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

Support Propel NY – We need you to speak up to support this important energy transmission project

The NY Public Service Commission is holding a public comment period for the Propel NY Energy transmission project to create a cleaner and more reliable energy grid—submit your comment before the May 23rd deadline!

Submit a Comment through the Online Form Today

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. Our summers are getting hotter, and storms are increasing in intensity. We need to upgrade our antiquated transmission infrastructure to ensure that energy is delivered reliably and in a timely manner. 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—while reducing our dependence on dirty fossil fuels that contribute to climate change. This project is critical to ensure New York’s interconnectedness throughout the state. 

The New York Public Service Commission is holding a public comment period for the Propel NY Energy Project through May 23rd. Your voice can help ensure that this project moves forward. Submit your public comments through the online form today. Please feel free to copy the comments below and paste them into the online form. 

Cut and paste from below

I am writing as a New York resident to support Propel NY Energy. This project is necessary for our sustainable energy future and an important project to modernize our energy grid. Climate change is here and is impacting New York. We have documented increasingly hotter summers, increased rainfall events, rising sea levels, shoreline flooding and stronger storms. At the same time, New York's energy demand is growing. We need a modern grid to ensure we have enough power, especially as we electrify homes, vehicles, and businesses. We need to upgrade our transmission grid to meet our increased energy needs and ensure we can deliver energy reliably to downstate homes.

Propel NY Energy will help create a sustainable, reliable grid and deliver clean energy where it’s needed most. This project will also protect public health and the environment by reducing our reliance on outdated, polluting fossil fuel plants. Modernizing our energy grid is a smart investment that will lower costs, create jobs, and boost energy security for all New Yorkers. I urge the NYS Public Service Commission to approve the Propel NY Energy project.

An Exciting Game-Changer for Offshore Wind – Trump Administration Lifts Stop-Work Order on Empire Wind Allowing Construction to Continue.

Governor Hochul’s actions praised for providing massive victory for clean air, renewable energy and good union jobs.

DATE:              Monday, May 19, 2025

CONTACT:      Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, 631-384-1378, aesposito@citizenscampaign.org  

Farmingdale, NY – Last month, the Trump Administration announced a stop work order on Empire Wind 1 – the offshore wind farm being built off the coast of Long Beach which would have powered 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 have pushed the Administration to reverse the decision and allow Empire Wind to go ahead. The Trump Administration has now lifted the stop-work order. This means New Yorkers will still benefit from green jobs, NY communities will have cleaner air, and we will continue to build clean domestic energy off our coast.

Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director for Citizens Campaign for the Environment, issued the following statement.

“Empire Wind make a comeback – may the wind force be with you!  We are thrilled and I may do a cartwheel!  This is cause for celebration and signifies that when all parties come together to discuss important issues that common ground can be reached. This is a huge milestone in the fight for clean energy, clean air and a diversified energy plan. The Empire Wind project provides a significant boost to our emerging ‘wind-ustry’ and our clean energy future. This is a crucial project that benefits everyday New Yorkers by creating good jobs, bolsters the local economy, advances domestic energy, reduces air pollution, and protects public health. We are grateful to all who were involved including Governor Hochul and Congressman Garbarino.”

EPA ANNOUNCES UNPRECIDENTED DELAY AND ROLLBACK OF CRITICAL DRINKING WATER PROTECTIONS FOR DANGEROUS PFAS “FOREVER CHEMICALS”

EPA’s decision threatens the health of millions of Americans

For immediate release: May 14, 2025

For more information, contact: Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, 516-390-7150, aesposito@citizenscampaign.org

Farmingdale, NY—Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (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 rescind and reconsider the drinking water standards for four additional PFAS chemicals.

In April of 2024, EPA adopted the historic drinking water regulations for six PFAS chemicals, which set Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for PFOA and PFOS at 4 parts per trillion (ppt), MCLs for PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA at 10 ppt, and a combined standard known as a Hazard Index for PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA, and PFBS. These regulations established the first national enforceable drinking water standards for PFAS chemicals and were all set to be enforced in 2029.

