Tar balls wash up in Long Beach, Lido

Source: LI Herald

Tar balls wash up in Long Beach, Lido

DEC says it's looking into source of petroleum deposits after beach cleanup

BY ANTHONY RIFILATO

Posted: February 4, 2019
Originally Published: January 16, 2019

As the state Department of Environmental Conservation began removing tar balls that were discovered by residents along the shoreline in Lido Beach and Long Beach last weekend, State Sen. Todd Kaminsky called on the agency to open an investigation to identify the source of the sludge.

Two residents of Lido and Long Beach said they have seen petroleum deposits, or congealed black, blob-like shapes that local environmentalists say are typically associated with oil spills. Lido Dunes resident Carol Barrow said she saw thousands of tar balls while walking on the beach last Sunday.

“I was walking on the beach in Long Beach towards Lido Beach,” Barrow told the Herald on Wednesday, reading a letter that she sent to Kaminsky and County Legislator Denise Ford. “I kept seeing black, ovoid shapes intermingled with shells, but thought that they were pieces of asphalt that had been polished by the waves. Then it occurred to me that there were more than a few of these polished-rock looking solids. I took a closer look. They aren’t asphalt ovoids. They are soft. They are actually what we used to call tar balls.”

“We deserve to know when mishaps, not only full-blown ecological disasters, occur,” she added.

In a letter to the DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos, Kaminsky, a Democrat from Long Beach, called on the agency to open a formal investigation and test the “black, tar-like substances” that were discovered over a more than three-mile stretch, from Matlock Street in Lido Beach to Lafayette Boulevard in Long Beach.

“As the DEC is currently cleaning up the debris, I request that such debris be tested in order to ensure proper cleanup and prevent future contamination,” Kaminsky wrote. “Residents are extremely concerned about the possibility of a petroleum spill.”

In a statement, Town of Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen said town workers have been “working collaboratively with state officials during the cleanup and will be performing a clean sweep of our local beaches to ensure that all deposited waste was properly collected and nothing else is washing ashore.”

The DEC said it had completed the cleanup on Wednesday, which included a mix of tar balls and peat deposits, which look similar. Approximately a ton of both materials, the agency said, were collected over the two-day cleanup.

“The DEC thoroughly inspected the site after receiving reports of tar balls in the area,” a spokeswoman said in a statement. “The DEC and a contractor completed the cleanup of the tar balls and peat balls this morning to address this pollution. The tar balls will be submitted for sampling prior to disposal at an approved facility.”

The DEC said that it was looking into the source of the tar balls with the U.S. Coast Guard — a “heavier” impact was found near Lincoln Boulevard beach — but had not received reports of any oil spills in the area. Tar balls, the DEC said, occasionally wash up in small quantities and “are usually picked up by beach maintenance crews when they rake up sea weed and other debris.” They are most often the result of shipwrecks or oil spills in the Atlantic Ocean.

“Tar balls are not regularly reported on Long Island but are found occasionally,” a spokeswoman said in an email. “In this case, the tar balls are old and dried out, indicating they are remnants from an old — perhaps very old — spill.”

City officials, meanwhile, said there was no cause for alarm, saying that only some tar balls had been found among what were described as clay and peat deposits, which are common.

“When the DEC came out, a lot of them were peat and clay, but some were tar balls and they decided to clean them all up,” said Public Works Commissioner John Mirando, adding that “very few” tar balls were discovered. “Our beach people have not found tar balls — everything they’ve been finding has been clay or peat. The ones we’ve been cleaning all year are peat or clay and natural deposits that exist in the ocean.”

Lifelong Long Beach resident Marvin Weiss, a surfer and vice chairman of the Surfrider Foundation Central Long Island Chapter, said that he and others began noticing gray clay deposits wash up on the beach last year — coinciding with the offshore dredging of sand as part of the Army Corps of Engineers’ coastal protection project — but that the substances turned black a few months ago. He said he and others have noticed the objects on all beaches in the city since the dredging began, and on Lincoln and Franklin boulevard beaches as recently as Wednesday.

“We were told that they were clay deposits,” Weiss said, adding that tar balls have not been seen in Long Beach since the early 1980s. “Over the past couple of months, what I noticed is that the gray turned to black … and the black would stay on my fingers, an oily-like substance. There are still gray clay balls on the beach, but some of them have shown up black lately. There are pieces out there that are the size of a basketball, others like the shape of a golf ball — they look like stones on the beach.”

Did the Army Corps “dig too deep? Is this old sediment from the days that we did have oil spills in the late 1970s and early ’80s?” Weiss asked. “Back then, there were tar balls on the beach, but this was cleaned up over the years, and the beaches have been great. Maybe with the dredging, should we take a look and see how deep they’re dredging?”

Earlier this month, the Herald reported that the dune and sand replenishment work in Long Beach had been paused because of rough weather and damaged equipment, and is set to resume in March, according to Army Corps officials, who said that the offshore dredge had been moved.

Officials of both Army Corps and DEC said that the tar balls were not a result of the recent Army Corps work.

“We don’t have any equipment working in the area,” Army Corps spokesman Michael Embrich said.

Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, told the Herald that it was unlikely that the tar balls were related to the Army Corps work.

“Dredging occurs all across Long Island for different reasons,” Esposito said, “and we don’t see this happening as a result of dredging on a routine basis. This could be something from a minor leak from a tanker that was heading to the New York City port. It could be from an illegal discharge that occurred out in the ocean.”

Esposito said Wednesday that the DEC informed her group that the tar balls were, in fact, petroleum deposits. “The DEC is handling it as if it’s tar and oil,” she said. “If it was a one-time event, and it’s been cleaned up, we should be OK. However, we’re concerned that more may wash up. It’s a great unknown.”To report a tar ball or oil spill, call the DEC at (800) 457-7362.

Push For Single-Use Plastic Bag Ban Picking Up Steam Statewide

Source: Shelton Daily Voice

Push For Single-Use Plastic Bag Ban Picking Up Steam Statewide

The push to ban single-use plastic bags is gaining steam as elected officials propose legislation to phase them out in Connecticut.

BY ZAK FAILLA

Posted: February 4, 2019
Originally Published: January 21, 2019

Two bills have been sent to the General Assembly’s Environmental Committee in Connecticut that would either ban or disincentive the use of such bags by charging a fee for each one used.

The first bill, co-sponsored by Reps. David Michel and Josh Elliott would potentially ban plastic bags, straws, certain packaging and other products that contain microplastics. The second proposed bill, submitted by Rep. Christine Conley, would see a five-cent tax on any single-use plastic or paper bags. Funds from the fees would then be allocated for environmental projects statewide.

