BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Limba - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Limba X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://limba.net X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Limba REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20060402T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20061029T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20070311T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20071104T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20080309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20081102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20090308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20091101T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20080328T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20080328T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20080328T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20080328T040000Z UID:4283-1206662400-1206662400@limba.net SUMMARY:Irwin Kellner PhD. What's Next? DESCRIPTION:Dr Kellner is always an interesting participant at LIMBA. We get good insights on the local and national economy. Please join us. \nErnie Fazio URL:https://limba.net/calendar/irwin-kellner-phd-whats-next/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20080321T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20080321T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20080321T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20080321T040000Z UID:4284-1206057600-1206057600@limba.net SUMMARY:Good Friday No Meeting DESCRIPTION: URL:https://limba.net/calendar/good-friday-no-meeting-4/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20080314T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20080314T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20080314T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20080314T040000Z UID:4281-1205452800-1205452800@limba.net SUMMARY:Strategic Alliances with SUNY institutions-LarryWeber PhD DESCRIPTION:This morning our speaker was  Lawrence Weber PhD.  Recently Larry assumed a position at SUNY Stony Brook in business development. The topic was "Strategic Alliances with Sony Brook University." \nThe university created a unit that forms cooperative situations with innovators and established businesses to develop marketable ideas. The premise is that most of the people that have ideas may be missing an important ingredient. Sometimes it is research money\, or staffing\, or sophisticated equipment needed to carry out the research that is needed to develop a product or procedure. \nAfter discussing the needs and the terms of cooperation the university will enter into a written agreement with the innovator. All the questions of patent ownership\, responsibilities of the parties\, and other concerns should come up at that point. Usually the university retains a portion of the ownership. The royalties are then re-fed back to the university and used to further new research. Faculty and graduate students work hand in hand with the innovator \nThere are a number of successful joint ventures that have resulted in millions of dollars coming back to the university\, but most of those millions are the result of the success of one drug. In the meantime there are many efforts that came to fruition in terms of a granted patent. However they\, for one reason or another never resulted in any earnings. These patents may be useful to someone else if that person can see the value. If that is the case\, they can be\, by agreement\, be released to another person or company. These patents can be viewed by the public on line. If you see a marketable use for any of these patents\, the university will gladly enter into an agreement to release them. \nThis unit is a powerful engine for research and development on Long Island and has been under the leadership of Dr. Yacov Shamash since its inception. URL:https://limba.net/calendar/strategic-alliances-with-suny-institutions-larryweber-phd/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20080307T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20080307T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20080307T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20080307T050000Z UID:4280-1204848000-1204848000@limba.net SUMMARY:Steve Levy- County Executive DESCRIPTION:Members and friends:  \nFriday our speaker was Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy. Mr. Levy\, as most of you know\, is a very engaging speaker. He began by reviewing the financing of the budget and pointed out that a relatively large decrease in county taxes makes a small impact on the taxes we pay\, because most of our taxes are absorbed by the school districts.\n \nHaving made that point\, he stressed the need to reduce or contain taxes is important on every level. His efforts at redeploying the police from desk jobs to street jobs put more police in effective crime fighting duties and fewer desk assignments. The desk assignments were filled with less critically skilled civilians that drew commensurately lower pay\n \nServices vs. taxes is the balance that an executive must constantly make. Should we retain or expand services at the cost of raising taxes? IASked Levy. n the days of Long Island’s economic expansion that question was less of a dilemma. With a wildly expanding economy we can and did expand services\, and that money was well spent.\, according to Levy. Today we have circumstances that demand that we spend the taxpayers money wisely. We must not make living here so expensive that we lose our tax base and further exacerbate the problem. “Don’t sacrifice the good for the sake of the (unachievable) perfect” was his closing remark on that topic.\n \nHe gave the example of having the County operate a nursing home. According to Levy the County loses $11 Million per year on that nursing home. Mr. Levy says that the private sector can do that same job cheaper even if it 100% funded by taxpayer money.\n \nProviding major infrastructure is now more difficult because in the past state and federal monies provided 87% of the funding\, today it is zero. Bubkis\, if you will (bubkis has been described as a big zero with rim removed).\n \n\nOptimistically\, as Steve was winding down his talk\, he cited our capacity to be the energy-centric region of the country\, creating thousands of jobs in the emerging green energy industry. Coupling the various research and learning centers such as Brookhaven Labs\, SUNY Stony Brook\, and Cold Spring Harbor Labs\, with major industrial entities\, such as Keyspan/National Grid\, we can win the global battle for energy independence and create those high paying jobs. He also had similar remarks about the developments in wireless communications that are being advanced at Stony Brook \nErnie Fazio URL:https://limba.net/calendar/steve-levy-county-executive-2/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20080229T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20080229T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20080229T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20080229T050000Z UID:4285-1204243200-1204243200@limba.net SUMMARY:Polemeni Tunnel Discussion- Vincent Polemeni DESCRIPTION: URL:https://limba.net/calendar/polemeni-tunnel-discussion-vincent-polemeni/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20080222T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20080222T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20080222T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20080222T050000Z UID:4279-1203638400-1203638400@limba.net SUMMARY:Kevin Law\, Chairman LIPA -Repowering and other issues DESCRIPTION:This morning’s meeting was blessed with snow. I say blessed because we had a  filled room\, and many people showed up "out of the blue". Accommodating those people and every person who indicated he or she would come\, would not have been possible. Our speaker was Kevin Law\, the recently appointed President and CEO of LIPA.\n\nMr. Law began by giving the audience an overview of what LIPA does and explained that the poles and distribution facilities are owned by LIPA\, but the generating facilities are not. To add further to the confusion the LIPA trucks are manned by Keyspan/Grid employees\, the trucks belong to LIPA\, but the employees wear LIPA helmets. Ya got it? It’s pretty confusing.\n \nThen Kevin explained the structure of the cost of power. 55% of your bill is dedicated to paying for the fuel that is used to produce electric. 13% is used to pay interest on the debt\, and another 11% is used to pay taxes or payments in lieu of taxes. Taxes on a municipal power company are unusual. Other municipal power companies do not pay taxes\, but to mollify the effected local school districts\, these concessions were made.\n\nAs difficult as may be to accept\, much of our LIPA bills are immutable. The good news is that while some municipal bonds are being hit with high interest rates at this time\, LIPA has not experienced this because of the way the contracts were written.\nRepowering is an agenda item for LIMBA because modern plants pollute a lot less while producing more power. But according to Mr. Law repowering is a very expensive proposition and at best\, could only be achieve incrementally.\n\nGoing forward LIPA will investigate conservation measures that may include time of day metering. Conservation is counter-intuitive to a utility company\, so rates may actually increase while total billing may fall. As an example a consumer who lowers his consumption by 50%\, may lower his billing by only 30%. That would bode well for the consumer without undermining the financial structure of the utility.\n \nAccording to Law\, alternative energy sources will be investigated with renewed vigor\, solar\, wind\, geothermal\, bio-fuels are all worthy of a new look.\n \nLastly\, Kevin stated that the gifts to charity are not condoned by state law\, and they will be discontinued without regard to the merit of these organizations. URL:https://limba.net/calendar/kevin-law-chairman-lipa-repowering-and-other-issues/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20080215T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20080215T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20080215T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20080215T050000Z UID:4277-1203033600-1203033600@limba.net SUMMARY:Presidents Day weekend NO MEETING DESCRIPTION: URL:https://limba.net/calendar/presidents-day-weekend-no-meeting-3/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20080208T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20080208T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20080208T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20080208T050000Z UID:4278-1202428800-1202428800@limba.net SUMMARY:James Moore “Redevelopment Challenges and Opportunities”. DESCRIPTION:This morning our speaker was Dr James Moore of HDR Engineering. HDR is a nationwide firm that employs 6700 people throughout the country and will open an office on Long Island in a few weeks.\n \nThe nature of their work is large scale projects\, and they encompass buildings\, roads\, and rail systems.\nDr Moore began with the statement that estimated cost of bringing present infrastructure into class A  status is $2 trillion. Yes\, that’s trillion. In addition there are numerous opportunities for urban rebuilding. Moore stated that we have seen numerous pictures of visionary refurbishing and there is a long divide between pictures and reality. The reason according to Moore is the conventional zoning we have adopted will not let us get there. A whole new systemic approach is needed to make real progress.\n \nDr Moore explained in some detail the problems of zoning. We build parking lots near office buildings and then mandate that no housing can be built in the same relative space. If we had multi dwelling housing across from the office buildings the parking spaces would be used by the residents when the business day was closed and the residents returned to their homes. In addition any such mixed use campus must have transit interwoven into the fabric of the community. Sewers are also needed for a comprehensive plan.\n \nIt’s not that we are overbuilt\, but that we are dumbly built (my words\, not his). I brought up to Dr Moore an experience I had in London in 1985. While on a tour bus we passed a cemetery where 65\,000 people who perished during the plague were buried. I said to the tour guide "while 65\,000 people is a large number in relative terms with the size of London\, it does not seem like a large proportion of the population." He informed  me that there were only 100\,000 people in London at that time. London was "overcrowded"\, but overcrowding is relative to the infrastructure you have to support the population.\n \nOur present land use policies makes our present day Long Island overcrowded. There are ample redesign possibilities that would render being stuck in traffic a most unusual occurrence. Unusual because either a car was not needed to get to where you want to go\, as in downtown living such as Northport or Great Neck or easy and frequent inner city transit as we have in New York City.\n \nThe picture painted by James Moore was very encouraging. He showed numerous examples of redevelopment schemes that worked in other cities.  He also warned that one size does not fit all. Each situation needs to be looked at considering its unique geography\, and desired outcomes.\n \nLong Islanders who wish to maintain open space\, need to plan the space they want to use more thoughtfully.\nIn that way we will have ample living spaces\, mobility\, and easy access to entertainment and commercial centers. URL:https://limba.net/calendar/james-moore-redevelopment-challenges-and-opportunities/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20080201T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20080201T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20080201T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20080201T050000Z UID:4282-1201824000-1201824000@limba.net SUMMARY:Open Round Table Discussion DESCRIPTION:Members and friends\n\nOur meeting this morning was a round table discussion that was as interesting as any meeting we have had.   We reviewed  the three active LIMBA agenda items\, namely;\n \n    Repowering Electric Generating Plants\n    Increased Rail Freight\n    New Ferry Service to CT\n \nThe public conversation on REPOWERING has changed substantially. Instead of discrediting the idea\, LIPA is going to study repowering and publish a report on feasibility. The Barrett facility will in all likelihood be repowered. Other facilities such as Northport and Port Jefferson pose different problems\, but these plants also could\, with proper planning\, be repowered according to former LILCO VP\, Matt Cordaro. The discussion continued encompassing cost\, reduced emission\, and fuel flexibility. In that context Broadwater came into the conversation. Dr Cordaro stated that he knew the technology of liquefied natural gas and considered it safe. He then posed the question "If the environmental people want the plants repowered using natural gas\, where do we expect to get that gas?\n \nINCREASED RAIL FREIGHT- With less than 2% of our freight coming into Long Island on rail\, we are essentially left out of the national system. According to rail freight company\, Fred Krebs\, we could raise that percentage to 10% and remove 325\,000 tractor trailers from our roads each year. This improved service does not rely on the planned 3rd track on the main line\, but it does require some work on track and bridge infrastructure amounting to about $60 million. This is not a daunting amount\, but our public officials have failed to secure those funds. Another requirement is a rail/truck transload facility such as the one that is planned for Brentwood. There is local opposition to the transload operation\, but that can be overcome if an access road can be built to service it. The price tag on that item is $104 million. Costly? Yes\, but is it going to get cheaper if we wait? I don’t think so. The politicians need to show some leadership here and get it done.\n \nNEW FERRIES TO CT. The LIMBA proposed ferry route from Shoreham to New Haven has caught the attention of the people on the North Fork. Those people object to the heavy traffic on their narrow\, over-trafficked country road leading to the Orient Point Ferry. The traffic that will feed the proposed Shoreham  ferry point will be isolated from residences and business. They have vowed to press for the establishing a new ferry system to relieve what is a legitimate problem. The new ferry system will use new surface effect technology that is not presently being used anywhere but the US Navy. This will be a high speed\, high volume\, ferry technology that will be at least twice as energy efficient as present equipment. Nobody wants to be inconvenienced and I don’t blame them. The providers of the new service must be able to provide a service that minimizes or eliminates perceived problems\, and we believe they have. The ferry proposal is available in the library on the website. URL:https://limba.net/calendar/open-round-table-discussion/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20080125T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20080125T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20080125T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20080125T050000Z UID:4276-1201219200-1201219200@limba.net SUMMARY:John M. Kennedy\, Suffolk County Legislator DESCRIPTION:Suffolk County Legislator John Kennedy spoke at LIMBA this morning. The topic was expanding the sewers systems in the county. Suffolk County aborted its efforts to create a comprehensive sewer system when the Southwest Sewer district was completed during the 70’s. There were many problems when that system was built and politicians were circumspect about opening up that can of worms. Now we are at an impasse\, and we recognize the need to expand sewers. \nToday we are dealing with the restrictions on growth that not having sewers imposes on us. It is not that sewers were not built since that time\, but the sewers that were built were small. Now we have 22 sewer districts in Suffolk that do not connect to each other. \nThese systems have failed to meet the needs of commerce and industry. The limitations also dictate how housing can be constructed. Building houses on 2 acre plots\, 1/2 acre plots\, or even 1/4 plots\, does not get you to the point where you can have "affordable housing" because the real estate is so valuable. Without adequate sewers we cannot achieve clustered\, and therefore\, affordable housing. \nAccording to Mr. Kennedy we have to plan to tie those existing sewer districts together\, upgrading them to tertiary status\, and expanding them. This could be achieved under the auspices of a sewer authority\, similar to how the Suffolk County Water Authority is organized. \nThe looming question we have now is\, how do we finance an ambitious sewer plan? When the Southwest Sewer District was built\, more than 90% was paid by the state and federal government. Presently we do not have that largess on which to rely. URL:https://limba.net/calendar/john-m-kennedy-suffolk-county-legislator/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20080118T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20080118T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20080118T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20080118T050000Z UID:4274-1200614400-1200614400@limba.net SUMMARY:Victor Yannacone DESCRIPTION:This morning’s topic raised a few eyebrows\, "Global Warming Fact or Fiction." Our speaker was respected attorney and environmentalist Victor Yannacone. Victor has numerous credits to his name including being a founding member of the "Environmental Defense Fund" and lead attorney on the Agent Orange legal suit in support of Viet Nam era soldiers.\n \nThe title of his address was a little misleading. The argument presented was that the activities of human beings are not the cause of global warming. The larger impact on the phenomenon are other naturally occurring forces. There is a problem\, but to ham string the United States with rules that will inhibit economic growth\, is not fair because developing countries such as China and India are not bound by the same rules. Moreover\, according to Yannacone\, human activity accounts for only about 1% of the greenhouse gasses. I challenged Yannacone’s premise when he said that the same phenomenon has occurred numerous times over the life of the planet. I reminded him that the ice cores from which we get our data on CO 2 goes back 700\,000 years\, and that data suggests that the CO 2 has been dramatically higher since the industrial revolution.\n \nYou can take issue with his premise\, and I did\, but what he went on to say was more interesting. Conservation and alternative fuels need to be a major part of our future. He then brought the story back home. He did not cede his original proposition\, but stated we must reduce our use of fossil fuels by a better use facilities we have. The Long Island Railroad should have at least one tie that binds the three track systems together. He suggested the Port Jefferson Medford and Patchogue could be tied together to create a loop. This would make the railroad more useful for intra-island transit. Housing should be more clustered and in a mixed use grouping.\n \n"The present model under which Long Island operates is dead." The entire country needs to build the equivalent of the interstate highway system to deliver our electrical power. Building a robust rail system and electrical transmission system will substantially mitigate the greenhouse gasses that people talk about\, but Yannacone was approaching some of the same conclusions without the vitriol that is usually directed to the Hummer owners  \n \nAha….we have an ally after all. LIMBA has been advocating for a robust rail freight system for years. We now get less than 2% of our freight by rail. If we increased that amount to 10%\, we would take 325\,000 tractor trailers off the highways each year.\n \nIt was a very encouraging presentation because the challenge presents enormous development opportunities according to our speaker. URL:https://limba.net/calendar/victor-yannacone/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20080111T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20080111T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20080111T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20080111T050000Z UID:4275-1200009600-1200009600@limba.net SUMMARY:Martin Luther King Holiday weekend no meeting DESCRIPTION: URL:https://limba.net/calendar/martin-luther-king-holiday-weekend-no-meeting/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20080104T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20080104T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20080104T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20080104T050000Z UID:4272-1199404800-1199404800@limba.net SUMMARY:Helena Williams\, LIRR President DESCRIPTION:Helena Williams\, newest\, and first female President of the LIRR came to LIMBA today to give us an update on her first six months at the throttle of the nation’s busiest commuter railroad.  Drew Scott of News 12 was in attendance and snagged a post-meeting interview.  Ms. Williams has a long career in public service\, from positions in New York City Government\, Nassau County\, and running the Long Island Bus division of the MTA.  Her enthusiasm for the job is evident\, and it is an exciting time to be at the LIRR\, working on the first expansion of the system in over a hundred years\, East Side Access (ESA).  Her approach has focused on three key areas\, safety\, security\, and service reliability.  Her talk today was focused on the third area\, reliability.  She said that this was what has arisen most in her interactions with customers. \n  \nThe two projects that will have the biggest impacts on service reliability will be ESA and the third track on the mainline between Floral Park and Hicksville.  Ms.  Williams is not a career railroader\, but her demeanor\, carriage\, and experience appear to make her the right person for the job at the right time.  For ESA to be a success\, supporting projects in the region must also be implemented successfully\, and the attempts by her predecessors to move these forward have met with ferocious resistance from those unwilling to shoulder burdens for the greater good.  Her recommendation of Conquering Gotham as a reference bodes well for her prospects in completing the supporting projects.  In presenting these projects\, she spoke of sharing benefits and burdens on a bi-county\, regional basis.  To put it in a nutshell\, ESA brings huge benefits to both counties\, but Nassau must bear the burden of Main Line Corridor Improvements ( MLCI – third track )\, and Suffolk must bear the burden of a new train storage yard somewhere.  The third supporting project\, trackwork in Jamaica\, imposes burdens on the existing ridership\, having to have things juggled while trackwork takes place within the space and time envelope already owned by the railroad. \n  \nHer description of the review process and emphasis on the railroad’s acceptance and integration of community feedback into the plans for MLCI\, and a plausible description of road traffic conditions if the supporting projects don’t take place indicate that an understanding of the landscape and a recognition that different sales approach is necessary has arrived in Jamaica station on Track #1.  A quick overview with light detail of some trouble spots and how MLCI can solve them shows an engaged manager with both strategic and tactical skills.  All those skills will be called upon to guide the nation’s busiest railroad\, running 728 daily trains with just about 1200 pieces of rolling stock carrying 289\,000 customers per day. \nIntra-island service was another highlight of her talk\, where she described the integrated project to deal with County Road 39 construction.  The LIRR’s shuttle service between Speonk and Montauk was a large\, but not the only part\, of this effort.  She gave kudos to the East End planners that brought together van and carpooling services from LIRR stations to end destinations\, plus communication facilities as a model for future projects.  She emphasized the integration part of the equation\, where the LIRR is part of a holistic approach to transportation\, and transportation oriented development.  \n  \nOnce again\, we had a lively Q & A session\, which covered the prospects for additional shuttle service projects and the Moynihan Station/Farley Post Office project\, which prompted a declaration by Ms. Williams that we should have her back for another meeting just to discuss the issues surrounding that particular item.  We look forward to another informative Friday morning visit from Madame President. \n  \nRecap and pictures were provided by  \nCraig Plunkett\nCEDX\, UrbanHotspots\, Fire Island Wireless\nVoice:516-672-3146\,Fax:631-824-9019 URL:https://limba.net/calendar/helena-williams-lirr-president/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20071228T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20071228T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20071228T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20071228T050000Z UID:4266-1198800000-1198800000@limba.net SUMMARY:No Meeting-Holiday week DESCRIPTION: URL:https://limba.net/calendar/no-meeting-holiday-week/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20071221T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20071221T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20071221T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20071221T050000Z UID:4271-1198195200-1198195200@limba.net SUMMARY:Holiday Recess No Meeting DESCRIPTION: URL:https://limba.net/calendar/holiday-recess-no-meeting/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20071214T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20071214T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20071214T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20071214T050000Z UID:4267-1197590400-1197590400@limba.net SUMMARY:LIMBA Holiday Breakfast DESCRIPTION:The Holiday Gathering was held today and our performers were Jim Graseck on his magical violin\, and Vince Dantona & George (George is a puppet). \n \nJim began by playing for the guests as they entered the room and until we settled in after having breakfast. His violin ability and variety of music is astounding. I sang a few songs with him and then we introduced the ventriloquist. Vince was fed a few names of people who were expected to attend and then he singled them out for a little shtick. I had hired Vince a few years ago for another Holiday party so I had seen his routine\, but he was as fresh and funny this time as it was the last time. It’s been a while since I laughed as hard.