NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Malta, New York

Consistent with its environmental leadership role, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) set a precedent in 2007 for the New York SEQRA environmental impact review process by requiring a greenhouse gas impact analysis in the SEQRA process. O’Brien & Gere was selected to determine the future carbon footprint of NYSDEC’s proposed Alternate Fuel Vehicle Research Laboratory (AFVRL) in Malta, New York as part of the project’s environmental impact statement.

Evaluation of the project’s potential greenhouse gas impacts, as well as the effort to mitigate these impacts, was estimated following the guidelines specified in The Greenhouse Gas Protocol – A Corporate Accounting and Report Standard developed by the World Resources Institute and World Business Council for Sustainable Development. The greenhouse gas inventory included: Scope 1 direct emissions from stationary combustion, vehicle testing, potential leakage of refrigerants, and deforestation associated with greenfield construction; Scope 2 indirect emissions from electricity consumption; and Scope 3 other indirect emissions from employee business travel and commuting. Mitigation of impacts were assessed based on green building (LEED) design of the proposed facility, including on-site generation of renewable electricity, purchased renewable electricity, use of geothermal energy, and preservation of open space. These green building design measures were evaluated to estimate the percentage of the potential future carbon footprint mitigated as a result of green building design.