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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20060303T000000
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CREATED:20060303T050000Z
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UID:4174-1141344000-1141344000@limba.net
SUMMARY:Congressman Nadler\, The benefits of a new Jersey Tunnel
DESCRIPTION:This morning our speaker was Congressman Jerry Nadler. The congressman has been keenly interested in transportation issues going back to when he was a state assemblyman.\nMr. Nadler began with a historical overview of transportation infrastructure\, and how the building of the Erie Canal catapulted New York from handling 2% of the international trade to 38%. Efficiencies were gained again when the Erie Lackawanna railroad was built. According to the congressman\, the slide to oblivion has been constant as the world changes about us. To paraphrase the congressman\, the state of rail freight is sorely lacking.\nHe spoke about the transportation bill that was recently passed. The presidents guidelines dictate that only money developed by highway funds (gas taxes) could be used. That would come to $256 billion The actual needs would have required that $390 billion be spent. The final bill came $286 billion. In this scenario the infrastructure will fail at a greater rate than it can be restored.\nFuel taxes are collected on each gallon of fuel. As fuel increases in cost we buy less of it\, resulting in lower and lower revenues being collected.. On the other hand if we continue to increase the number of vehicles on the road\, we may get higher revenues\, but we also put an even higher stress on our infrastructure\, resulting in more need to rehabilitate the infrastructure.\nBut Mr. Nadler’s main reason for speaking today was to discuss the merits of a proposed freight tunnel. Specifically a rail freight tunnel that will connect New Jersey to Brooklyn. By using a tunnel to come into Brooklyn and therefore\, Long Island we could eliminate 1 million trucks from the streets of New York. Moreover this redundancy that would be created would relieve the traffic from the George Washington Bridge. Presently 80% of all food coming into New York is brought in over the GWB. If terrorists are successful in bringing down that bridge\, New York would not be able to adequately supply itself.\nRail freight coming and going on Long Island comprises only 1.8% of the total\, whereas in other parts of the country it is more like 40%. We can do better. The cost of the tunnel is estimated at $4.2 Billion for a two track system and the payback would be substantial.\nMr. Nadler covered some peripheral issues of rail freight that need to be addressed. For example; In New York State we don’t allow freight rail cars to exceed 286\,000 lbs. The rest of the nation allows 335\,000 lbs cars. Our infrastructure is capable of handling it\, and presently we allow the passenger lines to use locomotives that are substantially heavier. This makes no sense.\nThe congressman was very knowledgeable on every aspect we could think of asking him about. And we did ask a lot of questions. Some of them were covered in this piece. The conversations that were developed continued long after the meeting had formally adjourned. The LIMBA board will decide on the support of this project based on the usefulness to Long Island. This letter reaches several thousand subscribers and any comments from our readers will be helpful
URL:https://limba.net/calendar/congressman-nadler-the-benefits-of-a-new-jersey-tunnel/
LOCATION:NY
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20060310T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20060310T000000
DTSTAMP:20060310T050000Z
CREATED:20060310T050000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20060310T050000Z
UID:4180-1141948800-1141948800@limba.net
SUMMARY:Angie Carpenter\, Keeping balance in local government
DESCRIPTION:Friday morning we had the pleasure of hearing from Suffolk County’s Treasurer\, Angie M. Carpenter on the subject of what her office does and why it is important for the county to continue to have an independent Treasurer.  Angie opened up with a little of her background as a small business career before she went into public service\, which is focused on making Long Island a place where we live\, not leave.  After term limits pushed her out of the Legislature\, she arrived at the Treasurer’s office expecting to find a laid-back\, slow paced office\, but found herself with a dedicated\, motivated staff.  She explained the different divisions of the Treasurer’s office\, their functions and how they interface with Suffolk’s town Tax Recievers and the public.Having laid the foundation of the function for the office\, she presented her case for maintaining the Treasurer’s office\, by noting how the major bond rating agencies liked the way that this was constructed\, and pointing out that after the Orange County\, CA’s bankruptcy debacle\, they changed their model to Suffolk’s style\, with the independent Comptroller and Treasurer.  Presently\, the Treasurer is an elected post\, which serves to maintain that independent watchdog status over the County’s finances.  She also followed up her explanation of her office’s  function with her view of what the savings to the county would be if her office was eliminated.  The only jobs that would go away were her’s and a few deputy positions\, because the functions that the Treasurer’s office performs are not currently duplicated in the Comptroller’s office.  