. Finally getting there was a moment of great pride.

And then came a moment of great distress. Two students in school equals twice the tuition bills. With college costs hitting astronomical highs, it won't be easy on us.

When I travel around my congressional district on Long Island, people tell me the same story. They say they are too rich to qualify for federal assistance, but feel too poor to pay for college without serious financial strain.

Recently, I took a camera and visited the King Kullen grocery store in Commack, NY, to ask people where their costs are going up and what concerns them most. I expected everyone to say gas prices, and many people did. But, I also met several mothers and one young man who said financing college topped their list of concerns. The young man was trying to pay off his education costs, and the mothers were troubled by how high prices might be once their children get to school.

Middle class families are getting hit from all sides. They are taking care of their aging parents, they are taking care of their children, they are trying to make sure they have health insurance if they change jobs, they are saving for retirement, and they are and they are dealing with increasing prices of basic goods such as gas and groceries.

In Congress, we can and need to do more to make it easier for families to succeed. Today, I announced the formation of the Democratic Middle Class Working Group. My colleagues and I have been working together to craft legislation that will ease the squeeze on middle class families. Our legislative agenda starts with 13 bills that will address college affordability, elder care, health insurance, retirement savings, small business, and energy costs.

One of the bills I'm sponsoring will help families pay for college by creating a single, super-sized tax credit to off-set rising tuition costs. It provides a $5,000 tax credit per student, per year, for up to half of college costs. Current tax credits max out at $2,000 and only reach families who make up to $114,000 a year. We want to raise that cap to families earning up to $200,000 a year and make it easier for students and parents to take advantage of this off-set.

In a recent survey conducted by the Pew Center, 79 percent of the middle class said it's harder to maintain their lifestyle now than it was five years ago. Republican policies have been holding the middle class back, but my colleagues and I are committed to changing that.

The middle class is America's economic engine. In order for our country to succeed, we need that engine running on all cylinders. This legislative agenda is putting us on a road toward middle class success, and we hope that it will inspire the rest of Congress to come along for the ride.

Hurricane Katrina, Three Years Later

2008-07-29T16:57:54-04:00

From July 19 - 22, 2008, 22 Members of the House of Representatives visited the Gulf Coast to examine the post-Katrina progress.

Three years after the hurricane washed homes from their foundations, ended lives and scattered families, the progress is, at best, erratic.

Throughout the trip, Rep. Steve Israel recorded the still shocking images and his thoughts on the recovery efforts: