Kit Kennedy, Counsel, Air and Energy Program, New York

I first joined NRDC in 1988 after working for a federal judge for two years. In my early years, I had the chance to work on a wide range of great cross-cutting issues at NRDC, ranging from working to improve New York City’s sewage system and to reform its zoning code in my early years; fighting water pollution in the Hudson River; and bringing scores of enforcement cases across the country. In the second half of my NRDC career, I have focused on energy issues, with a focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency and power plant siting. In 2007, I left NRDC to become head of the Environmental Protection Bureau at the New York State Attorney General’s Office. I had the privilege to serve the Attorney General and the State of New York for three years, and to work on a diverse and challenging set of environmental issues across New York State and nationally. I recently returned to NRDC to help move forward our clean energy and global warming agenda at the federal level.

Offshore Wind One Step Closer to Reality in the Mid-Atlantic

Posted February 2, 2012 by Kit Kennedy in Curbing Pollution, Green Enterprise, Health and the Environment, Living Sustainably, Moving Beyond Oil, Reviving the World's Oceans, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:: doi, mid-atlantic, nationaloceanpolicy, obamaadministration, offshorewind, renewableenergy, salazar, smartfromthestart

Today the Obama administration moved forward with plans to develop the enormous offshore wind energy resources along the Mid-Atlantic coast, using a “Smart for the Start” approach designed to expedite the siting process while incorporating strong environmental protections. Ken Salazar,...continued→

PACE Lives!

Posted January 26, 2012 by Kit Kennedy in Curbing Pollution, Green Enterprise, Living Sustainably, Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:: energy, energyefficiency, FHFA, greenbuilding, PACE, propertyassessedclean, renewableenergy, solarpower

All the many supporters of PACE energy efficiency and renewable energy financing program have a reason to cheer. Thanks to a legal decision, the public will finally have a chance to weigh in with the federal government to express their...continued→

NY legislature looks at Indian Point alternatives - days after leak causes shutdown

Posted January 11, 2012 by Kit Kennedy in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, Living Sustainably, Nuclear Weapons, Waste and Energy

Tags:: cleanpower, cuomo, energyefficiency, entergy, indianpoint, newyorkstate, nuclearpower, renewableenergy, transmission

Comments (3)

Earlier this week, there was a leak at the Indian Point nuclear power plant that forced one of its units to shut down temporarily –exacerbating fears about the aging facility located in New York City’s densely populated backyard. Entergy, the...continued→

New light bulb standards withstand last-minute attack

Posted December 16, 2011 by Kit Kennedy in Living Sustainably

Tags:: congress, energyefficiency, energyefficiencystandards, lightbulbs, lightingstandards

Comments (5)

If you’ve read about the repeal of the lighting standards – don’t believe the hype. The 2012 lighting standards will proceed as planned, despite some nasty shenanigans afoot in DC. Late Thursday night, Republicans in Congress – contrary to public...continued→

After the Earthquake and Before the Hurricane, Friday was a Beautiful Day for Clean Energy: DOE Adopts New Refrigerator Efficiency Standards and a Court Ruling Revives PACE Clean Energy Finance Programs

Posted August 29, 2011 by Kit Kennedy in Curbing Pollution, Green Enterprise, Living Sustainably, Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:: appliances, appliancestandards, California, DOE, energyefficiency, energyefficiencyfinancing, energyefficiencystandards, environmentalregulation, fhfa, kamalaharris, PACE, propertyassessedcleanenergy, refrigerators, renewableenergy, solarpower, stevenchu

Comments (2)

As we all know, those of us on the East Coast have just suffered through a week of near apocalyptic extreme weather events, with Tuesday’s earthquake rocking the coast from Virginia through New England and Hurricane Irene sweeping through the...continued→

Court Upholds Energy Efficiency Standards for Small Motors, Leading to Big Energy Savings

Posted August 17, 2011 by Kit Kennedy in Curbing Pollution, Green Enterprise, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:: cleanenergylitigation, departmentofenergy, Earthjustice, energyefficiency, smallelectricmotors

Every step forward we take on energy efficiency in the United States is cause for celebration. So join me in a toast to a small triumph for more efficient small motors! Yesterday, NRDC received a favorable decision from the United...continued→

The House's Surprise Attack on Energy Efficiency - Why is Rep. Upton Trying to Screw Up His Own Light Bulb Efficiency Standards?

