A proposal on how to reduce energy usage and thereby reduce carbon emissions in New York State - Essay Example

Your Postal Address, Town. 13th December, Senator Charles E. Schumer, New York Senator, 757 Third Avenue, Suite 17-02 New York, NY 10017.Dear Sir,RE: REDUCTION IN ENERGY USAGEThe United States of America mainly uses electric energy produced from conventional thermal power plants, coal and natural gas being the main fuels used in this respect. In 2009 alone, the country produced and consumed about 4,401,698GWh/yr of electricity. The country’s daily consumption was rated at 39.3kWh per capita.

In 2006, the country produced 11,603MW from wind power and 411MW from solar which accounted for about 1.08 and 0.04% of the country’s total energy consumption. Energy consumption in New York according to statistics is almost the highest in the United States of America. The use of solar and wind energy in the state is quite insignificant, electrical energy from fossil fuels being the main source of energy for both residential and commercial use. The state, however, has a huge potential of using alternative, renewable energy sources including wind, solar and fuel wood (eRedux par 3).

The huge amount of fossil fuel used in the production of electrical energy in New York contributes significantly to the production of greenhouse gases, chiefly, carbon dioxide. On average, the New Yorker produces close to 11 tons of carbon dioxide annually from energy consumption (eRedux par 1). In total the state produces about 215 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, the 8th largest in the USA considering that most of the electrical energy is produced in the state comes from coal and natural gas.

Considering that a huge amount of greenhouse gases come from the production of electrical energy in the state, there is need to ensure that solar and wind energy are used in large scale to reduce the high level of environmental degradation currently the case. In an endeavor to conserve the environment and save the economy a lot in funds, the state should implement a policy in favor of the statewide use of wind and solar energy within a period five years. With such a policy in place, the gains would be significant in the longer term.

Sincerely,Your NameSignature.Works CitedeRedux. New York Energy Portal: New Yorks Carbon Footprint. 2011. 12 December, 2011. Web. http://www.eredux.com/states/state_detail.php?id=1113 Statemaster. Oil Consumption (most recent) by state. 2011. 12 December, 2011. Web. http://www.statemaster.com/graph/ene_pet_con-energy-oil-consumption