Judith Tassone (R) has not responded to our survey requests.
| Climate Action Survey Questions | Kathy Zabinski (D) |
| The science behind climate change goes back to 1862 when John Tyndall discovered that CO2 in the atmosphere radiates heat back to the earth and causes the earth to heat. In 1896 a Swedish scientist, Svante Arrhenius, was the first to claim that the burning of fossil fuel would lead to enhanced global warming. Do you accept the scientific consensus behind climate change? | Yes. Unfortunately Mr. Arrehnius claim to global warming has proven to be accurate. |
| Since the industrial Revolution, the CO2 concentration has increased from 280 parts per million to 415 PPM today. Do you accept the scientific consensus this increase in CO2 is primarily due to burning fossil fuels? | Yes. When the government started to look to alternatives fuel for usage, our carbon foot print began to diminish. However, with Trump rolling back these protections, our carbon foot print will begin to grow once more. |
| Will you commit to expanding the County’s Climate Action Plan to include community-wide emissions and not just emissions from County operations? For emissions that are difficult to eliminate entirely, such as process emissions from waste water treatment plants, the County can implement other mitigation measures such as tree planting. | Yes. The County needs to be more proactive in this area. The wastewater from the treatment plants needs to be addressed immediately. Too much untreated water has been released into Onondaga Lake. This needs to stop! |
| Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan recently signed an executive order committing to 100% renewable energy by 2030. The Dewitt Town Board unanimously approved a resolution pledging to work towards a goal of achieving 10% regionally sourced, clean energy consumption for municipal operations by 2020 and 100% regionally sourced energy across all sectors by 2035. Do you support the concept of committing to 100% renewable energy for all municipal operations for Onondaga County? | Yes. Onondaga County needs to address the usage of renewable energy. Unfortunately due to cost, the this cannot be accomplished all at once. It will have to be one in stages. |
| Do you support installing electric vehicle charging stations at County-owned buildings and facilities, for use by County employees and by the general public ( for example Rosamond Gifford Zoo, NBT Bank Stadium, Regional Market, Western Shore Loop the Lake parking lot, Long Branch Park parking lot, Jamesville Beach parking lot, County libraries…). | Yes. This is a “no brainer”. If recharging stations are readily available, the general public is more likely to utilize them. |
| Do you support passage of a local law to join the Energy Improvement Corporation (EIC), ( www.energizeny.org/commercial/eny-open-pace ) a statewide local development corporation that administers the “Open C-PACE” (Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy) finance program to make it easier for commercial buildings to make their property more efficient? | Yes. We need to finance assistance available in order to institute energy efficient programs. These renovations are crucial, but can be very costly. Assistance needs to available. |
| Next year the Climate and Community Investment Act in NYS will probably be introduced that will establish a carbon fee/tax of $35 per ton of carbon-dioxide equivalent and would raise $7 billion per year for clean energy investments. Do you support the concept of a fee on carbon dioxide? | Yes. This Act would help move New York State towards better energy efficiency and a cleaner climate. The carbon tax would help fund this act as well. |
| Do you support enacting a requirement that all new County buildings reach “net zero energy” status? | Yes. This must also include the renovations of existing buildings as well. The County is more apt to renovate existing buildings today, rather than build new. Once again. The carbon tax can help in financing such projects. |
| Do you support earning certification for Onondaga County as a Climate Smart Community from the NYS DEC ( https://climatesmart.ny.gov/ )? | Yes. The best part of this certification, is that there is no tight time limits. The County could develop a program that has been through vetted before implementing. This wil save time and money in the certification process. |
| Other actions you support to mitigate the effects of climate change in CNY. |