JOIN US FOR A PUBLIC FORUM: UPDATE ON THE BAY PARK CONVEYANCE PROJECT

Please join Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Operation SPLASH and The Nature Conservancy for an important update on the Bay Park Conveyance Project!  Nassau County, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), and Veolia will present on the status of the project at the annual Operation SPLASH meeting on Tuesday, July 1st at 7:30 pm at Operation Splash headquarters in Freeport. 

We have been working hard to restore the Western Bays water quality, and it is working! The Bay Park Conveyance Project is a monumental effort led by New York State and Nassau County that has created an aqueduct under Sunrise Highway to connect the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant and Long Beach Sewage Treatment Plant to an existing ocean outfall pipe at the Cedar Creek Sewage Treatment Plant. This would reroute treated sewage from entering into Reynolds Channel and divert it into the ocean instead. This project is nearly complete and is in the final stages! In addition, upgrades to Bay Park have been underway and are helping to improve water quality in the bays. 

We are excited to hear from project leaders and experts who will provide an overview on the Bay Park Conveyance Project and the upgrades. There will be a panel discussion at the end to answer your important questions!

When:  

Tuesday, July 1st, 7:30pm -9:00pm

Where:

Operation Splash
202 Woodcleft Ave Freeport NY 11520

Speakers:

NYS Senator Siela Bynoe (invited) 
Michael Kwaschyn, Commissioner, Nassau County DPW (invited)
Andy Fera, NYS DEC
Vince Desiderio, Veolia
Delphine Lannel, Veolia
Lauren Sternberg, Veolia
Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, CCE
Robert Weltner, Executive Director, Operation Splash
Carl Lobue, Senior Marine Scientist, The Nature Conservancy 

Thank you for joining us!

Sincerely,
All of us at CCE

Raise a Glass for a Cleaner, Greener New York

Sip, Snack, and Support CCE at Once Finger Lakes this Sunday!

We are thrilled to kick off Once Finger Lakes’ Toast for a Cause series on Sunday, June 22nd — and we want you to join us!

Enjoy an afternoon of wine, craft beverages, great food, and gorgeous views while supporting our work to protect New York’s water, air, and communities. ONCE Finger Lakes will generously donate 10% of the day’s sales to CCE, helping us continue to fight for clean water, address toxic chemicals, combat climate change, and advance strong environmental policies.

A CCE representative will be on-site to share our mission and how you can get involved. So, grab a glass, meet fellow supporters, and raise a toast to a healthier future!

What’s on tap at Once Finger Lakes?
🍷 40 wines by the glass or tasting pour
🍺 12 local craft beers and ciders on draft
🥃 Whiskey & bourbon tastings and flights
🧀 Sharing boards with local cheeses & charcuterie
🌮 La Monarka’s Mexican Street Tacos
🛍 Take-home bottles, cans, & merch
🌊 Stunning Seneca Lake views
📍 Just 13 minutes from Geneva or Penn Yan!

Sunday, June 22 | 11:00am – 5:30pm
ONCE Finger Lakes, 655 State Route 14, Penn Yan, NY 14527

Learn More

A heartfelt thank you to ONCE Finger Lakes for supporting CCE, local nonprofits, and our communities — one toast at a time.

Come raise a glass for the environment. We can’t wait to see you there!

Sincerely,
All of us at CCE

SPEAKER HEASTIE THWARTS ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS, AGAIN

Major legislation to reduce plastic pollution, save taxpayer dollars, and protect public health from dangerous PFAS chemicals die in the Assembly, again

For immediate release: Wednesday, June 18, 2025

For more information, contact:

Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, aesposito@citizenscampaign.org, 516-390-7150

Brian Smith, Associate Executive Director, bsmith@citizenscampaign.org,716-472-4078

Albany, NY—The New York State Assembly wrapped up their 2025 legislative session late last night, with Speaker Carl Heastie failing to allow major environmental bills the opportunity for a floor vote. After passing in the NYS Senate for the second year in a row, the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (A.1749) and a Ban on PFAS in Household Products (A.7738) both died in the Assembly without a vote.

In response to the Assembly inaction, Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director for Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE), issued the following statement:

“Tragically, once again, Speaker Heastie failed to allow votes on critical environmental legislation, despite having strong support from the public and from within the legislature. We had the votes to pass both bills in the Assembly, what we lack is the political will from its leadership. When it comes to transformative environmental legislation, time and time again, Speaker Heastie has shown that he will crumble in the face of industry pressure.