\n \nJim Graseck has a humorous take on music and the violin in much the same way that Victor Borge had with the piano. He is classically trained and will break out in conversation with his audience while playing the most intricate piece\, and never miss a note. He came back and closed out the morning with a some more holiday music and ethnic music that included Danny Boy\, The Tarantella\, Maleguena\, A polka\, and several others. \n \n\nBoth of these talented performers are native to Long Island and it was a pleasure to have them. \nThanks to the support of Terry Townsend\, Waldo Cabrera of Islip.TV\, and Doreen Guma of Adcount Direct we were able to help fund and advertise a wonderful event URL:https://limba.net/calendar/limba-holiday-breakfast/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20071207T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20071207T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20071207T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20071207T050000Z UID:4268-1196985600-1196985600@limba.net SUMMARY:Robert Catell\, Chairman\, Keyspan DESCRIPTION:This morning our speaker Bob Catell\, Chairman of the new utility entity National Grid US\, gave us a recap of the transition to our new situation. In Mr. Catell’s opinion there are now opportunities that are available to the utility and the service area that would not have otherwise existed. For example the costly repowering of existing plants are more viable if the company has the resources\, and it does. That does not imply that repowering is the most advantageous way of retiring old plant equipment. In some cases it may be better to build a brand new state-of-the-art plant on a new location.  \n \nAnother item was the transporting of power from Canada to downstate. While Canada has ample power available to sell\, the transmission lines are presently inadequate to handle the added demand. National Grid owns some of the upstate companies that would benefit from the additional\, clean and abundant Hydro Quebec power. Now\, National Grid owns the downstate market that was serviced by Keyspan. With that in mind it makes economic sense to invest large sums of capital in transmission lines to service all of their companies.\n \nThe subject of synergy was discussed as well. By avoiding duplicative systems there is an opportunity to save money. But there is also an opportunity to have more cross-trained personnel to help when there is a disaster. Presumably when disaster strikes\, it does not disable all parts of the system equally. Trained people from New England can migrate to the effected area. The utilities have done this in the past\, but now the utility will now have control over training of all of the crafts people. Thereby insuring that there is enough\npersonnel with the required multiple skills.\n \nThe topic of Islander East Pipeline was brought up\, and although that project has been challenged by the state of Connecticut it looks probable those issues will be resolved. Broadwater was also discussed and Bob admitted that Broadwater would be helpful in servicing the needs of the region\, but that issue is more murky.\n \nCatell discussed the Advanced Energy Research program that will operate out of SUNY Stony Brook. That facility has the prospect of changing dramatically the nature of electric power production\, distribution and use\, as well as many other facets of the energy picture. Mr. Catell and Shirley Strum Kenny are co-chairs of that facility. We wish them well.\n### URL:https://limba.net/calendar/robert-catell-chairman-keyspan/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20071130T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20071130T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20071130T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20071130T050000Z UID:4273-1196380800-1196380800@limba.net SUMMARY:Frank MacKay\, Independence Party\, National Chairman DESCRIPTION:Members and friends\nAll that we try to accomplish at LIMBA is dependent on creating the political climate so that it can happen. However we do not declare any allegiance to any political party. But today we examined under the tutelage of Frank MacKay\, National Chairman of the Independence Party\, the workings of the political parties. We examined the effect that the so-called minor parties have on the political process.\n \nFrank had us look at some recent elections to make his point that a "minor" party endorsement is not only helpful\, it is often pivotal. In New York City where some voters "would rather cut off their right arm than pull a lever that said Republican" according to Frank\, these people did pull the third party lever and Mr. Bloomberg\, the Republican was voted into office. The number of people that voted on the Independence line was greater than the difference between the Republican and the Democratic votes. That Independence line was needed to put Michael Bloomberg in office.\n \nIn 1992 Ross Perot\, despite running a miserable campaign\, garnered 19% of the vote and Bill Clinton\, won over George Bush with a mere plurality. In 2000 Ralph Nader created the same scenario and sank the campaign of Al Gore.\n \nWe then discussed the current politics at the presidential level and the contempt the public has for the president and the congress. With the president’s approval rating at 30% and the Congress at 11% MacKay thinks a third party candidate\, such as Mayor Bloomberg\, would have an excellent chance of winning.\n \nTo Frank’s way of thinking\, social issues are not part of the process\, "we don’t wear clerical collars in politics" MacKay said\, "discuss those matters with people who do wear those collars. Politics to MacKay is more about political process. Election reform is the most important issue if you are interested in preserving democracy. The Independence Party recently opened their primaries to every citizen that is registered to vote in every state in the Union\, and was subsequently sued by the major parties. The Independence Party won that tussle.\n\nErnie Fazio \n  \nPictured: Independence Party\, National Chairman\, Frank MacKay\, and Ernie Fazio\n\n\n  \n  URL:https://limba.net/calendar/frank-mackay-independence-party-national-chairman/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20071123T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20071123T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20071123T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20071123T050000Z UID:4262-1195776000-1195776000@limba.net SUMMARY:Thanksgiving Holiday -No Meeting DESCRIPTION: URL:https://limba.net/calendar/thanksgiving-holiday-no-meeting-2/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20071115T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20071115T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20071115T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20071115T050000Z UID:4254-1195084800-1195084800@limba.net SUMMARY:Karaoke Night at LIMBA 5:30 PM (No morning mtg) DESCRIPTION:Karaoke will begin Thursday afterwork at 5:30. The great Anita Bloom will preside. She is a knock-out of a performer\, and runs a great show for the audience/singers.