Will New York Governor Kathy Hochul sign or again veto a bill to protect horseshoe crabs that, by large majorities, passed again in the State Legislature earlier this year? Hochul vetoed the same bill last year.

A public advocacy group created a map showing how many water pipes are lead or may be made of lead.

New information is raising concerns about lead in Hudson Valley water systems.

In Brief:

• Experts warn New York could face energy shortages as early as 2027.

• Offshore wind offers clean, reliable power and price stability.

• South Fork Wind Farm already powers 70,000 Long Island homes.

• Upgraded transmission and new wind projects are urgently needed.

This fall, New Yorkers across the state showed up and spoke up to demand clean, affordable, reliable, safe and healthy energy infrastructure during the state’s energy plan hearings. Tragically, the Trump administration is wreaking havoc on our nation’s clean energy progress, making it more important than ever for New York to step up and lead the way to the sustainable, resilient system we need. Right now, we’re not on track.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton today announced the release of the finalized Long Island Watershed Action Agenda (PDF). The Action Agenda is a clear-cut blueprint for water quality improvements, aquatic habitat conservation, groundwater protection, and the public engagement necessary to ensure success for the surface, coastal, and ground waters of Nassau and Suffolk counties.

The Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) has completed the first phase of one of their most ambitious projects in decades. The South River Road water main is set to bring clean water to residences in Calverton whose wells have been impacted by PFAS – otherwise known as “forever chemicals.”

Northport Harbor was the backdrop for a press conference on Tuesday, Oct. 7, at which a coalition of environmental groups asked Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign legislation to protect the horseshoe crab in New York State. 

On Oct 7, representatives from 15 environmentalist groups gathered in Northport Harbor to rally for the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act (S.4289/A.4997), which would ban the harvesting of horseshoe crabs in New York for commercial and biomedical use. A study released last month, authored by Dr. Rebha Raviraj from Maritime Aquarime at Norwalk, showed a decrease of 2-9% in horseshoe crab populations in the Long Island Sound. At the event, Dr. Raviraj described the losses across the 46-year study as “very significant,” linking them to habitat loss, over-harvesting, insufficient management practices, and climate change.

Environmentalists are calling on New York state lawmakers to save the horseshoe crab.

Advocates rallied in Northport on Tuesday to urge Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the “Horseshoe Crab Protection Act,” which would ban taking the animals from state waters for commercial or medical use.

An effort is afoot for the second year in a row to get New York Governor Kathy Hochul to sign a bill banning the harvesting of horseshoe crabs for bait and biomedical purposes.

New York environmental advocates want Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign a bill protecting horseshoe crabs.

On Sept. 29, a mix of grassroots organizers, student activists, utility workers, elected officials, and environmental professionals voiced varying priorities at the New York State draft energy plan hearing at Stony Brook University. The university saw multiple outdoor rallies in addition to 2 ½ hours of public comments on the 15-year plan, with concerns covering jobs, affordability, environmental safety, and more. 

Brookhaven officials have been ordered by state environmental authorities to prepare a landfill cleanup plan that could include closing the 51-year-old facility after an inspection earlier this year found elevated levels of so-called "forever chemicals" in a miles-long plume emanating from the dump.

Thousands of cars that had been given an HOV lane exemption were forced back into the regular lanes on the Long Island Expressway today.

Drivers reported experiencing more traffic today on the Long Island Expressway, the first day after the Clean Pass program expired.

No place could be more impacted than Nassau County by the EPA’s decision to postpone by two years the deadline for water utilities to comply with new federal water standards for PFAS until 2031.

These chemicals are dangerous, having been linked to a large number of illnesses – kidney cancer, testicular cancer, high cholesterol, immune suppression, thyroid disease, and pregnancy complications.

Attorney General Letitia James is right when she states: “Every New Yorker deserves clean, safe water.”

But it takes more than an assertion to make clean water happen. Fighting the pollution that continues to threaten the water we drink and area waterways that support wildlife and recreation takes leadership and aggressive measures from the state. It doesn’t look like we’re getting enough of either from New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation. 

The Long Island South Shore Estuary Reserve, a sprawling 70-mile-long network of waterways vulnerable to environmental pressures, will receive a $2.4 million infusion of state funding.

The New York State Department of State, at a press conference at Tobay Beach Wednesday afternoon, said eight municipalities, nonprofits and agencies earned the awards through the South Shore Estuary Reserve Local Assistance Grant Program.

Long Island’s congressional delegation should show a unified, bipartisan front in convincing Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin against delaying enforcement of new limits to so-called "forever chemicals" in drinking water, environmentalists say.

After the discovery of chemical drums at Bethpage Community Park last year, Oyster Bay officials worried about the presence of hexavalent chromium, a cancer-causing toxin, in the soil near the drums, federal court records show.

They were concerned by what they saw: yellow and green sludge, a sign of chromium contamination, according to a filing in the town's lawsuit against Northrop Grumman, which seeks to accelerate and widen the scope of the plan to clean up the 18-acre property Grumman Aerospace used as a toxic dumping grounds for decades.

In the most recent fiscal year, New York made more investments in water infrastructure than in any prior year.

Announcing the record spending Wednesday at Albany’s Corning Preserve, President and CEO of New York’s Environmental Facilities Corporation Maureen Coleman says nearly 330 projects were executed with financial assistance in the last fiscal year -- a 55 percent increase year-to-year.

Environmental Facilities Corporation's Financial Assistance is Making Projects Affordable for New Yorkers, Safeguarding Drinking Water, and Improving Water Quality in Support of Nation-Leading Clean Water Goals. More Than a Half Billion Dollars Awarded to Local Governments that Worked with Governor Hochul’s Community Assistance Teams

Wastewater improvement projects from Oakdale to Huntington Station totaling $3.5 billion could be first in line for Suffolk County funding from its Water Quality Restoration Fund based on the newly formed board's rankings of 30 projects.

The board also recommended the county increase its grants for homeowners to upgrade to enhanced septic systems by $5,000.

More than 200 community members gathered at Stony Brook University’s Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology (CEWIT) for the second annual Energy & Infrastructure Open House and Union Apprenticeship Awareness Day.

Discolored water continues to run into the Nissequogue River along Paul T. Given Park after a contractor struck an underground spring on Aug. 2, a spokesperson for the town of Smithtown said.

Experts like Citizens Campaign for the Environment Executive Director Adrienne Esposito said the situation looks worse than it is.

CONEY ISLAND, Brooklyn (PIX11) — A young sea turtle named Elton made a swift and inspiring return to the wild waters off Coney Island Wednesday, marking an encouraging moment for sea turtle conservation efforts.

The endangered Kemp’s ridley turtle was found cold-stunned on a Massachusetts beach in December 2024 and has since undergone rehabilitation thanks to dedicated partnerships and community support.

Event highlights the ocean health benefits of the New York State Environmental Protection Fund.

Coney Island, NY, Aug. 6, 2025—New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton joined the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society (AMSEAS), elected officials, and environmental leaders to release a rehabilitated Kemp’s ridley sea turtle back into the Atlantic Ocean outside the New York Aquarium. The event celebrated the New York State Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) that helps protect and restore the health of the state’s ocean and coasts.

CONEY ISLAND, Brooklyn (WABC) -- The New York Aquarium set an endangered sea turtle free on Wednesday after a successful rehabilitation, with a crowd in Coney Island cheering for the animal's return to his natural habitat.

Elton, an endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, was the star of the show on Coney Island Beach on Aug. 6, as he was released into the Atlantic Ocean after a monthslong rehabilitation. 

The U.S. Navy is set to open a new treatment plant that is expected to help contain the extensive Grumman groundwater plume slowly moving south in Nassau County.

The Navy plant on Union Avenue, near Hempstead Turnpike in Bethpage, is expected to be operational in September, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Great Lakes Cheese often polluted Ischua Creek, data shows

It has been nearly a month since the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation began investigating wastewater discharge from Great Lakes Cheese that likely killed tens of thousands of fish and countless other aquatic species in Ischua Creek.

 The Trump administration's plan to rescind a rule used to enforce limits on greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles will jeopardize health and safety on Long Island while undermining billions of dollars New York has spent electrifying the transportation sector, local environmental advocates and scientific experts say.