The time to act on the state’s solid waste and PFAS “forever chemical” crises is yesterday. The longer we wait, the worse the problems will get, and the more expensive the solutions will become. Our environment, health, and economy will needlessly suffer due to this inaction.  Excessive plastic waste will continue to pollute our communities and overwhelm municipal budgets. Toxic PFAS chemicals will continue to contaminate our drinking water, requiring more communities to install expensive drinking water treatment technology.

At a time when the federal government is abdicating its responsibility to protect public health and the environment, New York State’s leadership is needed more than ever. Regrettably, Speaker Heastie’s inaction is failing to meet the moment.  New York is not only failing to lead, it is falling behind several other states that have already passed similar legislation.

We are grateful to Assemblymember Glick’s steadfast advocacy and unwavering commitment to advancing these bills in the Assembly.  We look forward to working with Assemblywoman Glick, along with our champion in the Senate, Senator Pete Harckham, to advance these critical issues in the future.”

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Highlights and Happenings: May 2025

Image by Ulrich Hummel from Pixabay

Help CCE build on our success, and support our campaigns to protect public health and the environment in NY and CT. 
Make a contribution today.

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Highlights

NY Senate Passes Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act! 
The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act is a top legislative priority for us in NYS. We have been fighting for a strong policy that will reduce product packaging, eliminate toxins in packaging, increase packaging recyclability, prevent plastic pollution, and save taxpayers money—it is estimated the policy would save local governments across the state $300 million annually! In the last week of May, the NYS Senate passed the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act! With this major step forward, we are now focusing our advocacy efforts on the Assembly. With just a week of session left, we need your help in urging the NYS Assembly to pass the bill. 

NYS Senate Passes Bill to Turn Off the Tap to Toxic PFAS Chemicals! In May, the NYS Senate passed legislation to prohibit the unnecessary use of toxic PFAS chemicals in a host of everyday products, including rugs, cookware, paints, children’s products, dental floss, and cleaning products. This bill has passed the NYS Senate, and we now need the Assembly to pass this legislation to protect our health and drinking water from dangerous PFAS “forever chemicals.” Take action today and urge your elected representatives to support passage of this critical legislation now! 

NYS Assembly Passes Bill to Protect Horseshoe Crabs! 
Horseshoe crabs have existed for over 350 million years, having shared this planet with the dinosaurs. Sadly, the species is now vulnerable to local extinction unless action is taken soon. Horseshoe crabs are an essential species in the food web—a decline in their population is harming the ecosystem and threatening bird species that depend upon the crabs for food. In order to save the horseshoe crab, and the species that depend upon them, the New York State Legislature introduced a bill to ban harvesting of horseshoe crabs. The NYS Assembly recently passed the bill, and now we need the NYS Senate to follow suit! Email your elected representatives today and urge them to support the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act! 

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Happenings

Tackling Toxics 
We were with the Just Green Partnership in Albany last month fighting to protect public health and our environment from a variety of toxic chemicals including PFAS, lead, mercury, and more. We advocated for a slate of bills that would remove toxic chemicals from consumer products, packaging, and personal care products. As the legislative session is coming to an end, we are ramping up our advocacy efforts. Help us get these bills passed this year! Send an email to your elected official today! 

Updates on Our Work to Advance Offshore Wind: 

• Empire Wind is Back On! In April, the Trump Administration announced a stop work order on Empire Wind 1 – the offshore wind farm being built off the coast of Long Beach would power 500,000 homes in NYC. The project was already under construction, creating significant investment in local communities and hundreds of union jobs in support of the growing “wind-ustry” in NY. In response, New York State, along with environmental and labor groups, pushed the Administration to reverse the decision and allow Empire Wind to continue. The Trump Administration lifted the stop-work order in May! This means New Yorkers will benefit from green jobs, NY communities will have cleaner air, and we will continue to build clean domestic energy off our coast. Check out our Executive Director’s thank you message to NY’s leaders here. 

• Follow Wind Works New York: Follow or Like Wind Works New York to get the latest updates on offshore wind news, events, and actions and share with the people you know who care about clean energy. 

• Team Green: Summer is finally here! We are very excited to welcome Jacob, Beau, Abigail, Jakob, Clare, and Paige who will be interning with us this summer. In May, they headed out to several Long Island beaches and street festivals to conduct education on offshore wind. Stop by if you see us at a local event and get important environmental updates, plus fun prizes all summer! See you in the sun!