\nVenue is not yet determined. URL:https://limba.net/calendar/karaoke-night-at-limba-530-pm-no-morning-mtg/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20071109T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20071109T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20071109T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20071109T050000Z UID:4261-1194566400-1194566400@limba.net SUMMARY:Veterans Day/Armistace Day NO Meeting DESCRIPTION: URL:https://limba.net/calendar/veterans-dayarmistace-day-no-meeting/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20071102T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20071102T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20071102T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20071102T040000Z UID:4270-1193961600-1193961600@limba.net SUMMARY:Dr Mathew Cordaro\, LIU DESCRIPTION:Our speaker this morning was Dr. Matthew Cordaro. Matt heads up energy research and policy development at The Center for Management Analysis at Post Dr Cordaro Has been in the utility field for many years and was SR VP of LILCO at one point. \n\nMatt pointed out that National Grid is a formidable entity with the wealth and experience to service the region\, and they were approved as an operating company based some promises that were made to the regulators. Basically those commitments revolved around the need for Grid to maintain a workforce large enough to be able to restore power in the case of a major catastrophe. According to Cordaro 90% of the present workforce has never experienced a major hurricane and that fact creates an exposure. \nCordaro said it is up to us to maintain pressure on the operators to live up to the commitments that they made. \n  \nDr. Cordaro said he was confident in the new leadership under Kevin Law at LIPA\, but Law never had any direct utility experience. There are serious challenges that Mr. Law will have to deal with. The system is aging and there is a complicated contractual arrangement with Grid. There have been $2 Billion in investment by LIPA and that has to be paid for as well. \n  \nConservation has always been promoted as a means of avoiding the cost of new power plant construction\, but these conservation programs cost money and they too have to be paid for. There are many challenges for LIPA and Grid\, but none insurmountable. \n  \nThe conversation then went on to repowering. LIMBA has been a long time proponent of repowering. Repowering is essentially rebuilding high efficiency\, state of the art power plants at existing locations. The problem here is that not all the existing sites are good candidates for repowering. As one of the audience pointed out the task is more costly than creating a new power plant in a new location. The old sites have in some cases real estate limitations. That is\, not enough room to build while leaving the old plant in service. The one plant that everyone seems to agree is viable for repowering is Barrett. There probably is one or two others. An alternative is building new plants in new places “virtual repowering” The examples given the new Caithness plant in Bellport and the proposed Keyspan plant on Spagnoli Rd in Melville URL:https://limba.net/calendar/dr-mathew-cordaro-liu/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20071026T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20071026T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20071026T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20071026T040000Z UID:4269-1193356800-1193356800@limba.net SUMMARY:Round Table Discussion DESCRIPTION:Members and friends\nThis morning we conducted one of our occasional "Round Table Discussions" I find these sessions very helpful in setting the agenda for LIMBA. \nOne of the suggestions was to re-create that staccato of issues that are worth repeating again and again. Paul Townsend was very successful at moving issues along because he wouldn’t let them die.\nHere are some of the issues that our members decided should be on that list;\n \nSewers-All attempts to provide denser housing are thwarted by the need for sewers. Instead of committing all of the 1/4% sales tax for land acquisition\, perhaps we could address sewers and make it possible to retain strategically located open space. This would assist economic development\, create more housing\, and still preserve open space\nReduce\, realign\, and condense government services. It would be more efficient to give more authority to county government and reduce town government. Park districts on Long Island would be recognized as regional resources. People from Smithtown should be welcome in Huntington and Babylon parks as well as all other jurisdictions\nWe need to rethink fire districts-Are we better served by this costly redundancy of fire equipment and locations\, or should we consolidate fire departments? And while we are at it\, shouldn’t we examine the idea of a paid fire department\, under county auspices? Wouldn’t we then have more coverage over all periods of the day\, at possibly less cost?\nThe schools are Long Island’s "sacred cows". However the schools have done their critics a favor recently. School financial scandals are more widespread than previously suspected\, giving rise to the notion that a county-wide oversight would be able to reign in the rogues. Even where blatant fraud and theft were not apparent\, there seems to be a cavalier attitude to spending.\nLIPA is excluded from NYSERDA’s energy research programs. I believe the reason for that is\, that as a state authority LIPA is not obligated to participate in NYSERDA"s programs and dose not pay for them either. Perhaps we can legally change that and then Long Island can partake in NYSERDA largesse.\nLastly we discussed the concept of pumped storage. This concept allows a generating facility to buy inexpensive off-peak hydro-power from upstate during the night and pumping water to a higher elevation. During the day the water is released to operate generators to supply power at peak load times. A serious look at this technology should be considered in adding to an array of generating options for the future.\n \nLIMBA is always true to its own self imposed time restraints and we adjourned at 9:30. URL:https://limba.net/calendar/round-table-discussion-4/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20071019T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20071019T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20071019T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20071019T040000Z UID:4263-1192752000-1192752000@limba.net SUMMARY:Hon Tom Spota\, Suffolk County District Atty DESCRIPTION:Our speaker this morning was Suffolk District Attorney\, Tom Spota. Mr Spota began by stating that his most important contemporary duties are involved with terror attack prevention. An audience member mentioned that there were Middle Eastern men taking parachuting  lessons on the east end. Mr Spota acknowledged that fact but declined to discuss it further.\n \nA while back DA Spota created a street gang unit and gave us some insights on how sophisticated some of these gang leaders were. He told us of a gang leader that was in his 40’s and was using his illegal gains to buy real estate. All of which Mr Spota seized when an arrest was made.\n \nAs important as those two items of law prosecution are the item that resonated with the audience more than others were the government corruption cases. White collar crime is not dismissible to Spota just because it is "an insurance company" or the "government" that is taking the hit. It is important crime because it challenges the trust we place in the system we live in.