Recently, grocery chain Big Y - which has 30 locations in Connecticut - announced that it would be phasing out all single-use plastic bags in its stores by 2020. Big Y estimates it uses 100 million plastic bags and 3.5 million paper bags annually.

Between 500 billion and one trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Less than 1 percent of plastic bags are recycled in the United States and they are not acceptable at certain recycling centers.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, single-use plastic bags are one of the top five single-use plastics found in the environment by magnitude, and they are one of the top five items encountered in coastline clean-ups.

The EPA estimates that 80 percent of plastic pollution in the ocean originated on land, which includes plastic bags, and in New York, residents use 23 billion plastic bags annually, which contributes to pollution both on and off land. These bags do not biodegrade and they persist for years.

"Plastic pollution has become a serious threat to our lakes, rivers and marine environment as well as public health. Scientists are finding plastic pollution in shellfish and finfish, making its way to our dinner plates,” Citizens Campaign for the Environment Executive Director Adrienne Esposito noted. “Giving up plastic bags and using reusable bags is one easy, reasonable step each member of the public can take to help combat the plastic pollution epidemic. It is time for everyone to get on the plastic bag 'ban wagon.”

Hamden holds meeting to propose ban on plastic bags

Source: WFSB Hamden

Hamden holds meeting to propose ban on plastic bags

BY ROGER SUSANIN , OLIVIA LANK

Posted: January 23, 2019
Originally Published: January 23, 2019

HAMDEN, CT (WFSB) - Hamden leaders took a major step towards banning plastic bags on Tuesday night.

The council is zeroing in on the type of bags you get at places like supermarkets and convenience stores.

Very soon, that age old question paper or plastic could become irrelevant here in Hamden.

Louis Burch is a leading voice in the push to ban carryout plastic bags in Connecticut.

“We support a ban on plastic bags because of the disproportionate environmental impact they have. They wreak havoc on the marine environment,” said Burch.

Burch, who serves as the Connecticut Program Director for the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, considers Tuesday night to be a major victory for his cause.

At Hamden Town Hall, council members took a major step towards eliminating plastic bags from local stores.

“State legislation is coming down the pipeline we know that’s something that’s coming. To be able give Hamden businesses the opportunity to be ahead of that curve, that’s critical,” said Brad Macdowall, Hamden council member.

Town council member Brad Macdowall drafted the proposal.

He says you can see the bags which take hundreds of years to biodegrade into tiny particles all over town and the issue was only getting worse.

“The environmental impact is huge. You can’t walk on the canal line, you can’t go to our parks, you can’t drive on most streets without seeing the kind of litter that’s left behind from these plastic bags,” Macdowall said.

Macdowall says he expected pushback from retailers who stand to lose money if the plan becomes law but says so far, just about everyone has supported the proposal and no one spoke out against it at the meeting.

“Largely, people know that this is something we need to do. They know this is the direction they need to go, and they were really happy to work on it,” said Macdowall.

Burch hopes Hamden adds a customer fee for using paper bags but is pleased overall.

He believes the Hamden proposal along with similar laws in communities like Westport, Greenwich, Norwalk, Stamford, and Weston show that after a decade of hard work momentum is on his side.

“My thought is that within ten years or so these plastic bags are going to be a thing of the past. It’s just a question of how we get there,” Said Burch.

The proposal could become law in early February and go into effect by the summer.

The plan also calls for a soft ban on plastic straws which means customers would have to ask for one before clerks would hand them out.

Watch the video.

Hamden Moves Closer To Plastic Bag Ban

Source: New Haven Independent

Hamden Moves Closer To Plastic Bag Ban

BY SAM GURWITT

Posted: January 23, 2019
Originally Published: January 23, 2019

Hamden’s Legislative Council heard comments from the public in support of a plastic bag ban — and none opposed — at a well-attended meeting Tuesday evening. A council committee voted in favor of the proposed ordinance; the full council is set to vote on it Feb. 4.

If enacted, the ordinance would ban businesses from providing single-use plastic bags to customers upon checkout, and would go into effect six months after passage. The council is also considering an ordinance that would require restaurants to ask patrons if they would like single-use plastic straws rather than providing them automatically. 

District 9 Representative Brad Macdowall introduced the idea of the plastic bag ban in July.

“It’s a critical way of trying to be a more environmentally sustainable community,” he told the Independent. “One of the things we need to do is limit and eventually eliminate our use of single use plastic” and “get people to think about the way that they consume.” He said he hopes that the legislation will allow Hamden to be ahead of the curve when it comes to plastic waste.

The ordinance would still allow single-use plastic and paper bags “that are used by consumers inside stores” to package wet items such as produce or meat. It would also allow dry cleaner bags, bags that contain pharmacy prescriptions, and bags that “safeguard public health during the transportation of hospital waste.”

New Haven has also begun debating banning single-use plastic bags at checkout. (Read about that here.) It had a ban years ago, then revoked it.

In addition to helping clean up Hamden’s environment, the ban would save the town money on cleaning up parks and on tipping fees for removal of plastic bags from recycling bins, Councilman Macdowall said. Though they are made of plastic, plastic bags cannot be recycled in single-stream recycling.

The bill was officially introduced to the council at Tuesday’s meeting. It had previously been introduced in the Environment and Conservation Committee. After Tuesday night’s public hearing on the ban, the committee voted with the support of four of six members to advance the ordinance out of committee into the council as a whole. 

During the public hearing, eight people got up to speak in favor of the ban, and no one spoke against it. Citizens and representatives from activist organizations spoke. No one was present representing the business community.

Louis Burch, Connecticut program director for the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, was the first to speak. He advocated for both a ban on single use plastic bags and a fee on paper bags. When San Jose introduced that combination of band and fee, the percent of shoppers who brought their own reusable bags shopping shot from 4 percent up to 62 percent.

Plastic bags have also contributed to a solid waste crisis, Burch said. China has stopped accepting contaminated American plastic at its recycling plants. He added that plastic bags cannot be recycled in single-stream recycling anyway because they get tangled up in the equipment. 

Robert Mark, chair of Hamden’s Solid Waste and Recycling Commission, told the council that “the passage of this ordinance will be a step forward.” He used anecdotes to illustrate the ubiquity of abandoned plastic bags in Hamden, describing how he has seen people leave a store, remove one item from a bag, and throw out the bag.

