1985

• Suffolk County passes Article VII to protect Long Island drinking water.

1986

• A $60 million Open Space Fund protects 46,000 acres of Suffolk County land from development

1988

• Long Island’s first household hazardous waste facility is established in the Town of Southold.

1989

• EPA requires drinking water suppliers to inform residents about their water quality.

1991

• Long Island Sound Study is formed to restore and protect the Long Island Sound.

1993

• The Environmental Protection Fund is established to preserve open space, protect drinking water, and promote recycling in New York.

1996

• Commercial logging is banned in Allegany State Park.

1997

• NY “Fisherman’s Right to Know” Law requires posted notifications at the point of polluted discharge in all waterways.

1999

• As chair of the Peconic River Task Force, CCE pushes Suffolk County to test for dangerous radioactive chemicals in the river.

2000

• NY passes Acid Rain Control Act to reduce acid rain.

• MTBE, a carcinogen gasoline additive, is banned in New York.

• Town of Hempstead establishes $15 million bond issue for environmental projects.

2001

• Long Island South Shore Estuary Reserve Comprehensive Management Plan is created.

• Suffolk County implements voluntary No Spray List for pesticides.

2002

• A federal proposal to allow the dumping of untreated sewage into waterways is halted.

2004

• NY adopts Renewable Energy Portfolio, requiring 25% of electricity to come from renewable resources by 2013.

2005

• CT becomes the first state in the country to require that elementary schools (K-6) stop using chemical pesticides on playing fields.

2006

• Nassau County authorizes $100 million Bond Act to preserve open space, protect drinking water, and promote recycling.

2007

• CCE opens its first year-round campaign office in Connecticut.

• CT school pesticide ban is extended to include middle schools.

• Congress approves Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, providing much-needed funding for Great Lakes protection.

2008

• The Federal Great Lakes St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact is formed to protect Great Lakes water supply.

• NY prohibits Shell Oil from building Broadwater, a Liquefied Natural Gas facility, in the Long Island Sound.

• Westport, CT becomes the first east coast municipality to ban disposable bags.

2009

• Both NY and CT expand their bottle bill recycling programs.

• CT school pesticide ban extended to include daycare centers.

• EPA starts regulating greenhouse gas emissions under Clean Air Act.

2010

• NY bans aesthetic pesticides on all K-12 playing fields.

• NY implements an electronic waste recycling program.

• President Obama creates the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to protect and restore the lakes.

2011

• Village of Southampton, Village of East Hampton, and City of Rye become the first NY municipalities to ban disposable bags.

• NY passes a moratorium on hydro-fracking.

• Two bills preventing Connecticut’s Department of Environmental Conservation from properly protecting waterways are defeated. 

• Great Lakes Water Withdrawal legislation in NYS prevents excessive water withdrawals from the US’s largest fresh water supply.

2012

• NY and CT pass “Sewage Right to Know” legislation requiring states to notify residents of dangerous sewage overflows as they occur.

2013

• CT requires GMO labeling on consumer products.

• NY ends the shark-fin trade.

• Long Island stops using toxic pesticide Atrazine, and Connecticut bans pesticides that contribute to lobster die off in coastal areas.

2014

• NY bans hydrofracking. CT puts a moratorium on fracking waste.

• Plan 2014 is released to restore natural water flow in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.

• DEA allows pharmacies to take back controlled substances for safe disposal.

2015

• U.S. bans plastic microbeads in personal care products.

• CCE partners with King Kullen, Suez, and Suffolk County Water Authority to launch first-of-its-kind pharmaceutical take-back program for residents.

2016

• CT passes legislation restricting the use of neonicotinoid pesticides

•  NYS opposes EPA dredge dumping plan in eastern Long Island Sound

• Great Lakes Restoration Initiative authorized at $1.5 billion over 5 years

• Suffolk County, NYC, Long Beach pass Bring Your Own Bag laws to prevent plastic pollution.

2017

• NY’s first offshore wind farm approved by LIPA.

• Stop Trump Administration’s proposed funding cuts to EPA, Long Island Sound, Great Lakes, and more.

• NY allocates $2.5 billion for drinking and waste water infrastructure.

• CT bans coal tar sealant on state and local highways.

2018

• CT bans automatic pesticide misters, updates sewage right to know act, and sets aggressive greenhouse gas reductions goals.

• NYS passes Drug Take Back Act, requiring a manufacturer-funded, statewide pharmaceutical disposal program

• NY recommends toughest-in-the-nation standards for emerging contaminants PFOA, PFOS, & 1,4-dioxane.

2019

• NY becomes first state in nation to ban hidden carcinogen 1,4-dioxane in everyday products.

• NY and CT pass legislation to ban carryout plastic bags.

• NY passes the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which is the most comprehensive climate change legislation in the US. 

• CT approves a comprehensive state water plan ensuring that water is public trust.

• CT bans hazardous hydrofracking waste statewide.

2020

• NY Bans TCE, an industrial solvent and known carcinogen, in manufacturing.

• NY passes law preventing illegal dumping and sandmining, which holds polluters accountable for their crimes.

• NY bans “forever chemicals” PFAS in food packaging.

• NY adopts some of the nation’s strongest drinking water standards for the emerging contaminants PFOA, PFOS, & 1,4-dioxane.

2021

• NY bans coal tar sealant, a known human carcinogen that contaminates local waterways.

• U.S. passes $1.2 trillion “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,” including $1 billion for Great Lakes and $100+ million for Long Island Sound.

• The Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant Conveyance project, which diverts Nassau County’s sewage out of the Western Bays on Long Island, breaks ground.

• CT bans toxic PFAS in food packaging & firefighting foam.

• CT passes legislation modernizing the Bottle Bill, including increasing the deposit from 5 cents to 10 cents and expanding the types of beverages covered by the deposit law.

2022

• NY voters overwhelmingly approve the $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Bond Act.

• U.S. Inflation Reduction Act is signed into law, which is the most significant investment that our nation has taken to fight climate change.

• Federal regulators say no to the Killingly Gas Plant in Connecticut, which clears the way for renewable energy projects.

• NY passes law making polluters—not taxpayers—pay for cleaning up water contamination.

• NY strengthens its freshwater wetlands program—protecting an additional one million acres of critical wetlands across the state.

2023

• NY passes Birds and Bees Protection Act into law—banning the most harmful and unnecessary uses of toxic neonic pesticides. 

• South Fork Wind, NY’s first offshore wind farm, begins generating power.

• Long Island Sound restoration receives record federal funding of $40 million.

• NY provides $500 million for clean water projects in 2023, marking a total, nation-leading investment of $5 billion since 2017.