Res. No. 1255

Resolution calling upon New York City to adopt the recommendations in the Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, Jr.’s Report, “It’s Not Easy Being Green: How to achieve pro-growth and pro-environmental policies by encouraging the production of green construction materials by the NYC manufacturing industry.”

By Council Members Foster, James, Koppell, Liu, Mark-Viverito, Mealy, Mendez and White Jr.

Whereas, Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, Jr. released a report in November 2006 that recommended that the City offer a Green Manufacturing sales tax exemption to developers, a Green Manufacturing tax credit of up to 29% for businesses located in the Empire Zones, a Green Manufacturers Educational Resource Initiative to disseminate information and market incentives, and a Green Manufacturers Accessible Programs Initiative to create a streamlined application process; and

Whereas, The term “green construction materials” refers to safer, healthier, and environmentally responsible building products within such categories as engineered woods, paints, construction adhesives, carpets, architectural sealants and furniture; and

Whereas, With an investment in lighting and indoor air quality, green building materials can provide positive benefits by improving the health and performance of workers; and

Whereas, According to a study by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, green buildings can also improve test scores and learning rates of students in schools with an increased number of windows and skylights; and

Whereas, New York City contains 7,445 manufacturing firms with 188,600 employees and 84% of these firms are small businesses with less than 25 employees; and

Whereas, According to a 2006 report by the New York Industrial Retention Network (NYIRN) and the Industrial and Technology Assistance Corporation (ITAC), 29% of manufacturing firms in New York City stated that costs and financing were a challenge when introducing new green products and 42% said they were interested in financial incentives; and

Whereas, As reported by Crain’s New York Business on October 16, 2006, over $3.5 billion will be invested in both large and small development projects in the Bronx over the next five years, providing the opportunity to merge economic growth with environmentally-friendly building practices; and

Whereas, Since green products often cost more to manufacture and buy than regular products, manufacturers need to do extensive research and development and invest in equipment and staff to operate the new machinery; and

Whereas, Due to the lack of financial resources within small manufacturing firms, there is a need for more financial assistance to create an infrastructure that supports innovation; and

Whereas, A Green Manufacturing sales tax exemption would eliminate the sales tax for developers on green materials and give developers an additional incentive to buy green items from local manufacturers; and

Whereas, The Bronx Borough President’s report recommended a Green Manufacturing tax credit that would provide tax credits of up to 29% for green manufacturing businesses in order to create new jobs and make new investments in production, property, and equipment; and

Whereas, A Green Manufacturing Education Resource Initiative would provide marketing incentives directly to the manufacturers and create a resource in a readily accessible medium to provide information about financial incentives; and

Whereas, A Green Manufacturing Accessible Program Initiative would provide a streamlined application process tailored to help small firms access government programs and benefits; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon New York City to adopt the recommendations in the Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, Jr.’s Report, “It’s Not Easy Being Green: How to achieve pro-growth and pro-environmental policies by encouraging the production of green construction materials by the NYC manufacturing industry.”

CFP

LS 2139/2007