Bio
Charles Komanoff
11 Hanover Square
21st Floor
NYC 10005
kea@igc.org
(212) 260-5237
Summary
* Consultant and authority on U.S. energy, transport and environment; electricity generation costs; energy usage and supply; bicycling; road pricing; traffic crashes; social and environmental costs and benefits of competing energy and transport modes.
* New York City activist and advocate for bicycling, pedestrians' rights and strategic pricing of automobile use.
* Director of the Carbon Tax Center.
Komanoff is director of the consulting firm Komanoff Energy Associates, 're-founder' and president emeritus of the renowned advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, a founding trustee of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, co-ordinator of the pedestrian-rights organization Right Of Way, and director of the Carbon Tax Center. His work combines expertise in policy analysis, a flair for expressing numerical and economic data in concrete terms, and a passion for progressive social change. Komanoff graduated with honors from Harvard College with a B.A. in Applied Mathematics.
Authority on U.S. energy, transport and environment
For much of his career as a policy analyst, Komanoff has addressed two leading sources of environmental and social harm in industrial societies: electricity generation and motor vehicles.
Energy, Electricity and Nuclear Power
Throughout the 1970s and '80s -- years of intense debate over the economics of nuclear power -- Komanoff was the leading U.S. source of credible information on reactor costs. Through painstaking data collection, rigorous analysis, numerous articles and books, and clear articulation to journalists, he helped policy-makers and the public grasp the true dimensions of nuclear power's spiraling costs. During this period, Komanoff consulted for two Congressional agencies, the U.S. Department of Energy, and close to two dozen states including New York, California, Texas and Florida; presented expert testimony before the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and 20 Public Utility Commissions; testified before four Committees of Congress and the Select Committee on Energy of the House of Commons (U.K.); and tutored a generation of journalists on the extent and causes of cost escalation in the U.S. nuclear power industry.
More recently: Komanoff represented Manhattan community groups in evaluating and mitigating a proposal by Con Edison to expand its East 14th Street steam-and-electric station; analyzed the potential for electricity conservation in the New York area on behalf of a coalition seeking to shut the Indian Point reactors in Westchester County; and published Ending The Oil Age, a detailed post-9/11 policy prescription for immediately reducing U.S. oil consumption by up to 10%. Komanoff has also advocated and written extensively in opposition to "NIMBY" critics of proposed wind-energy projects in the Northeast U.S., contrasting the wind farms' minuscule noise and visual impacts with their robust benefits in displacing fossil fuels. And he is co-developer of Greening A Block, a project to implement energy-efficient heating, hot water and electric systems in buildings on a block-or-larger scale on Manhattan's Lower East Side.
Transport
Komanoff is a founding trustee of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a confederation of advocacy groups working to reform transport planning and financing in the New York region. He edited and co-authored Tri-State's founding document, the Citizen Action Plan, a holistic approach to regional transport emphasizing road pricing, center-oriented development and strategic transit upgrades. Tri-State has also published Komanoff's comprehensive analyses of roadway subsidies in New York and New Jersey and his 2003 study of the benefits of "value pricing" (higher peak tolls with off-peak discounts) for New York City bridges and tunnels.
Komanoff conceived and edited Transportation Alternatives'
Bicycle
Blueprint, the most ambitious
bike plan ever published for New York (or any other U.S. city). He contributed
a volume, Environmental Benefits of Bicycling and Walking in the United States, to the Federal Highway Administration's National
Bicycling and Walking Study, and
he composed the
chapter on bicycling for the Encyclopedia of Energy (Elsevier, 2004).
Komanoff, an early and vocal advocate for full-cost pricing of
automobile use, has spelled out road-pricing proposals in a
report
for the Energy Foundation and periodicals ranging from the
Pace Environmental
Law Review to many newspapers and
magazines. His current (2010) work, which focuses on modeling
and advocacy for traffic pricing and free transit in New York City in partnership with legendary civic activist Ted Kheel,
was profiled in the
June 2010 issue of Wired magazine. (More, below.) Komanoff's work on environmental policy dates
to 1971-72, when he co-directed the Council on Economic Priorities' landmark study of pollution in the U.S. electric
power industry, The Price of Power.
In 1972-74 he worked as an economist for the NYC Dept. of
Environmental Protection,
composing highly original analyses that helped stop the uneconomic Storm King pumped-storage
project in the Hudson Highlands and unnecessary LNG tank farms on Staten Island.