Robert Mark: “Our residents, and the environment, will thank you.”“In the long run, our residents, and the environment, with thank you,” he told the council.

Resident Helen Ward told the council that when she and her husband moved to Hamden from Maine, they were shocked by the plastic waste. As time went on, their habits began to change because they were not surrounded by a culture of conservation. As dedicated as they were to recycling and reducing waste, “we still felt like we were slipping in our behavior,” Ward said.
Annes: What About Business?

After the public hearing, and after the Environment and Conservation Committee had voted to advance the bill, the council made a motion to discuss it.

Eric Annes, who represents District 4, raised the concern that the council had not heard from any Hamden businesses. He said he supports reducing plastic. He said he understands plastic bags are terrible for the environment and would like to eliminate them. But he said he could not vote on the bill “without hearing from everyone that is affected.” He added that he is “quite concerned about moving this too quickly.”

At-Large Rep. Marjorie Bonadies agreed with Annes that the council needs more information. She began by making clear that she is “in favor of reducing all plastic.” Then she asked how the ordinance would be enforced, and what the town would do with the money from fines.

Hamden, she said, is not recycling compliant. If the town can’t recycle properly, how will it manage to enforce this ordinance?

“We are going to add another layer of big government, of more rules that people are not going to follow,” Bonadies said.

Clerk of the Council Kimberly Renta, At-Large Rep. Marjorie Bonadies.Macdowall told the Independent that in the process of drafting the bill, he spoke with many of the town’s stakeholders in order to draft the best legislation possible. He first went to the Chamber of Commerce to talk about how the ordinance would affect businesses. He also discussed it directly with small business owners and with activist organizations.

A number of residents turned out to hear the arguments about the ban or to show their support. Katherine Hinds and Fritz Hansen said they were looking forward to the council’s passing the ordinance. “We’re very aware of garbage, and we know how easy it is to use reusable bags,” said Hinds.

Fritz Hansen and Katherine Hinds.Elizabeth Hayes, a Democratic Town Committee member, said she supports the ban overall. “I am for eliminating plastic bags, but at what cost?” She asked how the ban would affect those who can’t afford to buy bags, and what the alternative would be. Paper?

The ordinance does include a section on paper bags. It specifies that businesses may provide recycled paper bags at checkout. A recycled paper bag “contains no old growth fiber and a minimum of 40% post-consumer recycled content, is 100% recyclable, and has printed in a highly visible manner on the bag the word ‘Reusable’ and ‘Recyclable,’ the name and location of the manufacturer and the percentage of post-consumer recycled content.” Any other paper bag would be off limits, either complimentary or for sale.

The ordinance would still allow single-use plastic and paper bags “that are used by consumers inside stores” to package wet items such as produce or meat. It would also allow dry cleaner bags, bags that contain pharmacy prescriptions, and bags that “safeguard public health during the transportation of hospital waste.”

After the meeting, Macdowall said he is confident that the council will pass legislation on Feb. 4. If it does, Hamden will join Norwalk, Stamford, Greenwich, and Westport in having a ban and/or fee on plastic bags.

Until then, Macdowall plans to seek to assuage the concerns of council members, citizens, and businesses. “The next step is to make sure everyone’s questions are answered,” he said.

Suffolk voters head to polls to decide on $390 million in sewer projects

Source: Newsday

Suffolk voters head to polls to decide on $390 million in sewer projects

The three separate ballot measures would connect 7,000 properties to sewers in Brookhaven, Islip and Babylon. Residents would have to pay an average of $470 to $755 a year for operations and maintenance.

BY DAVID M. SCHWARTZ

Posted: January 21, 2019
Originally Published: January 21, 2019

Suffolk County’s largest sewer expansion in decades goes before Suffolk voters today as they decide whether to green light $390 million in sewer projects.

The three separate ballot measures would connect 7,000 properties to sewers in Brookhaven, Islip and Babylon. Planning and construction costs would be covered by federal and state grants for coastal resiliency — most created following superstorm Sandy — while residents would pay an average of $470 to $755 a year for operations and maintenance.

One referendum would create a new sewer district in the Mastic and Shirley area and build a sewage treatment plant at Brookhaven Calabro Airport. The other two referendums would expand the existing Southwest Sewer District; one in West Babylon, North Babylon and Wyandanch around the Carlls River; and the other in Great River along the Connetquot River. Apart from the referendums, grant money will be used to connect 1,500 homes within the existing Southwest Sewer District to the sewer system, and sewers would be extended to 300 homes in the village of Patchogue.

A total of about 9,500 voters are eligible to cast ballots, according to the Suffolk County Board of Elections.

Suffolk County said it will not spend any of its money on the sewer project. If costs come in higher than expected, the projects will go in front of the Suffolk County Legislature. If any of the referendums are rejected, the money for those projects will be lost because of federal deadlines to spend the money, county officials said.

Sewer plans for Suffolk County’s South Shore had sat on government shelves for years, but the costs to residents — potentially thousands of dollars a year — were too high without state or federal grants.

Then came superstorm Sandy. In the wake of the storm’s devastation to the Northeast, federal lawmakers approved tens of billions of dollars, including funds for “coastal resiliency” projects.

A state environmental official in Albany came up with a novel idea, according to Peter Scully, deputy county executive. 

Jim Tierney, deputy commissioner for water resources with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, had been reading scientific papers and “connected two dots,” Tierney recalled Thursday.

The first was that nitrogen — which came from unsewered homes using septic tanks and cesspools, as well as lawn fertilizers and other sources — degrades marshlands by over-fertilizing the plants. That makes for lush leaves and greenery above the soil, but creates a shallow root system — like an over-fertilized lawn. The second dot was that healthy marshlands serve as a natural storm barrier, absorbing wave surges.

Adding sewer pipes to homes that now use septic tanks and cesspools would reduce nitrogen flowing into rivers and bays, improving the health of the wetlands. That could then serve as “natural infrastructure” to protect the coast from storm damage.

Tierney called Scully, then the Long Island regional director of the DEC, who in turn called Suffolk and Nassau counties for projects that could qualify, Scully said.

Suffolk County officials received the proposal warmly.

“Needless to say, they were just ecstatic about an idea to do something that’s almost a Holy Grail project,” Tierney said.

A DEC white paper from April 22, 2014, connecting strengthened wetlands with coastal protection, was circulated with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and County Executive Steve Bellone announced they’d received the funding in 2015.

In the area along the Forge River in Brookhaven, some environmentalists and civic groups said the area should cover more residential areas and less commercial areas.

