LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION supporting the New York State Building Energy
Sustainability Systems (NYBESS) Energy Regional Innovation Cluster
(E-RIC) Consortium, and strongly urging the federal government to adopt
its proposal

WHEREAS, Innovations and energy systems are urgently needed to address
critical state, national, and global challenges including energy cost
and availability, climate change, and ecosystem sustainability; and
WHEREAS, Residential and commercial buildings represent the largest
sector of energy use in the United States, accounting for more than 70%
of electricity consumption in the United States, 40% of total primary
energy consumption, and an equivalent fraction of carbon emissions; and
WHEREAS, The federal government seeks to catalyze the development of
transformational new technologies and socio-economic systems that will
radically improve energy efficiency in buildings; and
WHEREAS, In February 2010, seven federal agencies jointly released a
solicitation offering up to $129.7 million over five years to create an
"Energy Regional Innovation Cluster (E-RIC)" in energy-efficient build-
ing systems design; and
WHEREAS, The envisioned E-RIC will consist of active networks of simi-
lar, synergistic or complementary organizations engaged in building
energy systems, with active channels for business transactions, communi-
cations, and dialogue, that share specialized infrastructure, labor
markets and services and that are located within a defined geographic
region; and
WHEREAS, New York State has an exceptional history of pioneering inno-
vations relating to building energy systems that dates from the opening
of the Erie Canal in 1825 and includes the invention of air-condition-
ing, the hot-air furnace, advanced lighting technologies, and the devel-
opment of guidelines for energy-efficient green building design and
construction; and
WHEREAS, New York State has extraordinary capabilities to lead a
national effort in innovations for energy-efficient buildings, including
key assets both downstate and upstate; and
WHEREAS, The New York City Metropolitan Area has investment capital,
an internationally recognized community of architecture and engineering
design professionals, a large market for new products, and the propensi-
ty to be an early adopter of new technologies and/or policies that
conserve national and financial resources; and
WHEREAS, Upstate New York has an outstanding array of academic insti-
tutions and corporate research labs, an underutilized manufacturing
base, abundant natural resources, and an established regional innovation
cluster operated by SyracuseCoE--New York State's Center of Excellence
in Environmental and Energy Systems--that engages more than 200 firms
and institutions in collaborative projects that accelerate innovations
for energy-efficient healthy buildings and related applications; and
WHEREAS, Collaborators from both downstate and upstate envision lever-
aging existing and emerging assets to establish an internationally
recognized E-RIC dedicated to the accelerated adoption of transforma-
tional "Building Energy Sustainability Systems (BESS)"--innovative tech-
nological and socio-economic systems that will achieve breakthroughs in
energy efficiency in residential, commercial and institutional build-
ings; and
WHEREAS, The NYBESS E-RIC Consortium includes leadership contributions
from the Partnership for New York City and the Metropolitan Development
Association of Syracuse and Central New York; the New York State Energy
Research and Development Authority; the New York State Foundation for

Science, Technology and Innovation; Syracuse University, Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute, Columbia University, New York University, the
City University of New York, Cornell University, Clarkson University,
Pace University, Stony Brook University, and Brookhaven National Labora-
tory; and the Research Foundation of SUNY; and
WHEREAS, Envisioned NYBESS innovations include integrated systems that
operate interdependently to monitor, control, and minimize energy
consumption; and capture, transform, store and distribute electricity
and thermal energy in built environments; and
WHEREAS, NYBESS collaborative teams also will develop and demonstrate
new socio-economic systems that promote sustainable use of energy
resources and address long-standing barriers to adoption of energy-effi-
cient technologies and best practices; and
WHEREAS, With respect to the complicated economic and regulatory envi-
ronment in which buildings are constructed, operated, and
renovated/retrofitted, NYBESS has a proven strategy for overcoming the
typical disincentives to the installation or adoption of high-efficiency
systems; and
WHEREAS, Using the model developed with corporate sponsors, private
and public partners of NYBESS team members, the consortium has multiple
sites that will serve as testbeds for new technologies--including the
unique SyracuseCoE headquarters facility that was specifically designed
for this purpose--across the geographic region of New York State and
internationally; and
WHEREAS, New York State has the complete set of resources and assets
required to lead an internationally recognized consortium that will
accelerate the development, deployment, and adoption of innovations that
will dramatically improve the energy efficiency of buildings; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
fully support the NYBESS E-RIC Consortium and to strongly urge the
federal government to adopt its proposal; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Nancy Cantor, Chancellor and President of Syracuse Universi-
ty, and Kathryn Wilde, President and CEO of the Partnership for New York
City.