She also reiterated that there is strong support in the Legislature for maintaining the status quo\, and recounting a story that affirms her conviction that she believes in the process and structure of the office.  A legislator said that they might support the move to eliminate the position\, but would want it to take effect after her term was up\, because she was duly elected\, and to not serve out her term would be changing the rules of the game in midstream.  Angie was willing to say that if it is the right thing to do to eliminate her office\, then do it now\, to save the money\, rather than simply playing out the string until it’s end.  She strongly believes in this\, and her independence was shown in the Q & A session.  One of our members fired a question asking her position on the county keeping the difference in the sale price and taxes owed on a delinquent property\, and used the example of what happened to a family in Amityville last year where the difference was quite substantial\, and it was a story that tugged at everybody’s heartstrings.  Instead of pandering to the crowd and agreeing that this was an egregious example of greed by the county\, Angie explained that some procedures were dictated by state law\, and spoke to the additional costs associated with seizing a property and auctioning it off\, and keeping the consequences of tax delinquency in the forefront of the public’s mind.As always\, it was another jump start to our Friday morning\, with a substantial breakfast for the mind and an exchange with an important public official on a timely subject.This meeting was presided over\, and recap written by Craig Plunkett  EMF 
URL:https://limba.net/calendar/angie-carpenter-keeping-balance-in-local-government/
LOCATION:NY
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20060317T000000
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UID:4176-1142553600-1142553600@limba.net
SUMMARY:Irwin Kellner NorthFork/CBS Marketwatch Economist
DESCRIPTION:This morning’s speaker\, Dr Irwin Kellner\, was his usual\, informative self. Dr. Kellner likes to pepper his talks with some humor which went over very well\, but there was no doubt about the seriousness of his message. \nIrwin began by stating that we were still in an expansion mode for the economy and it’s conceivable that the expansion will last a little longer. He explained that the job creation that has been touted\, recently has actually been quite anemic. Among the pitfalls\, as he sees them\, are the fact that our savings rate is negative. Personal debt is higher than ever. Wages are flat\, and we are spending more than we are earning\, which is not sustainable. According to Kellner “The days of wine and roses are over” \nThe outlook for the future is weak\, so investments in the stock market may not be the best move. \nHome prices are showing higher values\, but again this is misleading. On the high priced homes the market prices may be rising\, but in the less expensive homes the prices are falling. Moreover there are 66% more houses being offered than a year ago. Having many houses for sale has a tendency to depress the price. \nThe national debt will absorb more and more of the available capital\, and that will have the effect driving up interest rates. \nThe message was that general slowdown of the economy should be expected.. Long Island\, while not immured to the national outlook of a slowdown\, does have some bright spots that will help us. We are far more diversified than we were in the past. There are no large companies that have so many employees that a shutdown would cripple the economy.\nLater in the Q&A\, Irwin was asked if the unemployment rates really tell the story. Dr. Kellner told us the relatively low unemployment rates\, approximately 5%\, fails to acknowledge the people who are no longer counted because they gave up looking for work. It also fails to account for those who are working in jobs that pay far less than the jobs that were lost\, and finally there is no differentiating a part time worker from a full time worker. If we take these factors into consideration our unemployment rate is more like 10%.. Not a pretty picture\, for sure\, but Long Islanders should fare better than the rest of the nation.
URL:https://limba.net/calendar/irwin-kellner-northforkcbs-marketwatch-economist/
LOCATION:NY
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20060324T000000
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DTSTAMP:20060324T050000Z
CREATED:20060324T050000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20060324T050000Z
UID:4181-1143158400-1143158400@limba.net
SUMMARY:Irving Like\,  Protecting Fire Island -Holiday Inn
DESCRIPTION:Among the many endearing features of Long Island are the ocean beaches. These beaches are vulnerable to storms and the cost to maintain them is a source of some controversy. Irving Like\, Counsel for the Fire Island Association\, spoke this morning to bring a better understanding of what those beaches mean to all of us\, and how that cost is borne. \n \nThe discussion began by outlining how important those beaches are to the Long Island economy. Over 2 million people visit Fire Island each year and hundreds of millions of dollars are attracted to Long Island simply because these beaches exist. Of course these beaches also are also a major recreational asset for all of Long Islanders. The south shore of Long Island is an enormous potential flood plain. A category 4 storm would inundate the south shore communities all the way up to Sunrise Highway. There are 73\,000 homes and hundreds of thousands of people that would be affected. The barrier beaches are a natural buffer\, that if left to erode would end the protection