Pallone Applauds EPA for Powering Complex in Edison Through Solar Energy
Long Branch, NJ – (RealEstateRama) — Congressman Frank Pallone (NJ-06), the Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, applauded the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the coming installation of a 1.5 megawatt solar panel generation field to their Edison, New Jersey facility. The energy generated will provide approximately 60% of the facility’s electricity needs.
“I’m proud to have a facility like this in my district,” said Pallone. “EPA is setting an example in New Jersey and across the country that transitioning away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy is not a pie in the sky ambition, but something that we’re making real progress toward. The installation of these solar panels changed what could have been a high energy consuming facility into one of the greenest commercial buildings on the grid. I am very proud that New Jersey is a leader in solar energy and has one of the highest levels of installed solar energy capacity in the country. I hope that New Jersey continues to lead the way on renewable energy and that EPA is a part of the effort.”
This move is good for the environment and taxpayers’ wallets; the solar array will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1,345 tons and save about $100,000 of taxpayer money each year. After the hottest year on record, a step towards sustainable energy is essential, and, as the single largest energy consumer in the nation, the federal government is in the right position to take it.
In powering its nearly 500,000 buildings nation-wide, the federal government has an electric bill of close to $5 billion, consuming nearly 57 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. In 2015, President Obama gave federal agencies to directions: cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent and increase renewable energy use by 30 percent by 2025. The EPA, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Logistics Agency, is heading that call and bringing the solar power to the Edison facility.
This facility houses the EPA Region 2 laboratory, which provides technical and analytical support to the region. Major programs, including air, wastewater, drinking water and Superfund, operate out of the region, and the lab performs chemical, microbiological and biological testing of pollutants in water, soil, sediment and tissue samples.
Source: Congressman Frank Pallone