Kevin McAllister, founder of Defend H2O, a Sag Harbor-based environmental group, said he believes the sewer project is more about economic development than reducing nitrogen.

“Economic development through the Mastic-Shirley area is not a bad thing. But let’s be clear on what’s driving the sewer district,” he said.

Scully and other environmental groups, including the Nature Conservancy and Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said the sewer lines in residential areas have to go through the commercial corridor along Montauk Highway to get to the wastewater treatment plant.

The 200 commercial properties will have to pay for their own connections, unlike the residential parcels.

The only areas being sewered where there would be more development is along the Montauk Highway Corridor in Mastic, “where sewering has been a goal of local government as part of redevelopment efforts,” Scully said in a statement. The additional nitrogen from the treated water “would be de minimis compared to significant reductions associated with the overall project.”

William and Charese Henry, an engineer and teacher, liked the promised environmental benefits but worried about the price.

“It’s a good thing, but it’s an extra cost,” William Henry said. “We already pay a ton in taxes.”

Others, though, said the fact that federal and state money would pick up most of the costs was too good to pass up.

“It’s an infrastructure investment that’s fair and reasonably priced,” said Steve Affelt, an architect.

Suffolk sewer vote

Polls for about 9,500 Suffolk County voters will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday. The polling places are:

• Forge River area: Mastic Fire House, 1080 Mastic Rd., Mastic

• Carlls River area: Lincoln Elementary School, 300 Park Ave., Deer Park

• Connetquot River area: Great River Fire House, 108 Great River Rd., Great River

Projects at a glance

Shirley/Mastic: The $191.3 million project along the Forge River in Mastic and Shirley would include construction of a new sewage treatment plant at Brookhaven Calabro Airport.

Nearly 2,770 residential parcels and businesses, along with a commercial corridor near Montauk Highway, would be connected initially. Eventually, the treatment plant would allow connections for an additional 10,500 residential units.

The initial project would reduce nitrogen pollution in the river by 193 pounds per day, a 14.4 percent reduction from homes in the watershed. That accounts for additional nitrogen from treated effluent that will be recharged into the ground at the new treatment plant.

Property owners would pay $470 a year. Construction would start in July 2020 and be completed in July 2025.

Great River: The $26.4 million project along the Connetquot River in Great River would connect 474 parcels to the Southwest Sewer District. It would cut nitrogen in the river by 40 pounds a day, a 7.8 percent reduction.

Property owners would pay $755 a year. Construction would start in July 2020 and be completed in December 2022.

Babylon: The $140.2 million project along the Carlls River in West and North Babylon and Wyandanch would connect 2,847 residential parcels to the Southwest Sewer District. It would cut nitrogen pollution in the river by 234 pounds a day, a 33.5 percent reduction.

Property owners would pay $532 a year. Construction would start in September 2020 and be completed in December 2023.

Gov. Cuomo's Plastic Bag Ban Proposal Draws Concern, Mixed Support

Source: WAER

Gov. Cuomo's Plastic Bag Ban Proposal Draws Concern, Mixed Support

BY SCOTT WILLIS

Posted: January 21, 2019
Originally Published: January 17, 2019

Governor Cuomo unveiled a number of environmental priorities this week in his state of the state address, including one that’s been a bit more controversial.

"You look at the damage done by plastic bags, it is everywhere, hanging from trees, in water, in every community across the state. Let's once and for all step up, I know it isn't easy, I know everyone has an opinion. Let's ban plastic bags once and for all," Cuomo said to applause on Tuesday. 

Mike Durant is President of the Food Industry Alliance of New York, which represents the state’s supermarkets. 

"The plastic bag ban is probably the number one issue of concern for the retail food industry of New York."

He says they’ve been a champion of encouraging customers to recycle plastic bags and switch to reusable ones. But Durant thinks the governor’s plan will cause shoppers to ask for paper bags, which have a higher carbon footprint when you factor in manufacturing, shipping, and storage.

"Just by putting a ban on one is not going to drive consumers to buy or take advantage of reusable bag giveaways. A more sustainable solution to help the environment and the industry would be to address paper and plastic in a variety of different ways."

Hanna Ring agrees the governor's proposal needs to address paper bags. She's CNY program coordinator at Citizens Campaign for the Environment.

"We definitely would need a ban on plastic bags coupled with a five cent fee on paper bags in order to effectively change public behavior. It's critical that we don't solve the plastic bag problem by just exacerbating another problem."

Suffolk County on Long Island has the toughest local law so far; stores there charge a fee for both plastic and paper bags. Durant with the Food Industry Alliance says that resulted in an 80 percent increase the adoption of reusable bags. Ring with the CCE says it’s a great example of how fees can work, but an outright ban on plastic bags is the best way for the state to address a serious environmental problem.

Listen to the story.

Cuomo pushes plastic bag ban

Source: The River Reporter

Cuomo pushes plastic bag ban

Bottle Bill would expand

BY FRITZ MAYER

Posted: January 21, 2019
Originally Published: January 16, 2019

ALBANY, NY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced legislation on January 13 that would ban most single-use plastic bags in the state, to be included as part of his proposed 2019 budget. In making the announcement, he once again contrasted environmental actions in Albany against those taking place in Washington, D.C.

“While the federal government is taking our environmental progress backwards and selling out our communities to polluters and oil companies, in New York we are moving forward with the nation’s strongest environmental policies and doing everything in our power to protect our natural resources for future generations,” Cuomo said. He went on to say that the bag ban, along with the proposed expansion of the Bottle Bill, “will reduce litter in our communities, protect our water and create a cleaner and greener New York for all.”

The move comes nearly two years after the governor blocked a plan by New York City officials that would have instituted a five-cent fee on plastic bags in the city. Cuomo said at the time that the plan was flawed and would allow merchants to keep the fee as profit, which could have amounted to $100 million. Cuomo promised to establish “a state-wide task force to develop a uniform state plan for addressing the plastic bag problem.”

The Plastic Bag Task Force released a report on January 13, which estimated that New Yorkers use 23 billion plastic bags annually. “Single-use plastic bags are a detriment to the health of communities and the environment alike,” the report concluded. “From the significant recycling and disposal issues they pose as litter and the harm they create to wildlife, their negative impacts can be seen daily.”

Cuomo said his legislation would also include an expansion of the Bottle Bill, which was first passed by the legislature 30 years ago. Cuomo said the legislation has since diverted 320 million tons of glass and plastic and other recyclables away from landfills, and reduced the release of one billion metric tons of carbon dioxide that would have been required to create the bottles to replace those that have been recycled.

