Senate hopeful Israel sees Drum as site for alternative energy

WASHINGTON — Rep. Steve Israel is the first to admit that he has plenty to learn about rural issues. But the Long Island congressman is willing to take on the regional differences that pervade New York, and which he says could become a strong point for the state.

Mr. Israel, D-Huntington, said the state's diverse economy would help him pursue a pet issue — cheaper energy production — if Gov. David A. Paterson picks him to fill the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.

In an interview on Capitol Hill, Mr. Israel said New York has the ability to produce energy from many sources, including agriculture and hydro, and Fort Drum would be a reasonable place to try alternative production.

"Fort Drum is a voracious consumer of energy," said Mr. Israel, who plans to visit Watertown and Fort Drum on Saturday. The Watertown visit is part of his statewide tour to build support for Senate, while the stop at Fort Drum is officially unrelated; Mr. Israel serves on a House subcommittee on military construction.

As senator, Mr. Israel said, he could help steer money to Fort Drum as part of two efforts: lowering energy costs for the military and making New York the "green" capital of the U.S.

"For me, it's an absolute mission," Mr. Israel said.

He has some experience on the issue, having complained for several years that the Defense Department's energy costs are a national security issue. He served for six years on the House Armed Services Committee, before moving to the Appropriations Committee after re-election in 2006. He arrived in Congress in 2001.

New York is in a good position, he said, because it need not rely too heavily on any single energy source. That is partly an accident of geography — the state has land for crops, water for dams and plateaus for windmills, among other sources.

"If this conversation were about Iowa, it would just be corn," he said.

Fort Drum has some background on that issue as well, having freed itself of the high cost of buying energy from a privately run coal-fired cogeneration plant on the post before the last base closure round. Advocates for Fort Drum saw the plant as a major liability.

In the interview, Mr. Israel repeatedly cited Fort Drum's impact on the north country, mentioning more than once the billion-dollar payroll the installation generates. And while he has not visited the post, he has been to the region as an emissary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which raises money for Democratic congressional candidates.

Indeed, in that role he met last year with Michael Oot, the Democrat who ran against Rep. John M. McHugh, R-Pierrepont Manor. But Mr. Israel and Mr. McHugh will have chances to work together, wherever Mr. Israel ends up; Mr. Israel is the only New York lawmaker on the House military construction panel.

He also called for connecting the north country more firmly with the rest of the state through improved transportation. He said he supports government subsidies for air service, which keep passenger service alive in Northern New York. And he said he does not rule out high-speed rail service across the state.

An economic stimulus package offers opportunities to improve the region's transportation network, he said.

Mr. Israel said he considers himself a hawk on Afghanistan, favoring a much heavier U.S. military presence there. He is more centrist than the Democratic leadership, having been a member of the conservative Blue Dog Coalition and founder of the House Center Aisle Caucus,created in 2005 to bridge Democratic-Republican divisions.

He said he has a lot of learning to do on rural issues. "That's one of the reasons I'm visiting," he said. "You learn by doing your homework, by listening."

Mr. Israel is taking a more public approach than others reported to be on Mr. Paterson's list of possible appointees. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-Manhattan, and Caroline Kennedy have traveled upstate as well, but Reps. Jerrold Nadler, D-Manhattan, and Kirsten E. Gillibrand, D-Hudson, and Thomas R. Suozzi, the Nassau County executive, have kept mainly mum. So has state Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo.

Mr. Paterson has said he will make an appointment after the Senate confirms Mrs. Clinton as secretary of state. Her confirmation hearing is next week.

The governor has not hinted about who he likes for the position, although he told the Buffalo News on Thursday that Ms. Kennedy's lack of elected experience "does not help her."

Whoever is named to the seat will run in a special election in 2010 to fill out the rest of Mrs. Clinton's term, then again in 2012 for a full six-year term.