• New South Fork Wind Study: A new independent seafloor (benthic) monitoring study, conducted by Inspire Environmental, shows that numerous species have been observed utilizing the habitat on and around the new turbine foundations at the South Fork Wind farm. Ongoing seafloor monitoring results show species like black sea bass, lobster, and flounder around the wind turbine foundations, confirming that marine life is using the wind turbine foundations as habitat. South Fork Wind is powering American communities and coexisting with marine life at the same time. Learn more here.

• Saying Yes to Propel Energy: Long Island, New York City and Westchester need to improve the reliability and resiliency of our energy grid to ensure capacity during high demand times. The Propel NY Energy transmission project is part of the solution, strengthening the electric grid with increased transmission capacity and helping inject more clean energy into the statewide grid. Last month, we submitted comments to the New York Public Service Commission in support of Propel NY Energy. A huge thank you to everyone who testified or submitted comments in support. 

Saying NO to Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling 
The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is currently accepting public comments on its draft National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, which includes up to 11 new oil and gas lease sales—a step backward for our climate, ocean health, and clean energy future. While the plan doesn’t currently propose lease sales in the Atlantic, we know that continued oil and gas development threatens our climate goals, marine ecosystems, and the momentum we’re building for offshore wind. We must make it clear that any new leasing, especially along the East Coast, puts climate progress, coastal economies, and jobs at risk. We will be submitting comments opposing oil and gas development and ask anyone who can to submit public comments to BOEM by the June 16th deadline. 

Advancing Clean Water Protection Policies 
Clean water is an essential human need and is vital to our health and economy. New York has taken historic actions to protect water quality, however, more work needs to be done. We joined our NY Clean Water Coalition partners in Albany to advance our top 2025 shared legislative priorities, including banning toxic PFAS chemicals in consumer products, finding and replacing lead drinking water pipes, reducing water contamination from road salt, and implementing policies to improve stormwater management. 

On the Long Island Sound with Uniondale High School 
After heading to Uniondale High School in April to talk with 250+ students about protecting Long Island Sound and combatting climate change, we headed out for a field trip up to the Sound in May. We had an incredible time with Uniondale High School at The WaterFront Center exploring the Long Island Sound! Students interacted with marine creatures in the touch tank, participated in beach seining, and boarded the Ida May to test water quality and take part in a dredge. It was a fun and educational experience that helped deepen their understanding of the Sound and the diverse marine life that call it home. 

Fighting for Federal Clean Energy Funding 
We joined Rep. Tom Suozzi and Rep. Laura Gillen for a press conference to address the House-passed Reconciliation Bill, which proposes cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and other vital public health programs. Our Executive Director, Adrienne Esposito, spoke out against the bill’s proposed rollback of clean energy tax credits, which help us transition to wind, solar and other renewables, while saving families money and reducing air pollution in our communities. We were joined by leaders from Northwell Health, Island Harves, AHRC Nassau, the Family and Children’s Association and others who voiced their concern about potential impacts on vulnerable communities. We want to thank Representatives Suozzi and Gillen for your leadership and continued support to fight for our public health! You can watch the press conference here. 

Fighting a Federal Rollback to Allow Toxic PFAS in Drinking Water 
Last year, the EPA finalized federal drinking water standards to limit 6 toxic PFAS chemicals found in drinking water. In May, the EPA issued a press release to announce its perilous intentions to delay implementation of critical drinking water standards for two types of PFAS chemicals—PFOA and PFOS—back an additional two years. Furthermore, EPA announced that it intends to scrap the drinking water standards for the four other PFAS chemicals. We are fighting back against this rollback, which is betrayal of public trust and adds a significant threat to public health by allowing toxic chemicals to remain in our drinking water. 

Welcome Adrian, our Yale Intern this Summer 
Last month we had the pleasure of attending the 2025 New Horizons in Conservation Convening in New Haven, CT which was a great way to kick off this summer’s Environmental Fellows program. We’re happy to share we’ll be hosting another Yale Intern this summer— join us in welcoming Adrian to the team! Thank you to Yale School of the Environment for organizing such a powerful and impactful event. 

Talking Green Careers 
We visited Garden City Middle School to speak on a 'Green Careers' panel hosted by the Children's Environmental Literacy Foundation. Our staff member Christina Lizzo shared her personal journey, which led her to pursue grassroots advocacy and spoke on the range of campaigns she is involved in such as water quality, plastics pollution, offshore wind development, and climate change. Next month we’ll be speaking on a similar topic at an “EMPOWERHER!” event hosted by the Girl Scouts. 