In response to today’s announcement, Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE), released the following statement:

“This is a broken promise, betrayal of public trust and adds a significant threat to public health. We needed a federal mandate to remove “forever chemicals” out of our drinking water quickly.  Regrettably, what we have is an EPA that allows toxic chemicals to remain in our drinking water and dragging their feet on science-based standards needed to protect public health.   Peer-reviewed science has made clear that there is no safe level of exposure to PFAS in drinking water, and delays in acting puts public health at risk to serious health impacts, including cancer and liver damage.  This is clearly a decision that prioritizes saving money over saving lives.

While we are relieved that EPA is going to continue to defend its strong drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS, the two-year delay is unnecessary and risky. Water suppliers were given five full years to comply, and billions of dollars were made available to help communities invest in the necessary drinking water treatment technology. Kicking the can down the road doesn’t make the problem go away or save any money—the longer we wait, the worse the problem will get, and the more expensive the solutions will become.

The science is abundantly clear that all PFAS chemicals put our health and drinking water at an unacceptable risk. Rescinding the standards for four additional PFAS chemicals often found in drinking water has no scientific justification and will put Americans at significant risk to serious health impacts for years to come.

As one of the first states to move ahead with drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS, New York is well positioned to move ahead with stronger drinking water standards without delay. Now, more than ever, New York State must continue to lead the nation with public health protection. We are calling on New York to implement EPA’s original standards and timeline for all six PFAS chemicals. According to recent analysis by the Environmental Working Group, these standards would provide critical protections for at least 1.3 million New Yorkers, the majority of whom are on Long Island.”

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Highlights and Happenings: April 2025

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

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 has given us these 40 incredible years! Now we are asking you to please help us keep fighting and continue 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! 

Turning Off the Tap to Toxic PFAS Chemicals!
We are fighting for NY state legislation to prohibit the unnecessary use of PFAS chemicals in a variety of consumer products. The ubiquitous use of these “forever” chemicals has contributed to the contamination of drinking water sources across NYS and threatens our health. We are working to ban the use of PFAS chemicals in a host of everyday products, including rugs, cookware, paints, children’s products, dental floss, and cleaning products. We have been busy lobbying in Albany and doing community presentations on the importance of reducing PFAS in local communities, including talking to over 100 people at the Northport Harbor Yacht Club in April. Take action today and urge your elected representatives to support passing this critical legislation in 2025. 

Reducing Packaging Waste in New York 
One of our top NYS priorities this year is the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act. 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! We will continue to fight to pass this critical legislation this year, but with just a few weeks of session left we need your help in urging the NYS Legislature to pass the bill. Please send an email urging your representatives to support this bill. 

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Happenings

Earth Day Lobby Day in Albany 
In celebration of Earth Day, advocates from across New York came together to voice their support of a comprehensive legislative agenda to safeguard our water quality, reduce solid waste, protect threatened species, and eliminate toxic chemicals. These are goals that deliver lasting benefits to both our environment and public health! We joined the efforts in Albany and continue to work to advance these priorities in the NYS Senate and Assembly this legislative session.

Fighting Rollbacks to Federal PFAS Drinking Water Standards 
After studies showed that there is no safe level of exposure to PFAS, the EPA finalized historic federal drinking water standards for six PFAS “forever chemicals” in April of 2024. Unfortunately, a lawsuit has been brought by water utilities and the chemical industry attempting to block this science-based drinking water standard. The EPA has yet to announce if it will defend its standards, or if it will cave to industry and weaken or scrap the standards. In April, we released a report with Environmental Working Group that found that more than 1.3 million New Yorkers would lose protections from PFAS if the EPA rolls back the standard. Numerous CT residents would also be adversely impacted. We recently attended an event with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and urged him not to allow rollbacks to the EPA PFAS standard. Join us in telling the EPA that the public’s health is more important than the chemical industry’s profits and that EPA must defend its science-based drinking water standards for PFAS.  

