A proposal to alienate 2.48 acres of Kings Point Park to create a parking lot for a community center died in the State Assembly on Tuesday.
The bill, proposed by Assemb. Daniel Norber (R-Great Neck), did not make it to the floor before the legislative session ended Tuesday. A companion bill proposed by State Sen. Jack Martins (R-Old Westbury) passed the Senate on Friday.
On Friday, June 20th, over 125 engaged citizens and governmental officials celebrated forty years of advocacy by partners of the Long Island Sound Study (LISS) to protect Long Island Sound, our nation’s second largest estuary, from pollution and other threats. The milestone was marked by the renaming of LISS to Long Island Sound Partnership (LISP) and the signing of a new bipartisan Comprehensive Conservation & Management Plan (CCMP). “The CCMP provides a blueprint for collaboration and establishes goals, objectives and actions for the next 10 years to further restore and protect the Sound.”
Despite widespread PFAS contamination on Long Island, SCWA delivers treated water with no PFOA or PFOS above federal limits.
The Suffolk County Water Authority announced today that all treated water it supplies to customers is in full compliance with the federal drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS—six years ahead of the 2031 compliance deadline set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The New York Department of State has announced the availability of $1.5 million in grants to protect, preserve, and restore the South Shore Estuary Reserve on Long Island. The funding, timed to coincide with World Oceans Month, supports the implementation of the recently adopted $3.5 million SSER Strategic Investment Plan.
Targeted to municipalities, nonprofits and academic institutions, the grants aim to improve shoreline resiliency, enhance water quality, and expand public access to water-based recreation.
Funding Implements Strategies to Increase Shoreline Resiliency, Water Quality and Recreational Accessibility for Long Island Residents
Funding Coincides With and Celebrates World Oceans Month
In celebration of World Oceans Month, the New York Department of State today announced the availability of $1.5 million in funding through the South Shore Estuary Reserve (SSER) Local Assistance Grants Program. The grants will help communities advance SSER priorities, including improved water quality, shoreline resiliency, habitat health, accessible water-based recreation and tourism, environmental education and economic development. The Program is the first step in the implementation of the $3.5 million SSER Strategic Investment Plan to guide future funding opportunities.
New York State has awarded another $5 million grant to the Port Washington Water District to build a granular activated carbon treatment system designed to remove PFOA and PFOS contamination from another of its wells.
The grant will help the water district, which serves about 9,400 households, provide “water that meets or exceeds any standard out there” for removing PFOA and PFOS chemicals, district superintendent Paul Prignano said in an interview.
Long Islander Lee Zeldin was thrust into the national spotlight with his nomination by President Donald Trump to be administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Trump said: “I have known Lee Zeldin for a long time, and have watched him handle, brilliantly, some extremely difficult and complex situations. I am very proud to have him in the Trump Administration, where he will quickly prove to be a great contributor.”
New legislation would establish New York State Road Salt Reduction Council and Citizen Advisory Committee to protect water, health, and communities
A coalition of environmental, municipal, and public health advocates is calling for swift passage of legislation (A.4481-A/S.6976-A) to establish a New York State Road Salt Reduction Council and Citizen Advisory Committee. This body would be tasked with implementing the recommendations published by the Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task Force in 2023. The Senate passed a version of this bill in 2024, and is poised to pass the bill once again.
As the Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee reported, the “GOP Tax Scam” cuts nearly $1 trillion from the health care system – effectively chipping away if not repealing entirely the Affordable Care Act - eliminating health coverage for at least 13.7 million Americans including 1.5 million New Yorkers.
Highlights the need for action against HABs to protect New York State’s water bodies
Albany, NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham, chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, and State Senator Rachel May hosted a public hearing on May 21 here at the State Capitol to evaluate the efficacy of New York State’s monitoring and management of harmful algal blooms (HABs) and to examine potential legislative solutions.
Lights, Camera, Action . . . Long Island Sound! A new docuseries, “Tackling Pollution in Long Island Sound,” will soon be available for viewing by the public at The Nature Conservancy's Connecticut YouTube channel. Two of the series’ four videos premiered in March at the 2025 Long Island Sound Summit.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A group of 10 environmental groups filed a legal brief today in support of an effort by states and industry to overturn the Trump administration’s government-wide ban on new wind energy projects.
EPA administrator Lee Zeldin, a former Shirley congressman who spoke on Long Island last month, said the delayed deadline offers “common-sense flexibility in the form of additional time for compliance.” Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp
The Trump administration plans to rescind the federal limits on four "forever chemicals" in drinking water and delay the deadline for compliance for two others, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced Wednesday, weakening regulations of toxic contaminants that have been found in Long Island's water.
Some New Yorkers are at a higher risk of exposure to forever chemicals in drinking water.
An Environmental Working Group analysis found 189 of the state’s water systems have PFAS levels above the federal standard but below New York’s standard.
The administration of Donald Trump is making an unbridled push to block renewable energy projects—including last week halting the placement of 54 wind turbines in the ocean south of Long Island, New York—and is pushing fossil fuels, among them coal. The burning of fossil fuels is the leading cause of climate change. Trump has repeatedly called climate change a “hoax.”
Assemblymember Glick and Senator Harckham at the PRRIA press conference in March 2025
We are drowning in garbage. Previous solutions like landfills and incinerators are insufficient and awful for public and environmental health. We need to get smarter about how we deal with our packaging & plastic waste. This bill promotes innovation & saves taxpayers over $1B.