Now, Cuomo is proposing to add most non-alcoholic beverage containers, such as those containing sports drinks, energy drinks, fruit and vegetable beverages and iced tea, to the list of containers which have a five-cent redemption value. The bottle bill expansion would have some exemptions for bottles containing dairy milk, milk substitutes, infant formula, syrups and flavorings, medical prescriptions and dietary supplements.

Environmental groups hailed Cuomo’s initiative, but also called for simultaneously instituting a fee on paper bags when plastic bags are banned. “This is the beginning of the end for the scourge of plastic bag pollution in New York. However, experience shows that a fee on paper bags must accompany the proposed ban on plastic bags, to avoid a serious increase in paper waste and pollution,” said a joint statement from the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Riverkeeper.

Cuomo budget to include statewide ban on single-use plastic bags

Source: Riverhead Local

Cuomo budget to include statewide ban on single-use plastic bags

BY DENISE CIVILETTI

Posted: January 16, 2019
Originally Published: January 14, 2019

Single-use plastic bags would be banned statewide under a new proposal being advanced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The governor yesterday announced his intention to include the ban in his 2019 executive budget. He also announced that his budget will include an expansion of the state’s bottle bill to make most non-alcoholic drink containers eligible for 5-cent redemption.

The single-use plastic bag ban will help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with plastic bag production and disposal, from petroleum used to produce the bags to emissions from the transportation of bags to landfills, the governor’s office said in a statement. New Yorkers use billions of plastic bags annually, according to the statement.

Environmental advocacy groups welcomed the initiative.

“This is the beginning of the end for the scourge of plastic bag pollution in New York,” Citizens Campaign for the Environment, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Riverkeeper said in a joint statement.

But the organizations called for a mandatory fee on paper bags “to avoid a serious increase in paper waste and pollution.”

A 5-cent fee on single-use plastic bags went into effect in Suffolk on Jan. 1, 2018 and the law had a dramatic impact on consumer behavior, according to Citizens Campaign for the Environment, which advocated for its passage.

The group conducted surveys at grocery stores across Suffolk County, one just before the law took effect and a second one on the weekend of April 7-8. Teams of volunteers observed 20,000 people in December 2017 and 6,000 people in April.

Prior to the 5-cent bag fee law, 71 percent of the public were using plastic bags in December, according to CCE. In April, only 30 percent of the public were taking plastic bags. Reusable bag use shot up from 6 percent of shoppers to 43 percent, the organization said. Shoppers who didn’t bring reusable bags often carried out items without any bags, the survey found.

Cuomo opposed a plastic bag fee enacted by New York City in 2017 and with state legislators stepped in to block its implementation. He created a state task force to develop a statewide solution, but it failed to reach a consensus.

Last year Cuomo introduced a program bill to ban single-use carryout plastic bags statewide. That bill would have pre-empted local government’s authority to adopt laws like Suffolk’s. It failed to gain support of some environmental advocates and faced bipartisan opposition in the legislature.

The governor’s office did not release text of his new proposal or any additional details. Cuomo is scheduled to give his “state of the state” address tonight.

The State Department of Environmental Conservation will “work with stakeholders and community leaders to ensure the roll-out of this initiative does not disproportionately impact low and moderate income and environmental justice communities through the distribution of reusable bags and exemptions where appropriate,” according to the statement released yesterday.

Plastic bag ban to be included in Governor Cuomo's 2019 Executive Budget

Source: WKBW Buffalo

Plastic bag ban to be included in Governor Cuomo's 2019 Executive Budget

BY ANTHONY REYES

Posted: January 15, 2019
Originally Published: January 14, 2019

NEW YORK, N.Y. (WKBW) — New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday a ban on single-use plastic bags will be included in his 2019 Executive Budget.

Cuomo says New Yorkers use billions of single-use plastic bags annually which are not biodegradable, create massive amounts of litter, and pose a threat to New York residents health.

Members of the WNY Environmental Alliance told 7 Eyewitness News Reporter Ed Reilly they were happy with the Governor's actions.

"The have been a scourge on environment for far too long. Not only do we see plastic bags littering our parks and our communities, but plastic bags are ending up in our Great Lakes," said Brian Smith, Associate Executive Director for the Citizens Campaign for the Environment.

Changing the rules on plastic bags will have an impact on local grocery stores.

Tops issued the following statement:

"Tops Friendly Markets has always and will continue to abide by any legislation set forth by the communities we serve," said Kathy Sautter, public and media relations manager for Tops Friendly Markets. “We ramped up our plastic bag recycling efforts over the past few years to include multiple recycle bins, increasing the distribution of reusable shopping bags while encouraging customers to use them more frequently, and encouraging the use of insulated bags even outside of their shopping experience for other activities (i.e. picnics, the beach, theme parks) in place of plastic bags. In 2018, Tops recycled more than 640 tons of plastic.”

Wegmans was reserving comment on the idea until it has the "chance to thoroughly review the details of the Governor's proposal to understand its scope and impact."

Governor Cuomo sought, unsuccessfully, to get plastic bags banned in 2018.

At that time, Wegmans expressed concerns with banning all plastic bags, which it felt were an environmentally better choice than paper bags.

The supermarket chain said its plastic bags were made from 40% recycled plastic that was returned to the stores by customers - with close to a 50% recycling rate for bags in 2017.

Wegmans felt the best and most environmentally friendly choice was the use of reuseable bags.

Reporter Ed Reilly has more on the issue in the attached report.

-----------------------------------------------

The Governor also announced a proposed expansion of the Bottle Bill, which would make most non-alcoholic drink containers eligible for five cent redemption.

The new Bottle Bill proposal would include sports drinks, energy drinks, fruit and vegetable juices, and ready-to-drink teas and coffee eligible for five cent redemption.

"While the federal government is taking our environmental progress backwards and selling out our communities to polluters and oil companies, in New York we are moving forward with the nation's strongest environmental policies and doing everything in our power to protect our natural resources for future generations," Governor Cuomo said. "These bold actions to ban plastic bags and promote recycling will reduce litter in our communities, protect our water and create a cleaner and greener New York for all."

Saturday, Cuomo announced a proposal to increase the minimum sales age for tobacco and e-cigarettes products from 18-years-old to 21-years-old will also be included in his 2019 Executive Budget.

Watch the video.

