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BOOST ECONOMY, ENVIRONMENT AT ONCE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
Alice Kryzan, Guest essayist
Click for the full article on the Democrat & Chronicle website.
August 22, 2008
The last month has been a tough one for many Rochester families. Gas prices reached record highs in July and are still hovering around $4 a gallon. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in the Rochester metropolitan area is 5.4 percent, with the loss of 3,000 manufacturing jobs over the last year. Nonetheless, I see opportunity. This week, I am releasing "Building a Sustainable Future," a detailed plan for how we can improve our environment and our economy at the same time.
By increasing investment in clean renewable energy industries, we can reduce our dependence on oil while bringing 50,000 new jobs to the state. The Rochester area is particularly well-suited to lead in this arena, bringing research dollars to our colleges and universities, manufacturing jobs to our towns, and new markets to our rural areas.
But the economic gains to be had from sound environmental policy stretch even further. Having served on the Board of Parks and Trails New York, I understand the importance of preserving our heritage and see ways we can make it work for us.
As a recent article in the Democrat and Chronicle noted, sustainable developments along the Erie Canal can beautify the environment and benefit the economy, drawing eco-tourism dollars. We must make sure that the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor from Lockport to Greece receives its fair share of federal dollars.
We also need a national policy with the dollars behind it to protect and improve the Great Lakes, including legislation to help communities upgrade and maintain wastewater treatment facilities and infrastructure.
As an environmental lawyer for more than 30 years, I've sat at the table with business people, community groups and political leaders negotiating contentious environmental matters and know that it is possible to find solutions to the most difficult problems. We need to start viewing environmental issues as opportunities to improve all aspects of life, including our economy.
Kryzan, of Amherst, Erie County, is running in a three-way primary race for the Democratic nomination in the 26th Congressional District.