Banning 1,4-Dioxane in Household Products in Connecticut 
1,4-Dioxane is an emerging contaminant and likely carcinogen found in drinking water throughout the nation. Our independent testing found this “hidden carcinogen” in 65 out of 80 products we tested (including shampoos, body washes, baby products, laundry detergents, hand and dish soaps). As a result, New York became the first state in the nation to ban 1,4-dioxane from these products. NY’s law took full effect last year and has been an overwhelming success. Now, Connecticut is considering similar legislation. We are urging the General Assembly to protect public health and drinking water by banning this hidden carcinogen. 

Updates on Our Work to Advance Offshore Wind: 

• Follow Wind Works New York - Follow or Like Wind Works New York on Facebook to get the latest updates on offshore wind news, events, and actions! 

• Earth Day Rally for Offshore Wind  - The Trump Administration announced a stop work order on Empire Wind 1 – the offshore wind farm approved off the coast of Long Island which will power 500,000 homes. The project was already under construction, creating significant investment in local communities and hundreds of jobs in support of the growing “wind-ustry” in NY. On Earth Day, we joined environment, labor, business, and community leaders for a huge rally at the Nassau County Legislature in support of offshore wind. Over 100 Long Islanders came together to show up, stand up, and speak up for offshore wind! You can watch video of the event here. 

• UBS Arena Sustainability Forum - We headed to UBS Arena for their 2025 Sustainability Forum for Earth Month. CCE Executive Director Adrienne Esposito joined an expert panel to discuss offshore wind, climate change, and Long Island’s renewable energy future.

• Climate Change Symposium - For Earth Month, we hosted a Climate Change Symposium in Babylon, on Long Island. This exciting educational program explored how climate change is impacting our local communities and what New Yorkers can do to help. A huge thank you to our featured speakers, Dr. Paul Shepson, Dean of The School for Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University and Dr. J Bret Bennington, Professor and Chair of the Dept of Geology, Environment, and Sustainability, Hofstra University for your excellent presentations. We had a great discussion with all the environmental groups, HS students, teachers, and concerned citizens who attended. If you missed the event, you can watch it here. 

• Long Island Youth Summit - We were thrilled to participate in the first-ever Long Island Youth Summit. We joined over 200 students from across the region to talk about renewable energy, local climate change impacts, and how to take action on the climate crisis. Thanks to Students for Climate Action and Renewable Energy LI for hosting this great event! 

Reducing Nitrogen Pollution in the Western Bays 
We were joined by stakeholders from the South Shore Estuary Reserve for a tour of the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant. This plant has undergone extensive upgrades, including upgrades that remove excessive nitrogen from the effluent. The Bay Park Conveyance Project is almost complete—this will redirect treated effluent (treated at the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant) to the Cedar Creek outfall pipe into the ocean. Scientists agree that this project will restore the Western Bays and is being hailed the most significant restoration project in decades. We’ve worked over 2 decades to bring this project to fruition and we cannot wait to see the project completed and restored water quality in the Western Bays. 

Talking Long Island Sound with Uniondale High School 
We were in Uniondale High School in April talking with students about protecting Long Island Sound and combatting climate change as part of our ongoing partnership with the school. A huge thank you to the teachers and the 250+students who participated! We are looking forward to taking students on a field trip up to the Waterfront Center in Oyster Bay, LI in May so they can get out on the water! 

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. Our summers are getting hotter, and storms are increasing in intensity. We need to upgrade our antiquated transmission infrastructure to ensure that energy is delivered reliably and in a timely manner. 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. This project is critical to ensure New York’s interconnectedness throughout the state. Last month, the New York Public Service Commission held two virtual public hearings on the Propel NY Energy Project and we testified in support. A huge thank you to everyone who joined and testified on the need for upgrading our energy grid in the face of climate change. If you missed the hearings, you can still submit written comments here. 

Learning about 1,4-Dioxane with the Yale Superfund Research Center 
We joined Suffolk County Water Authority at their facility in Northport for a tour with students from the Yale Superfund Research Center. We partner with the Yale Superfund Research Center for a study of 1,4-dioxane and human health on Long Island. We were thrilled to join the students as they saw an advanced treatment system in action, which is successfully removing the likely carcinogen from our drinking water.