Posted July 7, 2011 by Kit Kennedy in Curbing Pollution, Green Enterprise, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:: BULB Act, CFLs, energyefficiency, fredupton, incandescentlightbulbs, LEDs, lightbulbs

Comments (12)

As the trade press has reported, the House is planning to hold a vote on Monday evening July 11th on the BULB Act (H.R. 91, H.R. 2417) or a similar bill to repeal lighting efficiency standards that are strongly supported...continued→

Getting to Yes on Efficiency: How NRDC Courtroom Victories and Stakeholder Negotiations Led to Consensus on Strong New Energy Efficiency Standards for Air Conditioners and Furnaces

Posted June 10, 2011 by Kit Kennedy in Environmental Justice, Green Enterprise, Health and the Environment, Living Sustainably, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:: airconditioners, departmentofenergy, DOE, energyefficiency, furnaces, stevenchu

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has just unveiled strong new efficiency standards for central air conditioners and furnaces. These standards are the culmination of years of hard-fought, shin-kicking lawsuits followed by intense periods of arm-twisting and ultimately productive negotiation...continued→

Toy Story: The Easy-Bake Oven Rises to the Clean Energy Challenge

Posted February 25, 2011 by Kit Kennedy in Curbing Pollution, Green Enterprise, Living Sustainably, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:: cleanenergy, energyefficiency, lightbulbs

I grew up in the 1960s, an era when many young girls still tended to play with toys with a homemaking theme. I had a lot of dolls, a play kitchen, even a toy ironing board (my interest in ironing...continued→

Washington State Energy Efficiency Victory Shows Nation How to Save Money, Cut Pollution at the Same Time

Posted February 8, 2011 by Kit Kennedy in Curbing Pollution, Environmental Justice, Living Sustainably, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:: buildingefficiency, cleanenergy, energycode, washingtonstate

Yesterday, a federal district court judge cleared the way for Washington State to move forward with a state building energy code for new homes that will save Washington homeowners money on their energy bills while reducing harmful air pollution from...continued→

Massachusetts OKs Long Term Power Contract for First U.S. Offshore Wind Farm with Major Power Co.

Posted November 22, 2010 by Kit Kennedy in Green Enterprise, Solving Global Warming

Tags:: capewind, cleanenergy, renewableenergy

Comments (2)

Today, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts approved an agreement for National Grid, the large Northeastern electric utility company, to purchase half of the clean power produced by the country’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm, Cape Wind, to supply to its Massachusetts...continued→

Salazar signs lease for the first American offshore wind farm -- another win for Cape Wind

Posted October 7, 2010 by Kit Kennedy in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming

Tags:: capecod, capewind, cleanenergy, massachusetts, nantucketsound, offshorewind, renewableenergy, salazar, secretarysalazar

America’s first offshore wind farm, Cape Wind, signed a lease with the federal government to officially rent its space in Nantucket Sound yesterday. The planned 130 wind turbines, which will produce enough power to meet 75% of the Cape Cod’s...continued→

NRDC lawsuit urges federal housing finance regulators to stop obstructing money-saving clean energy program for homeowners

Posted October 6, 2010 by Kit Kennedy in Curbing Pollution, Living Sustainably, Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming

Tags:: cleanenergy, departmentofenergy, DOE, energyefficiency, fanniemae, federalhousingfinanceagency, fhfa, freddiemac, homeonwers, nationalbanks, obamaadministration, occ, officeofthecomptroller, PACE, propertyassessedcleanenergy, renewableenergy, stimulus

Now more than ever, states are paving the way to a clean energy future for our nation -- leading the way in innovation, and creating the clean energy models that can ultimately be adopted at the federal level. One great...continued→

Path Forward for Cape Wind and a Clean Energy Future

Posted April 28, 2010 by Kit Kennedy in Green Enterprise, Reviving the World's Oceans, Solving Global Warming

Tags:: capecod, capewind, markettransformation, offshorewind, renewableenergy, wind

Today I watched Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, standing with Governor Deval Patrick in the Massachusetts Statehouse, announce that United States has approved America’s first offshore wind project. Noting that Cape Wind’s path thus far has “not been any easy one,”...continued→

Countdown to Cape Wind

Posted April 26, 2010 by Kit Kennedy in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming

Tags:: capewind, cleanenergy, departmentofinterior, massachusetts, nantucketsound, oceans, offshorewind, secretarysalazar

Comments (8)

Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has vowed to make a final decision on whether or not to federally approve the first-ever utility-scale American offshore wind facility -- Cape Wind in Nantucket Sound off Massachusetts -- by the end of...continued→

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Switchboard is the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the nation’s most effective environmental group. For more about our work, including in-depth policy documents, action alerts and ways you can contribute, visit NRDC.org.