Governor Announces Pro-Environmental Budget

PRESS STATEMENT

For immediate release:
Tuesday, January 15, 2019

For more information contact:
Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, 5163907150, 631-384-1378 (mobile), aesposito@citizenscampaign.orgBrian Smith, Associate Executive Director, 716-831-3206, bsmith@citizenscampaign.org

CCE commends Governor for environmental leadership

Albany, NY—Today Governor Cuomo gave his State of the State address and released his 2019-20 Executive Budget proposal, which included a number of important environmental initiatives. In response to the Governor’s proposals, Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director at Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said:

“This is what national environmental leadership looks like. From ending the scourge of the plastic bag, to expanding renewable energy and fighting climate change, to protecting clean water; the Governor’s budget is a huge win for our environment and public health. We look forward to now working with the Governor and the legislature to finalize the strongest environmental budget possible for New York State.

CCE has worked to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders—environmentalists, wastewater treatment operators, drinking water suppliers, environmental justice organizations, local agencies, contractors, and others—that have collectively been calling for an additional $2.5 billion in clean water infrastructure investments. We are thrilled that the Governor announced a new, five-year, $2.5 billion clean water investment to compliment his initial $2.5 investment that began in 2017. New York has significant needs when it comes to protecting our water, and the Governor has responded with a very significant investment to address those clean water needs. We look forward to learning more about the details of these proposed investments.”

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Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE) empowers communities and advocates solutions for our shared environment and public health and is supported by over 80,000 members throughout New York State and Connecticut. www.citizenscampaign.org

updated by jchristensen  1/15/19

Cuomo wants statewide plastic bag ban, more redeemable bottles

Source: Newsday

Cuomo wants statewide plastic bag ban, more redeemable bottles

Environmental advocates and grocery lobbyists are concerned that shoppers would start using free paper bags or thicker plastic bags, both exempt from the proposal.

BY DAVID M. SCHWARTZ

Posted: January 14, 2019
Originally Published: January 14, 2019

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Sunday proposed a statewide ban on thin plastic bags at store checkouts but would leave paper bags unregulated by the state, sparking concern from environmentalists and grocery stores that shoppers will simply switch their disposable bag habits.

Aimed at encouraging shoppers to bring reusable bags, Cuomo's plastic bag ban would replace 5-cent fees in Suffolk County, Long Beach and other areas where local governments have passed fees in recent years to reduce bag waste.

Paper bags wouldn't be affected under Cuomo's proposal, although local governments could impose their own.

Cuomo also proposed Sunday that sports drinks, energy drinks and fruit and vegetable juices be included under the 5-cent deposit program. He said he also will direct the state Department of Environmental Conservation to study whether to add wine and liquor bottles to the deposit program.
Cuomo, in a news release, said the proposals "will reduce litter in our communities, protect our water and create a cleaner and greener New York for all."

Environmental advocates and the grocery store lobbyists expressed concern that shoppers would start using free paper bags, which cost more to transport and store, or thicker plastic bags that are exempt from the ban.

Chicago instituted a plastic bag ban in 2015, but dropped it 16 months later in favor of a 7-cent fee after stores and shoppers simply used paper bags.

"This needs to be coupled with a fee on paper bags, so as not to trigger a shift from plastic to paper, which has its own environmental concerns," said Eric A. Goldstein, senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, based in Manhattan. He said the plastic ban "heads in the right direction. It can help reverse the ever-growing tide of plastic trash."

Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, also said there should eventually be a fee on paper bags.

“The goal here is to change public behavior, so they’re not using paper or plastic. This is a good step. This is the beginning of the death of plastic bag pollution," she said.

Business groups and grocery stores said they opposed Cuomo's plastic bag ban.

"The Business Council is concerned that these proposals will come at considerable cost to consumers and businesses and will do little, if anything, to address the municipal solid waste issues of the State," Darren Suarez, director of government affairs for The Business Council of New York State, said in an email on Sunday. He said "contrary to the rhetoric," the ban could increase emissions because it costs more to transport paper bags than plastic ones.

Michael Durant, president and CEO of the Food Industry Alliance of New York State, said the group "will strongly oppose" Cuomo's bag proposal. "All evidence points to the simple fact that a plastic bag ban will not effectively impact the environment positively when paper bags are not addressed, as well," he said.

Cuomo said the proposal will be included in his executive budget.

Local governments on Long Island have implemented local fees to try to combat waste from plastic bags, which environmentalists say litter highways and waterways, are made with fossil fuels and jam recycling systems. While the Suffolk Legislature has imposed a 5-cent fee on paper and plastic since 2018 — in which the money is kept by the stores — a similar proposal in Nassau County has been stalled by the Republican-controlled Legislature, which worried about its cost to consumers.

State plastic bag bans have been bandied about before in Albany, but they were stalled in the State Senate where Republicans had control. Democrats took charge this year.

State Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach), the new head of his chamber's Environmental Conservation Committee, has introduced a bill that would ban plastic carryout bags and put a 10-cent fee on paper bags and reusable bags sold at checkouts, with the money directed to a state environmental fund.

“To Governor Cuomo’s credit, this budget should be a vehicle to advance innovative and bold ideas to protect our environment," Kaminsky said in a statement. "I am proud to carry plastic bag legislation in the Senate that also addresses paper bags, something I will continue to advocate for during this process."

Legis. William Spencer (D-Centerport), who had sponsored Suffolk County's bag fee, said he supported Cuomo's proposal. "The plan is that they’re going to ban the plastic. So I’m excited," he said. "I think we had a good result here in Suffolk with a fee."

Sen. Phil Boyle (R-Bay Shore), the ranking Republican on the State Senate environment committee, said he supported Cuomo's proposal. "These plastic bags have been an environmental nightmare for far too long. It's the best way to clean up oceans and landscapes."

Governor Cuomo pushing to ban plastic bags across NY state

Source: WIVB Buffalo

Governor Cuomo pushing to ban plastic bags across NY state

Posted: January 14, 2019
Originally Published: January 14, 2019

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - "I think it's a good idea I'd love to see plastic out of the environment. I think we're too reliant on plastic in everything in our lives," said Genevieve Rados of Buffalo.

"I have been using plastic bags but my wife and I always recycle," said Michael Mirand of Buffalo.

Some customers like Michael Mirand enjoy the convenience of plastic bags while shopping for groceries, but he ultimately doesn't support how plastic impacts the environment.

"It's probably good just to suck it up and get rid of them" said Mirand.

This may become reality across New York state. Governor Cuomo is including provisions in his executive budget for 2019 to ban single-use plastic bags.

