A nearly $1.2 million lighting upgrade at the Jamaica Station in Queens has been completed by the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ).
NYPA says the energy-saving improvements will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 800 tons a year—the equivalent of taking roughly 150 cars off the road.
“Jamaica Station is a major New York City transportation hub and this lighting project significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions and operating costs for the Port Authority,” said Gil C. Quiniones, NYPA president and CEO. “NYPA, through administering the governor’s BuildSmart NY initiative, has undertaken hundreds of projects like this one at state and local government facilities, making a big impact in lowering New York’s energy use.”
The new lighting modernized the station and increases the safety and security of travelers utilizing the transportation hub, which provides connections between the Long Island Rail Road, the New York City subway system and the AirTrain to John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The energy efficiency project was carried out under New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s BuildSmart NY program, a comprehensive statewide initiative to increase energy efficiency in public buildings, and directly supports the Green New Deal, the clean energy and jobs agenda that will put the state on a path to 70 percent renewable energy by 2030 and 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2040.
“The Port Authority is committed to implementing energy-saving measures across its facilities, and in New York our partnership with NYPA is already making that a reality at JFK Airport,” said Rick Cotton, PANYNJ executive director. “Last month our two agencies completed work to support an electric fleet of ground service vehicles by adding 38 electric charging hubs. Today we’re pleased to announce the completion of work to AirTrain JFK’s Jamaica Station including the installation of roughly 1,700 new LED lights. In order to continue supporting the record numbers of travelers throughout the region, we must make the important investments to upgrade our infrastructure to 21st century energy standards.”
The energy-saving project called for the replacement of inefficient metal halide and fluorescent fixtures with LED technology, reducing energy-use, lowering maintenance costs and improving light quality at the transportation hub.
BuildSmart NY, launched by Gov. Cuomo in 2012, calls for an increase in energy efficiency in state government buildings of 20 percent by 2020. Through 2018, state buildings have implemented or committed to energy-saving projects and other measures that reduce source energy usage by more than 18 percent, avoiding nearly 2.6 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions and $450 million in energy costs under the state mandated program.
In addition to the recently completed project at Jamaica Station, NYPA and the PANYNJ have partnered to complete $19 million in energy efficiency measures at the World Trade Center and JFK and LaGuardia airports under BuildSmart NY.