Komanoff has published popular and technical articles on air pollution from electric
generation and motor vehicles, and he recently contributed the chapter on economic
incentives for reducing automotive pollution in Northwest Queens for a study for
the Queens borough president. Komanoff is also an authority on noise pollution.
His monograph Drowning
In Noise: Noise Costs of Jet Skis in America,
sponsored and published in 2000 by the Noise Pollution Clearinghouse, analyzed and monetized
the uniquely annoying noise from jet skis. He currently advises several Manhattan
community group in campaigns against noise emissions from "telecom hotels" and helicopters. Komanoff brings to advocacy a flair for
translating data into human terms, familiarity with New York City's
rich
history, solidarity with the city's many cultures, and a passion for
social
justice. Beginning in 1986, Komanoff "re-founded" and
led the
NYC-based advocacy organization Transportation
Alternatives. As
volunteer (but virtually full-time) president, he forged T.A. into a
vital force for non-motorized transportation in the New York
region and made it a model for grassroots transportation advocacy
in dozens of U.S. cities. Under Komanoff's leadership T.A. won a
string of impressive victories including defeat of a Midtown bike ban and
expanded access to area bridges, roads and transit systems. Bicycling magazine acknowledged Komanoff's accomplishments by naming
him a 1990 "Bicyclist of the Year," and Komanoff himself recently recounted
T.A.'s activist history in
a
stirring five-part series in Streetsblog. After stepping down as T.A. president in 1992, Komanoff later
co-founded the pedestrian rights organization Right
Of Way. He spearheaded the group's
street memorial project that
marked several hundred streets and sidewalks on which New York City pedestrians and
cyclists were run down and killed. The project was honored in 2001
by Industrial Design Magazine for
advancing socially conscious design. Komanoff's 1999 report for Right
Of Way, Killed By
Automobile, drew on
statistical analysis by the group's volunteers of close to a thousand
NYC pedestrian and cyclist fatalities. These projects helped provoke
public policies and paradigm shifts (changing the focus
from victim behavior to driver culpability) that have reduced fatal
pedestrian accidents in New York City by more than 25%. Through technical reports and in numerous articles,
Komanoff has advocated for strategic re-pricing of motor vehicle use
to curb traffic gridlock and raise municipal revenues. In 2002 he
founded the Bridge Tolls Advocacy Project
to publicize the economic and quality-of-life benefits of tolling
New York City's East River bridges. Komanoff's research on the beneficial impacts of
bridge tolls on vehicle volumes and traffic flow, available at the
BTAP Web site, helped lay the
groundwork for Mayor Bloomberg's 2007-08 push for congestion pricing. In late 2007, Komanoff assumed leadership of a research
team assembled by legendary
New York lawyer and transit advocate Ted Kheel, to study
the feasibility and benefits of pairing free transit and congestion pricing.
The group's report,
Balancing Free Transit and Congestion Pricing in New York City, marked
a watershed in explaining how economic incentives applied via congestion
tolls on vehicle trips into Manhattan and discounted transit fares could convert
large numbers of automobile trips to mass transit, thereby improving travel times,
economic efficiency and the quality of life in a dense urban environment. In 2010,
Komanoff unveiled a more powerful and accessible version of his innovative traffic-impact
computer model, the Balanced
Transportation Analyzer,
that he created for the Kheel report. This revolutionary new tool, which captures
the interactivities among car, taxicab, subway and bus trips in New York
City and allows modeling of time-of-day-varied tolls and fares, was profiled
in the June 2010 issue
of Wired magazine. The Bicycle Blueprint: A Plan to Bring
Bicycling into the Mainstream in New York City (Transportation Alternatives, 1993),
editor-in-chief and co-author with Michele Herman et al. Power Plant Cost Escalation: Nuclear and
Coal Capital Costs, Regulation and Economics (Komanoff Energy Associates, 1981,
republished by Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982). Power Plant Performance: Nuclear and Coal
Capacity Factors and Economics
(Council on Economic Priorities, New York, 1976). The Price of Power: Electric Utilities and
the Environment (Council on
Economic Priorities, 1972, republished by M.I.T. Press, 1974), co-authored with
Sandy Noyes and Holly Miller. "Whither Wind?," in Annual Editions:
Environment 08/09, McGraw-Hill, 2008. "Bicycling," in Encyclopedia of Energy (C.J. Cleveland, ed.), Elsevier Science, San
Diego, 2004. "Bicycle Transport in the US: Recent Trends
and Policies" (with John
Pucher), in Sustainable Transport (R. Tolley, ed.),
Woodhead Publishing Ltd., Cambridge, England, 2003. "Doing Without Nuclear Power," in Accidents
Will Happen: The Case Against Nuclear Power (L. Stephenson, ed.), Environmental Action Foundation and Harper &
Row, New York, 1979.