"We see them littering our communities, our parks, but also they never biodegrade. They break down into smaller and smaller pieces and they eventually wash into our Great Lakes. There's 22 million pounds of plastic that enter the Great Lakes everyday," said Brian Smith, Citizens Campaign for the Environment Associate Director.

Many customers of the Lexington Co-op have already moved away from using plastic bags. Last year the Co-op gave out more than 2 thousand reusable canvas bags for customers to use instead.

"We support a statewide ban on plastic bags," said Tim Bartlett, Lexington Co-op General Manager.

Citizens Campagin for the Environment Associate Director Brian Smith says a plastic bag ban policy has been effective in curbing plastic pollution in hundreds of communities across the country.

"There's about 20 communities throughout New York state that have passed some sort of bag policy. But this is not just a local issue this is a statewide problem so that's why we think it makes a lot of sense for the state to make this policy official," said Smith.

Smith says Cuomo's proposal is a huge step in the right direction but he believes the ban could be further enhanced.

"Having a ban and complementing that with a 5 cent fee on paper bags has been the most effective policy in other parts of the country," said Smith.

Watch the video.

Frank P. Long film premieres

Source: The Long Island Advance

Frank P. Long film premieres

BY GLENN ROHRBACKER

Posted: January 12, 2019
Originally Published: January 10, 2019

Theresa Palermo, a retired teacher from Frank P. Long Intermediate School, gives a tour with her cell phone of each classroom where teachers have contracted cancer and, in some cases, have died. This is the opening to “Sick School,” a documentary film by Keif Roberts, which premiered at the Boys and Girls Club in Bellport on Saturday. 

To a packed house, the film showed a dark and impactful story about a community fighting for the health of students, teachers and residents. The film centers around the landfill and its effects on the environment, but also the fight to close the school after a higher-than-average cancer rate had been discovered.

Rumors were spread saying that current teachers were asked not to attend the screening, but a union official said she was “unaware” of such a request. Superintendent Joseph Giani said the rumors “are simply not true.” But the same union rep said, “[I] can understand why teachers may have been concerned about going to the screening.”

Parents interviewed in the film, next to their children, articulated how they had always come home sick or with some kind of ailment. For Skye, a former student at Frank P. Long, it was headaches that prevented her from participating in sports and other activities.

“I never had a migraine until I started at Frank P. Long,” she said in the film. 

Parents reported that their students were fine at home and when school was out, prompting them to believe something was wrong at school. Teachers also said they had been sending kids to the nurse a lot.

On the teacher side, Palermo is the only survivor of four teachers who contracted lung cancer while working at the school. She doesn’t smoke and never did, but in 2005 she was diagnosed with a tumor the size of a softball, she said, which required doctors to remove her entire lung. She was out of work for five months.

Subjects in the film, which also included Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, criticized the way testing and response was handled by officials, calling it government protecting government. They also considered it an attack on the community itself, where residents deal with the same health issues and unpleasant odors every day. 

“They’re not putting a 276-foot mountain of garbage in a rich community on the North Shore of Long Island, are they?” Esposito said in the film.

The film also took a look at conversations with the school board last year, which included a plan to close Frank P. Long and relocate. There were also discussions with then-Assemb. Dean Murray for a plan to relocate to a vacant school in Sachem. The board decided against this, citing the test results, which indicated that the indoor air was adequate for a school. In October 2018, Giani reiterated this view while preparing to unveil the school’s new courtyard.

“Our board of education was committed to ensuring this school was safe for both students and staff, so they authorized and fully funded the most comprehensive environmental investigation done at a school in New York State,” he said.

Subjects in the film pushed back on the studies done, saying that air testing was done when kids were not in school or when the wind was not blowing from the direction of the landfill. Results of testing are available on the district website.

In addition to the screening, there was a Q&A held with audience members and subjects of the film, including Palermo, Esposito and parents. A lawsuit was filed in 2018 with 25 plaintiffs against the town for both the nuisance and health issues caused by the landfill. Audience members brought up the effect the landfill has had on the community outside of the school and there were also representatives from Northport, who have been fighting with the state and the school district about toxic materials under school grounds that have been causing illness in teachers and students.

The film did not include interviews with Murray or school officials or members of the board of education, who were also not present at the screening. Roberts is looking at ways to broadcast the film at alternate locations, but it is unclear where it will be able to be viewed at this time.

Public addresses impact study concerns at first of three Belmont hearings

Source: The Island Now

Public addresses impact study concerns at first of three Belmont hearings

BY JED HENDRIXSON

Posted: January 12, 2019
Originally Published: January 9, 2019

Though the Christmas season ended weeks ago, Floral Park resident Christy Reisig still has Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” on her mind.

Reisig compared the village to the imaginary Bedford Falls, and concerned that the potential redevelopment of Belmont Park into an arena and retail space would turn it into a modern-day Pottersville, hand-delivered 901 letters opposing the project from residents to Empire State Development Tuesday night.

Empire State Development, a state agency, hosted the first of three public hearings at Elmont Memorial Library following the approval of the draft environmental impact study for the proposed development in December.

The hearings are an opportunity for the public to voice concerns over the redevelopment of the park into an arena home for the New York Islanders and retail space, according to attorney Ed Kramer, who moderated the hearing.

A majority of comments, opposing the project in its entirety or in part, came from Floral Park residents and officials.

“This project started out as an 18,000-seat arena, stores, a hotel and restaurants all north of Hempstead Turnpike located on the property south of the grandstand at Belmont with parking on the south lot,” Village of Floral Park Mayor Dominick Longobardi said. “Today this project has spread out to encompass retail stores on the south side of Hempstead Turnpike, where parking was supposed to go, using parking lots adjacent to schools and homes that originally were expressly said were not going to be used.”

Before opening the floor to public comment, ESD Vice President of Real Estate Development and Planning Tom Conoscenti and AKRF Engineering Vice President John Neill described the general scope of the project, timeline and potential adverse impacts of the project.

The project is generally the same as when it was announced in December 2017, according to Conoscenti.

If approved, it would include an 18,000-seat arena, 250-room hotel, 435,000 square feet of retail and 30,000 feet of office space. The development would also use 6,310 parking spaces that already exist in the north, south and east parking lots.

A significant change that did occur to the site plans over the course of the past year was the relocation of a PSEG Long Island power substation away from Floral Park-Bellerose School and closer to exit 26D on the Cross Island Parkway.

Neill addressed the potential adverse impacts the development would have on the area. The only areas shown to have impacts would be construction, in the form of noise and traffic, and transportation.

