Dear Editor:
There are many issues in today’s world facing our environment and I wish to take time to recognize the efforts of our County Executive Tom DeGise in the area of green power and sustainable matters. When Tom took over the reins of county government a number of years ago he was faced with a myriad of issues that required his attention.
One of the many areas was the full recognition and subsequent involvement to this day concerning green power. In a symbolic way, he stared his concerns by using a hybrid vehicle to bring recognition to the matters. He demanded in the contracts for the energy to power the county buildings that these providers must deliver at least twenty five percent renewable energy to be considered.
The most striking effort is the Hudson County Solar Initiative, the County Executive’s developed program that focused on the issue of green power and climate change and has installed solar arrays on twenty eight public buildings in our County. The facilities are a variety of public sites, schools, municipal buildings, community buildings and are located in Jersey City, Bayonne, West New York, Weehawken, North Bergen, Kearny, Harrison and Secaucus. Tom joined hands with the Hudson County Board of Freeholders in 2017 and the combined Environmental Impact Savings for twenty eight locations prevented almost three and half million pounds of greenhouse gasses from entering our atmosphere.
It is the innovative areas that Tom has moved forward with shared services agreements with municipalities on costs from rock salt to traffic engineering work. He is the champion in planting trees in County Parks, county grounds and on the streets of towns in the county at the request of the residents. We in Hudson County are fortunate to have a progressive, professional, honest and caring County Executive who on a daily basis is a true representative by, for and of the people of Hudson County.
Respectfully submitted,
Robert B. Knapp