\n \nTom told of a school superintendent that was being paid $340\,000\, was issued a car and credit card to pay car expenses\, plus a $700/ month car allowance. In addition to that he was getting a $40\,000/ year guaranteed annuity. He then wrote himself a check from the payroll account for another 168\,000. The following week he wrote another check from the same account for 178\,000. Nobody in the school district picked up on any of this. This grand theft was discovered after his office made a routine investigation. This was a particularly egregious case\, but Spota said they found many other troubling mishandling of funds in other districts.\n \n\nHe then discussed identity theft and computer fraud. In these cases the amount of the theft was enormous compared to armed robbery and violent crime\, but the more troubling aspect of these thefts were that in the large majority of cases the money was transferred overseas to countries that are hostile to America. \nPictured: Bill Miller\, Suffolk District Attorney Tom Spota and Ernie Fazio URL:https://limba.net/calendar/hon-tom-spota-suffolk-county-district-atty/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20071012T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20071012T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20071012T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20071012T040000Z UID:4256-1192147200-1192147200@limba.net SUMMARY:Brookhaven Supervisor\, Brian Foley DESCRIPTION:This week\, 10/12\, our speaker was Town of Brookhaven Supervisor\, Brian Foley. Mr Foley began by telling us that the Town of Brookhaven has taken the position that they must be business friendly. Good projects will be assisted by the towns planning department. Where the town employees can assist in cutting red tape\, they will. The NY State Empire Zone was begun under a previous administration. It is being preserved and expanded by the Foley team.\n \nThe Town has inaugurated a system that tracks requests and makes sure that inquiries for assistance are properly routed. That system has helped builders and developers get things approved or rejected quickly to save time and money. where and when follow-up is needed it happens.\n \nThe issue of the "Ferries for Homeland Security" was brought up and a copy of LIMBA’s proposal on that project was given to the Supervisor ( a copy is attached). We asked if the Town could support our efforts and the economic development officer\, Ray Donnelly\, said it would be looked at favorably.\n \nWe also suggested that having LIPA sell power to Gershow recycling would have a beneficial effect on air quality. There are issues with that request that are presently being dealt with.\n(We held this meeting on the premises of Tradewinds Environmenta Restoration. We thank them for their hospitality) URL:https://limba.net/calendar/brookhaven-supervisor-brian-foley/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20071005T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20071005T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20071005T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20071005T040000Z UID:4265-1191542400-1191542400@limba.net SUMMARY:Fuel Cell Technology\, John Francescina DESCRIPTION:John Franceschina of Fuel Cell Energy spoke on the use of major size fuel cells that his company builds. John Eff of Long Island Energy Partners wrote the report. Here is John’s report;\n\nOn Friday October 5\, attendees at the weekly LIMBA meeting were treated to a very informative presentation by John Franceschina of Fuel Cell Energy. Fuel Cell Energy\, located in Danbury\, Ct  is a manufacturer and installer of Fuel Cells. Fuel Cells generate electrical and thermal energy from a chemical \nreaction with the introduction of a source fuel such as natural gas. Mr Franceschina presented the advantages of fuel cell technology and how Fuel Cell Energy’s stationery cells can help Long Island increase electric supply while decreasing the carbon footprint. The commercially available products come in several size ranges for various market applications such as hospitals\, nursing homes\, manufacturing plants\, waste water treatment plants\, large hotels and colleges and universities. Numerous installations have been in operation across the country. Coupled with 90% availability\, low emissions\,and low noise\, fuel cells can be the commercially "green" technology sited easily. \n\n–John Eff URL:https://limba.net/calendar/fuel-cell-technology-john-francescina/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20070928T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20070928T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20070928T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20070928T040000Z UID:4257-1190937600-1190937600@limba.net SUMMARY:LIBDC Conference at Montauk-NO LIMBA MEETING DESCRIPTION: URL:https://limba.net/calendar/libdc-conference-at-montauk-no-limba-meeting/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20070921T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20070921T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20070921T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20070921T040000Z UID:4250-1190332800-1190332800@limba.net SUMMARY:Hon. Tim Bishop\, Congressman 1st Congressional District DESCRIPTION:The Honorable Tim Bishop\, Congressman from Long Island’s 1st District\, was our speaker this morning. We requested that he speak about energy. In particular we wanted to hear about Congressman Steve Israel’s legislation. We also asked to comment on the conduct of the  occupation of Iraq\, and how that is going.\n \nMr Bishop pointed out what\, columnist\, Tom Freedman stated a while back\, United States is funding both sides of this war. We buy oil from a region that supports terrorism\, and we suffer the economic costs of fielding our own troops and equipment. That answer actually bridged the two initial focal points we asked about.\n \nBut sticking to the original question Tim said their was some good news. Where global warming has been questioned in the past\, it is now taken for fact. The earth is getting warmer. The fact that we recognize that puts us in the position of doing something about it. Some of the things we should be doing are;\n\nRoll back the $16.5 billion in tax breaks given to the oil industry. There is no rational for selecting the industry for tax abatement when they are probably the most profitable sector of the economy.\nMandate that utility companies produce at least 15% of their power using non-polluting alternative energy by a date certain.\nReconsider properly sited Nuclear Power plants.\nPass an alternative energy research and development bill such as the one proposed by Congressman Israel\nHe suggested that bio-fuels can and should be developed\, although corn based fuel is less than an optimum use of that product for fuel. He was being kind\, but having corn farmers as your constituents could color your opinion.\n\nThere are two alternative energy bills that are presently being considered. One in the House and one in the Senate. There is considerable differences and according to Mr. Bishop\, they may be difficult to resolve.