A Bolder Plan: Balancing Free Transit and Congestion Pricing in New York
City (Nurture New York's Nature, 2008). The Hours: Time Savings from East River Bridge
Tolls (Bridge Tolls Advocacy
Project, New York, 2003). East River Bridge Tolls: Who Will Really
Pay? (Bridge Tolls Advocacy
Project, New York, 2003). A Value-Pricing Toll Plan for the M.T.A. (Tri-State Transportation Campaign, New York,
2003). Securing Power Through Energy Conservation
and
Efficiency in New York: Profiting from California's Experience (Riverkeeper et al., 2002). Ending The Oil Age: A Plan to Kick the
Saudi Habit (Komanoff Energy
Associates, New York, 2002). The Only Good Cyclist: NYC Bicyclist
Fatalities --
Who's Responsible? (Right Of
Way, New
York, 2000), with Michael J. Smith. Drowning In Noise: Noise Costs of Jet Skis
in
America (Noise Pollution
Clearinghouse, Montpelier, VT, 2000), with Dr. Howard Shaw. The Price Of A Ticket: Racial Profiling
and Highway
Deaths in New Jersey (Right
Of Way,
New York, 1999), with Michael J. Smith. Killed By Automobile: Death in the Streets
in New
York City 1994-1997 (Right
Of Way,
New York, 1999) Road Relief: Tax and Pricing Shifts for a
Fairer,
Cleaner, and Less Congested Transportation System in Washington State (with Todd Litman and Doug Howell, 1998,
http://www.climatesolutions.org/). Environmental Consequences of Road Pricing (Energy Foundation, San Francisco, CA 1997). Crossroads: Highway-Finance Subsidies in
New Jersey (Tri-State
Transportation Campaign, New York, with Margaret
Sikowitz, 1995). Subsidies for Traffic: How Taxpayer
Dollars
Underwrite Driving in NY State
(Tri-State Transportation Campaign, New York, with Cora Roelofs,
1994). Citizen Action Plan (Tri-State Transportation Campaign, New
York, 1994),
editor and lead author. Fiscal Fission: The Economic Failure of
Nuclear
Power -- A Report on the Historical Costs of Nuclear Power in the
United States (Greenpeace,
U.S.A., with Cora Roelofs, 1992). Environmental Benefits of
Bicycling and
Walking in the United States
(Federal
Highway Administration, 1992, Part 15 of the National
Bicycling
and Walking Study, 1994, lead
author). There They Go Again: A Critique of the
AER/UDI
Report on Future Electricity Adequacy Through the Year 2000 (Nat'l. Assoc. of State Utility
Consumer
Advocates, 1987, co-authored). Prometheus Bound: Nuclear Power at the
Turning
Point (Cambridge Energy
Research
Associates, 1983), with I.C. Bupp. Injury Prevention, "Safety in numbers: a new dimension to the
bicycle helmet controversy?,"
December 2001 (letter). Journal of the American Medical
Association, "Elevated Blood
Alcohol and Risk of Injury Among
Bicyclists," May 16, 2001 (letter). Transportation Research "A", "Bicycling Renaissance in North America?
Recent
Trends and Alternative Policies to Promote Bicycling," 1999 (with John
Pucher
and Paul Schimek). Bicycle Forum, "Restoring Cycling Habitat," No. 45, Summer
1997. Public Utilities Fortnightly, "Predicting Nuclear Plant Capacity
Factors," 1
December, 1994. Pace Environmental Law Review, "Pollution Taxes for Roadway
Transportation," Fall
1994. Electricity Journal, "10 Blows That Stopped Nuclear Power,"
January 1991.
New England Journal of Public Policy, "Dismal Science Meets Dismal Subject: The
(Mal)practice
of Nuclear Power Economics," Fall 1985. Public Utilities Fortnightly, "Assessing the High Costs of New Nuclear
Power
Plants," 11 October 1984. Nuclear Safety, "Sources of Nuclear Regulatory
Requirements," Vol. 22, No. 4, July?Aug,
1981. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, "U.S. Nuclear Plant Performance,"
November
1980. Journal of the American Pollution Control
Association, "Pollution
Control
Improvements in Coal?Fired Electric Generating Plants," Vol. 30, No. 9,
September 1980. New York Review of Books, "Doing Without Nuclear Power," Vol. 26, No.