afforded by those barrier beaches. \n \nFire Island is 32 miles long. Only 6 miles of the island contain residences. The balance\, 80%\, of the land is state\, federal\, and town properties. Some of it is parks\, such as Robert Moses Park\, Bellport Beach\, and other municipal public uses\, but most of it is still wild. This necklace of barrier beach contains an enormous reserve of wild life\, making it the largest natural preserve in the region. Hundreds of species of birds\, fox\, owls\, and aquatic life have found a haven here. \n \nThe question was posed as to why the people that live there do not pick up the cost\, since they are the primary beneficiary of this valuable asset. Well\, in fact they are big contributors. The formula for funding beach replenishment is 65% federal and the balance comes from state and local sources. The amount that is paid by local government works out to be $10 million. $5 million is paid by the residences of Fire Island\, and $5 million by the rest of Long Island. Is that fair? Well\, to put that into perspective. The $5million cost is shared by 17\,000 people on Fire Island\, and the $5million paid by the mainland is shared by 2 1/2 million people. In other words the cost to the mainlanders is minuscule\, while the cost to the Fire Island residences is substantial. \n \nMr. Like went on to explain that there is a plan in effect right now. However the Army Corp of Engineers has yet to act on it. By virtue of earlier legislation the 100 year plan for the barrier beaches was to be completed in 1999. The plan would by\, necessity\, benefit the entire island in order for it to be effective. Two federal agencies have failed to act on legislation that presently exists. In the meantime nobody is letting the major recreational areas to be reclaimed by the sea\, but the remedies are “band aids” and in the long run more costly that a comprehensive plan.
URL:https://limba.net/calendar/irving-like-protecting-fire-island-holiday-inn/
LOCATION:NY
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20060331T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20060331T000000
DTSTAMP:20060331T050000Z
CREATED:20060331T050000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20060331T050000Z
UID:4178-1143763200-1143763200@limba.net
SUMMARY:Rudy Fusco\, Bio Diesel innovator / Sponsor- Mr Parking Lot
DESCRIPTION:Rudy Fusco\, President of Mr. Parking Lot\, made a presentation this morning about Bio-Diesel. Bio-disel has been around for a long time. When Otto Diesel invented the compression ignition engine he planned on using a vegetable derived oil. \nWith the advent of abundant and relatively inexpensive petroleum based oil\, we abandoned the concept of “growing” our oil in favor of drilling our oil. \nToday we have to rethink our approach to fueling our economy\, and Mr. Fusco was very effective in making that case. We are faced with not only the questions of cost and availability of petroleum based oils\, but of the consequences of the continued burning of these fuels. As we address the problems of air pollution we find that the petroleum based products are far more detrimental to our health than vegetable based oils. Bio fuels also have a lesser effect on the problem of global warming\nBut one could legitimately ask\, why would the effect on global warming be different than burning petroleum? The answer was made clear in Rudy’s presentation. Bio fuels release carbon dioxide when they burn just like any other carbon based fuel\, but bio fuels absorb carbon dioxide when they are grown. The net effect is that there is no net increase of CO2 when Bio fuels are used. \nWe considered the element of cost. The cost of bio-diesel is competitive only because it is subsidized. However petroleum is also subsidized by tax policy. But it is also subsidized by the military protection of the sources of oil that we provide through the use of our military. And\, that subsidy is enjoyed by the entire world. Europe\, China\, India\, Japan and every other industrial nation is aided by our costly military that serves to protect oil production.  As Mr. Fusco pointed out it\, takes one unit of energy to produce 3.2 units of bio diesel. The closing thought on cost was that\, when the industry matures $1/gallon could be acheived without subsidy. \nMr. Fusco pointed out that Brazil\, back in the early 70’s\, embarked on a bio-diesel program and an ethanol program that has taken that country out of the grip of the international oil trade. Today Brazil produces most of it’s fuel from home grown sugar cane\, and all of the money that is spent remains within the territory of Brazil\, further enhancing that economy. \nWe also discussed the ability to use these new fuels in the engines we have in use today. Some modifications may be needed\, but most engines can already handle a blend of bio and petrol fuels without modification.. And as Rudy pointed out the infrastructure for transporting these fuels are exactly the same. The implication here is that the introduction of these fuels need not be a long drawn out process.  \nThe audience that attended was well versed in the topic\, making the discussion quite lively. Andria Adler program Coordinator of “Clean Cities” .. Harry Davitian of Entek Powers Systems\, Technical writer\, Frances Whittelsey\, and Alan Binder of VisionFuels were among the people contributing to the conversation. \nThank you Rudy Fusco\, and the audience that added measurably to the discussion.
URL:https://limba.net/calendar/rudy-fusco-bio-diesel-innovator-sponsor-mr-parking-lot/
LOCATION:NY
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