\n \nTurning his attention back to Iraq he told us the United States has invested more than $20 billion in training and equipping the Iraqi security forces\, and they have little to show for the effort. The chief of staff\, General Petraes boss\, General Mullen said we are not going to resolve the Iraqi situation by military means. Tim then gave some statistics on the polling of the Iraqi people. 70% of Iraqi’s think it is OK to attack American soldiers. Congressman Bishop is adamant on our need to redeploy our troops away from the centers of the action. The president is equally adamant about keeping on doing what we are doing.\nHe then cited the GAO report that bluntly stated that Al Queda has completely reconstituted itself with the net result being interpreted as\, we are no more secure now than we were before 9-11.\n \nIt was suggested that enough criminal behavior has occurred in this White House to warrant impeachment. He rejected that idea on the grounds that it would tie up the country and be seen as a "bloodless coupe" if Bush and Cheney were impeached and convicted. That scenario would leave Speaker Pelosi in the presidency. In other words\, it aint gonna’ happen.\n\nErnie Fazio URL:https://limba.net/calendar/hon-tim-bishop-congressman-1st-congressional-district/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20070914T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20070914T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20070914T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20070914T040000Z UID:4255-1189728000-1189728000@limba.net SUMMARY:Dr Robert Scott\, President\, Adelphi DESCRIPTION:This morning’s speaker was Dr. Robert Scott\, President of Adelphi University. Dr Scott is keenly aware of the pitfalls of institutions of higher education. Of the many things that can detract from the essential missions of our colleges is the fact that we can go astray in academia as much as we can in business. \nThere were miss-steps by universities in dealing with big pharma\, defense contractors and other powerful business interests. These miss-steps tend to compromise the core values of educational institutions\,  but on balance they resist and make corrections in course.\n\nHis warning for himself and others in his position is to be wary of the temptations that are presented to people who are dealing with budgets. Building a sports stadium and then selling the sky-boxes for hundreds of thousands of dollars is not in the best interest of the institutions. According to Scott it compromises the integrity of the school. On the other hand he admits to renting the rooftops of university buildings to cell phone providers and garnering a handsome fee for that use.\nDr Scott went on to express his belief that universities are not the trainning rooms for industry. They are the places where we deal in more than just the established knowns. They are the places where we discuss the unknowns. Universities are supposed to question what we think. He pointed out that slavery was legal and rationalized in our concept of law. Nevertheless it had to be challenged\, not in legal terms\, but in terms of ethics. In other words what is fair. He closed that part of the presentation with the notion that universities most function\, and be viewed as ethical  centers for the larger society.\nDr Scott pointed out that curiculum standards for American learning institutions are models for much of the world. As a result we attract students like no other country on earth. Long Island schools are among the best in a nation that can claim superlatives in education. (About $60 billion pours into the US institutions of higher learning attributable to fees paid by foreign students)\nAs an economic entity much can be said for education at this level. Adelphi has an operating budget of about $200 million per year. The combined operating budgets of all of Long Islands universities and colleges is $3.7 billion. That has an overall effect on the economy of Long Island of $10 Billion. As you can see\, not small potatoes.\n\nDuring the Q&A period a comment was posed about the beneficial effect of the GI Bill that rewarded our military servicemen and women after WWII. It was arguably the most effective way of keeping America competitive. Dr Scott launched into this one\, and said we now have a GI Bill that young soldiers have to opt into at the cost of $100 per month. A soldier with a wife and child may opt not to sign on because of his needs and limited pay. According to Dr. Scott that was a recruiting tool with an obvious flaw. He went on to say that many of the companies that now exist here on Long Island and around the country were started by these fortunate recipients of higher education\, and we all profited by their gain. \n  URL:https://limba.net/calendar/dr-robert-scott-president-adelphi/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20070907T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20070907T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T050913 CREATED:20070907T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20070907T040000Z UID:4260-1189123200-1189123200@limba.net SUMMARY:Joseph Ambrosio\, Odyne Corporation DESCRIPTION:The presentation today by Dan DeMeo of Odyne Corporation was outstanding\,\nboth in content and presentation. \nThe topic today was\, creating the systems needed to use hybrid technology on\nlarger vehicles. Odyne has approached the advancement of Hybrid on the concept\nof modular construction vs whole vehicle manufacture. Many of the components of\ntheir system are off-the-shelf technology. By using heavy duty electric motors\nthat were built by GE and used by the elevator industry for decades\, Odyne has\nadapted them for use in buses and trucks. These are high voltage units that\noperate off DC battery power. The vehicles also have small internal combustion\nengines that are used to recharge the batteries and they operate at more or less\nconstant speeds without the need to accelerate. The internal combustion engine\nis 1/3 the size that would be otherwise needed. \nThe applications that are most advantages are heavy vehicles that make many\nstops and starts\, such as garbage trucks and buses. Fuel costs are reduced\ndramatically. We have seen this demonstrated in  passenger vehicles. Now we have\nthe technology modified to work in larger vehicles. \nThe electric motors have much higher performance features at low speed than\ndo conventional engines. The  vehicles also have the capacity to recapture\nthe braking energy of the vehicle and drastically reduce brake wear. \nThere is a very healthy return on investment too\, according to Mr. DeMeo\,\nmaking this technology attractive in the pursuit of cleaner air\, as well\nas better operating economics. \nI found that the most exciting part of Odyne’s efforts is that the technology\ncan be used in old equipment as well as newly manufactured units. They refitted\nan old garbage truck that was destined to the salvage yard\, replaced the\noperating power train\, painted it and put it back on the road. It works better\nand more efficiently than a brand new non-hybrid truck of similar size. \nWebsite Photographs were provided by John Rigrod of Hammer Magazine and Craig Plunkett of CEDX Corporation. URL:https://limba.net/calendar/joseph-ambrosio-odyne-corporation/ END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR