David Knapp (R) did not respond to survey requests.
| Climate Action Survey Questions | Jennifer Blusk (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. I can’t say it better than Neil Degrasse Tyson: “….when different experiments give you the same result, it is no longer subject to your opinion. That’s the good thing about science: It’s true whether or not you believe in it.” |
| 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. |
| 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. I am absolutely committed. I don’t see any reason not to be bold and strive for excellence when it comes to climate change and how we create the county we want to live in. We have the creativity, expertise and technology to do it! |
| 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. Absolutely! Committing to 100% renewable energy for all municipal operations is not hard or mysterious. There are communities that are already doing it, including right here in Onondaga County! What I want us to do is pay attention and learn from other communities’ experience while we find our own creative ways to achieve 100% renewable energy. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Do you support enacting a requirement that all new County buildings reach “net zero energy” status? | Yes. This is a valuable resource the state has made available to us. It costs us very little to avail ourselves of it. |
| Do you support earning certification for Onondaga County as a Climate Smart Community from the NYS DEC ( https://climatesmart.ny.gov/ )? | Yes. |
| Other actions you support to mitigate the effects of climate change in CNY. | I support robust public education and information efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change in Central New York. When we are confused and afraid we tend to make poor choices regarding what to do. We don’t support what we don’t understand. A little education and information goes a long way. Education is my area of expertise. I will not only unequivocally promote climate mitigation efforts on the county level, I will engage the public to participate in creating the way forward. It is not as hard as we make it look. |