8, 17
May 1979. New York Affairs, "The Storm King Controversy," Vol. II, No.
1, 1974 (with Ken Semmel).Environment
NYC activist and advocate for bicycling, pedestrians' rights and
strategic pricing of automobile use
Books
Book Chapters
Major Reports
Journal Articles
Newspaper Op-Ed Pieces / Magazine Articles (print only; omits several hundred Web-based pieces on Grist, Streetsblog and the Carbon Tax Center’s blog)
Downtown Express, “How About Free Subways to Go With That Traffic Pricing,” 1-7 February 2008.
Downtown Express, “The Sentencing of a cyclist’s Killer,” 11-17 January 2008.
Downtown Express, “Silver Blocks the road to Traffic’s Promised Land,” 13-19 July 2007.
Downtown Express, “Love Cars, Kill Cyclists on ‘Greenway’ Path,” 8-14 December 2006.
Orion, “Whither Wind?,” Sept-Oct 2006 (reprinted in Mother Earth News, Feb. 2007 and in Annual Editions: Environment 08/09 and in Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Environmental Issues [see above under Book Chapters]).
Newsday, “A bike rider finds commuting to be a vicious cycle, 2 Sept 2006.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, “Forward-Thinking Idea for a Trendsetter,” 2 August 2006.
Albany Times Union, "In the Wind: Environmental activist's legacy would include support for windmills in the Adirondacks," 19 September 2005.
Newsday, "City Riding hard on Cyclers' Freedom," 31 March 2005.
Berkshire Eagle, "Wind Power Works," 8 January 2005.
New York Daily News, "Cops Should Ease Up On The Bike Rides," 19 October 2004.
Downtown Express, "Overreacting to Whitman's Deceit," 7-13 October 2003.
Providence (RI) Journal, "Even Wind Power Can't Be Invisible," 6 June 2003.
Providence (RI) Journal, "Even Wind Power Can't Be Invisible," 6 June 2003.
New York Daily News, "Deficit Burden Must Be Shared" 6 March 2003.
New York Daily News, "Speed Up East River Bridge Tolling" 12 June 2002.
Newsday, "Giuliani Puts Brakes on Car Culture," 1 October 2001.
Downtown Express, "Ending the car-eat-bike world," 17-30 July 2001.
New York Daily News, "Yet Another Helmet Law? -- Let's Skip It" 10 January 2001.
New York Daily News, "Too Many Cyclists Are Dying," 3 March 2000.
The Washington Post, "Refueling OPEC," 23 February 2000 (with Michael J. Smith).
The Newark Star-Ledger, "Putting Jersey Motorists in the Driver's Seat," 3 February 2000.
The New York Times, "It Isn't Too Many Double-Parkers, It's Too Many Cars," 16 Oct. 1999 (with Michael J. Smith).
The New York Times, "Pedestrians in Peril," 27 January 1998.
New York Daily News, "Bikes Are Safe, It's Cars That Kill," 10 December 1997.
Staten Island Advance, "New York Needs a Verrazano Bike Path," 18 June 1997.
New York Magazine, "Traffic: Demand and Supply," 16 December 1996.
New York Daily News, "The Man Who Had a Cure for Gridlock," 20 November 1996.
Newsday, "Should The L.I.E. Become a Toll Road?," 8 October 1995.
Crain's NY Business, "Steep Gas Tax is One Way to Ease Fiscal Pain," 30 September 1991.
Newsday, "Don't Convert Shoreham -- Use Less Power," 4 December 1990.
The New York Times, "Bikes Just Lack 'Curb Appeal'," 1 September 1990.
The Washington Post, "Instead of a Gas Tax, How About a Carbon Tax," 6 March 1989.
New York Observer, "The Bike Ban is Bad Medicine," December 1987.
The New York Times, "The Power Shortage Is A Mirage," 28 April 1985.
Wall Street Journal, "Nuclear Crews Stretch Work, Up Costs," 19 March 1984.
Newsday, "Lilco's Owners Should Share The Burden," 11 January 1983.
Los Angeles Times, "A Coal?Fired Future," 3 September 1981.
Newsday, "Let's Halt Shoreham Work While Seeking True Costs," 19 June 1980.
Newsday, "Shoreham: Time For A Reappraisal," 26 June 1979.
New York Review of Books, "Doing Without Nuclear Power," 17 May 1979 (cover article).
The New York Times, "Rights for Urban Bikers," 16 July 1978.
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