NYC Council Considers Making Rikers Island Renewable Energy Outlet

New York City Council’s Committee on Environmental Protection recently deliberated on three bills, known collectively as the Renewable Rikers Act, that call for wastewater treatment, battery storage facilities and solar panels on the city’s Rikers Island.

Council members weighed in on the bills ahead of the closing of the island’s infamous jail complex. The City Council approved a land use application in October 2019 to close the jail complex and build four borough-based jails, prompting questions of what would come of the East River island made mostly of trash.

New York Daily News has more:

Rikers Island, once the city’s garbage dump, is now being eyed as the blueprint for a green city.

The City Council’s Committee on Environmental Protection on Wednesday weighed in on three bills, known collectively as the Renewable Rikers Act, that call for a wastewater treatment, battery storage facilities and solar panels on the 413-acre island — one of several proposals being mulled ahead of the closing of the notorious jail complex.

“(This) plan can help us meet our greenhouse gas goals and reduce emissions,” said panel chair Councilmember Costa Constantinides, who introduced the legislation last year.

Read the full story here.