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Upcoming: Raise a Glass for a Great Cause!
We’re thrilled to kick off ONCE Finger Lakes’ Toast for a Cause series on Sunday, June 22nd! Join us for a relaxing afternoon of wine, food, and conversation in support of our work to protect New York’s environment. ONCE will generously donate 10% of the day’s sales to CCE, helping us continue our mission to fight for clean water, combat climate change, address toxic chemicals, and promote strong environmental policies. We will be there to share more about our efforts and how you can get involved. Come sip, snack, and support our work. We hope to see you there! 

Celebrating 40 Years!
This year we are celebrating 40 years of work to protect our air, land, and water—and fighting climate change! Your generosity and support has given us these 40 incredible years! Now we are asking you to please continue your support for our mission of empowering communities, advocating solutions for public health protection and preserving our natural world. Together we can make a difference! Your contribution helps us continue our fight for a cleaner, healthier future! Please support us today! 

Reduce Packaging Waste, Increase Recycling, and Save Taxpayers Money in New York

Photo by Tom Fisk from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/bird-s-eye-view-of-landfill-3181031/

 The New York State Assembly has just two weeks remaining to take action to help solve our solid waste crisis!

New York State is suffering from a solid waste and recycling crisis—recycling costs for municipalities and taxpayers have skyrocketed, recycling rates have declined, and our environment and health are suffering from pollution caused by excessive plastic packaging. Currently, corporate brand owners bear no responsibility in managing the product packaging waste they have created. 

To help address this solid waste crisis, the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (S.1464/A.1749) is being considered by the NYS Legislature. The policy requires product manufacturers—not taxpayers—to be responsible for the cost of collecting and recycling the packaging they create. If passed into law, this legislation will reduce packaging waste, increase recycling, eliminate toxic chemicals in packaging, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and save local governments across the state over $300 million annually!

The New York State Senate already passed this critical legislation—now we need the NYS Assembly to follow suit and pass the bill before legislative session ends on June 17th. 

Email your Assemblymember and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie—urge them to support this legislation and bring to the Assembly floor for a vote this legislative session!

BACKGROUND

Plastic packaging and paper recycling are in crisis: New York generates more than 17 million tons of municipal solid waste annually. An estimated 40 percent of that waste is composed of product packaging and paper products, such as plastic containers, steel cans, plastic film, glass bottles, and cardboard. Unfortunately, less than 20% of this waste is being recycled properly. Instead of being recycled, much of this waste ends up as litter in our communities, shipped to landfills, or burned in trash incinerators. 

Costs to local governments—and taxpayers—have skyrocketed: Municipalities were once getting paid for recyclables, but now they must pay to recycle. Instead of generating revenue from recyclables, many municipalities face recycling costs in the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars per year. The solid waste and recycling crisis is estimated to cost New York’s local governments over $300 million annually. Local officials are now forced to consider raising fees on residents and/or reducing the recycling services provided to their communities.

New York’s waterways are suffering from increased plastic pollution: All too often, plastic packaging is littering our communities, ultimately making its way into our treasured rivers, lakes, bays, and ocean. Plastics do not biodegrade once they enter the environment—instead they break down into tiny pieces known as microplastics, which are frequently mistaken for food and ingested by fish and other aquatic wildlife. Recent research indicates that Lake Erie contains 381 metric tons of plastic—more than 50 times greater than the previous estimates at the surface. In NY/NJ Harbor Estuary, there are an estimated 165 million plastic particles floating in the water at any given time. In Long Island Sound coastal communities, voluntary clean ups report finding over 110,000 pounds of marine debris on beaches over the course of 8 years.

Large Brands are Failing to Take Responsibility: Currently, manufacturers bear no responsibility for recycling the packaging waste they create. Large brands have externalized the cost of disposing of and recycling packaging onto our municipal recycling programs and local taxpayers. For example, an estimated 165 billion packages are shipped in the U.S. every year, and yet companies currently bear no responsibility for managing any of this packaging waste that their businesses create. Instead, taxpayers and local governments are shouldering the financial burden of packaging disposal and recycling—the cost to New York State’s local governments is estimated at over $300 million annually. 

The Solution to Reducing Waste and Saving Taxpayers Money: Hold Manufacturers Responsible for their Waste! The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (often referred to as Extended Producer Responsibility or EPR) would require manufacturers to take responsibility for their products throughout their entire product life cycle, by bearing the cost of properly recycling their packaging. Not only does this provide relief to taxpayers, but it also requires producers to minimize packaging materials, improve recyclability, and reduce the toxicity of their products. These policies have existed in Canada and the EU for decades and resulted in recycling rates upwards of 80%.

Thank you for taking action. Together we make a difference!

Sincerely,
Your friends at CCE