New (NY State) laws encourage concern for environment

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http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080103/NEWS01/801030333/1002/NEWS01

New laws encourage concern for environment

By Tom Wilber
Gannett News Service

BINGHAMTON — New state environmental laws include tax incentives for installing off-the-grid solar energy systems on multi-unit dwellings and posting a rating for greenhouse gas emissions on new vehicles along with gas mileage figures.

The laws, signed by Gov. Eliot Spitzer last year, are likely to have some impact on the Southern Tier, where the popularity of trucks and SUVs has accelerated in recent years and where a solar energy research and development program is gaining hold at Binghamton University.

Beginning with the model year 2010, automobile manufacturers must attach a global warming index sticker to new cars and passenger trucks to increase consumer awareness about greenhouse gas emissions. New York is the second state to pass the law.
“It's a great consumer benefit for people who care about that sort of thing,” said Assemblywoman Donna A. Lupardo, D-126th, a member of the Assembly's Environmental Conservation Committee and supporter of the legislation.

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Another new law makes a group of people collectively owning multi-unit dwellings, such as condominiums and co-ops, eligible for tax breaks of up to 25 percent of the cost of installing solar energy units. The intention is to enable tax breaks to be shared by groups investing together in solar technology, said Lupardo, of Endwell.

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