Hub environmental review is crucial
The Town of Hempstead’s environmental review hearings for the proposed development at the Nassau Hub are a critical component of any major development project [“Casino review halt sought,” News, Jan. 10].
While New York has secured eight offshore wind contracts for development, energy experts say not enough investment is being made in the port infrastructure needed to assemble the turbines and deploy them out to sea.
South Fork Wind under construction off the coast of Long Island. The project will be the one of the first large-scale offshore wind farms up and running in the United States.
New York has big plans to generate power from non-polluting renewable energy, produced by giant windmills floating in the Atlantic ocean.
To help safeguard pollinators, New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed the “Birds and Bees Protection Act.”
Signed into law last week, the legislation prohibits the use of specific neonicotinoid pesticide-treated corn, soybean and wheat seeds and neonicotinoid pesticides for outdoor ornamental plants and turfs. The ban goes into effect in 2027, according to published reports.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $479 million in grants for critical water infrastructure projects, including the first funding awarded through the $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022, which was passed by voters after Hochul pushed to increase the total amount by $1 billion upon taking office.
ALBANY, NY — A coalition of farmers, health professionals, and environmental groups are celebrating today after Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Birds and Bees Protection Act (S1856-A/A7640). The bill will limit the use of neonicotinoid pesticides (neonics), and, when fully implemented, would eliminate up to 80-90% of the neonics entering New York’s environment annually by prohibiting only unneeded neonic coatings on corn, soybean, and wheat seeds and non-agricultural lawn and garden uses.
ALBANY, NY — With 10 days left to sign the Birds and Bees Protection Act (S1856-A / A7640), New Yorkers have called for action from Governor Kathy Hochul. Today, doctors, farmers, and advocates expressed concern that if Governor Hochul doesn’t sign the bill, an immense opportunity would be missed to protect people and the environment from neonic pesticide exposure. The Birds and Bees Protection Act would eliminate 80-90% of neonics from entering New York’s environment annually by prohibiting the use of neonic-coated corn and soybean seeds, as well as limiting unnecessary neonic lawn and garden uses.
East Hampton Town officials, along with their counterparts from Suffolk County and New York State, were in a celebratory mood on Dec. 6 at Town Hall, where they toasted the clean, renewable electricity that last week began flowing from the South Fork Wind farm through 78 miles of underwater cable to a Long Island Power Authority substation in East Hampton.
The Birds and Bees Protection Act — the first bill in the United States that aims to prohibit the agricultural use of neonicotinoid pesticides, which decimate pollinator populations — has been awaiting signage by Gov. Kathy Hochul since its approval by the New York State Legislature in June. But after months of limbo and mere weeks remaining until the end of the year, environmental advocacy groups are pushing harder than ever to get the bill signed into law — keeping New York state at the forefront of national environmental legislation.
“We have worked on this bill for five years,” Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE), said.
The Long Island Sound ecosystem encompasses a vast area across five states and is home to a rich diversity of marine and avian species. Recognizing the importance of preserving this vital natural resource, federal officials have recently announced the allocation of $12 million in grants to various organizations and a municipality working towards improving the ecological health of Long Island Sound.
The groups that make up the Long Island Sound Coastal Watershed Network have been awarded more than $262,000 to continue their efforts in addressing water quality issues.
The network, a partnership between Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Save the Sound and The Nature Conservancy in Connecticut, received the funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, through the Long Island Sound Futures Fund.