A traffic mitigation plan is continually being addressed, Neill said. Potential strategies for mitigating the adverse impacts that increased traffic would bring to the area include carpooling and ride shares, apps like Waze that instruct users to avoid traffic jams and optimizing onsite parking.

When Neill mentioned that event attendees will be encouraged to arrive earlier and stay later to mitigate peak traffic times, some members of the crowd laughed.

Transportation, traffic congestion and increased volume have been the focal points of those who oppose the development.

“I think the presentation you just made, where you’re asking thousands of people to change their driving behavior, frankly underscores just how unprepared this current plan is to absorb the thousands of cars,” state Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach) said. Kaminsky’s district, which encompasses Elmont, directly borders Belmont Park.

“Until we have solid answers on critical topics and critical questions in this area, this community is not going to rest and the elected officials that represent this community are not going to rest asking and demanding answers,” Kaminsky said.

“It is an absolute shame that the proposed site of the development is currently being used as a parking lot for new and used cars,” Nassau County Legislator Carrie Solages said. “We can do better than that, but does that mean that we as a community should settle for just any development?”

Solages’ district includes Elmont, South Floral Park and Belmont Park itself.

“It is important that the community is made a partner in whatever is developed there. After all it is the surrounding community that will be forced to deal with any negative impact, such as traffic, noise and the overall impact on the environment,” Solages said.

Solages, like other speakers, called for full-time service at the Long Island Rail Road’s Belmont station. ESD currently plans to have two trains running to and from Jamaica station before and after Islander games, and said it will work with the LIRR to explore opportunities to create full-time service in the future.

The creation of a full-time station would not mitigate traffic concerns, as Long Island residents would have no reason to drive to stations to use public transportation, according to some residents who spoke.

Floral Park Police Commissioner Stephen McAllister addressed concerns that the village’s 34-member Police Department would be negatively affected, and said that a claim in the impact statement that traffic accidents would not be unduly impacted by the increase in volume was “ridiculous.”

“I’ve seen you people drive,” McAllister said.

Floral Park is one of the densest villages in the county at 11,000 people per square mile, according to McAllister. Six thousand cars already travel north and southbound on Plainfield Avenue in the village every day, and the addition of 1,200 daily would bisect the village and impede the department’s response times, McAllister said.

Other residents dedicated their three minutes to addressing ESD representatives on water resources and the socioeconomic impact of the development.

Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said that the impact statement’s chapter on water resources was “awfully anemic,” and asked that it be revisited.

The study didn’t analyze the water resources that would be used, according to Esposito, and the statement in the DEIS that the development would not result in significant adverse impacts to water resources is not supported by facts in the chapter, she said.

No water quantity number is identified in the chapter on water resources, Esposito said, but there is a reference in the document’s executive summary that 136,000 gallons per day would be used, not including water for irrigation purposes.

“All significant or regionally significant proposals should be able to quantify water use from our aquifer system,” Esposito said.

Representing the Belmont Park Community Coalition, Tammie Williams said that sports stadiums and arenas are often not the economic engines they are touted as, are a drain on local economies and fail to deliver on economic promises to the community.

Based on research conducted by the coalition and attorney Norman Siegel, Williams asked the development agency to readdress the impact of the introduction of sports arenas into communities across the United States.

The second and third hearings will be held again at the library on Wednesday at 4 p.m. and Thursday at 6 p.m. Written comments can be submitted to Empire State Development for review until 5 p.m. on Feb. 11.

10th Nassau water district files suit against chemical manufacturers

Source: News 12 Long Island

10th Nassau water district files suit against chemical manufacturers

Posted: January 12, 2019
Originally Published: January 9, 2019

MANHASSET - The Manhasset-Lakeville Water District is the 10th in Nassau County to file a lawsuit against chemical manufacturers for polluting drinking wells with 1,4-dioxane, which is listed as a likely carcinogen.

Environmentalists say the chemical is found in manufacturing as a solvent and in many personal care products, including detergents, soaps, shampoos, cosmetics, and even baby wipes. But they say it's not listed as an ingredient because it's a byproduct.

"When we use it in the shower or bath tub or sink, it goes down into our underground water supply," says Adrienne Esposito, of Citizens Campaign for the Environment.

Esposito says if manufacturers are going to sell products that pollute groundwater, they should also pay to have it removed.

The law firm representing the water districts says defendants Dow Chemical, Ferro Corporation and Vulcan Materials "all knew or should have known that marketing, promoting, and selling products with 1,4-dioxane would put those people at risk. But they did it for decades, without warning anyone about the threats."

The highest detection of 1,4-dioxane was measured in a well in Hicksville. The Hicksville Water District filed a lawsuit in 2017 against Philips Electronics, which manufactured lights in the area for four decades.

Currently, New York state does not have drinking water standard for 1,4-dioxane, but a standard is expected to be set sometime this year.

Watch the video.

December Newsletter

Highlights and Happenings: December 2018

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.  

Highlights

Working with CT Governor-Elect Lamont to Tackle Solid Waste and Recycling

Our Connecticut Program Director Louis Burch was invited by Governor-Elect Ned Lamont's transition team to participate in its environmental policy subcommittee. We are helping to identify and outline the new administration's top priorities regarding solid waste and recycling, including eliminating single-use plastics (e.g., bags), improving public education on recycling, expanding curbside food waste composting, and modernizing CT's Bottle Bill. The subcommittee unveiled its priority recommendations at a public meeting in December.

NYS Drinking Water Council Recommends Toughest Standards in the Nation for Emerging Contaminants!

The NYS Drinking Water Council has voted to set a standard of 1 ppb for 1,4-dioxane and 10 ppt for PFOS and PFOA. These will be the most rigorous drinking water standards in the nation for these harmful emerging contaminants. Long Island has the highest detected levels of 1,4-dioxane (a likely carcinogen) in the nation. PFOS and PFOA are also toxins that may cause cancer and have been detected at high levels in drinking water wells throughout NY. We look forward to NYS expeditiously adopting these stringent, enforceable standards to protect New Yorkers from harmful toxins and hopefully serve as a model for other states!  Happenings

Governor Cuomo Pledges to Make NY's Electricity 100% Carbon Neutral by 2040

We were thrilled to attend a press conference in December where Governor Cuomo announced a new goal to launch a "Green New Deal" and achieve zero carbon emissions in the electric sector by 2040. This effort builds on his 50% renewable energy by 2030 and offshore wind goals and presents a big opportunity to finally transition away from polluting fossil fuels and embrace renewable energy statewide. We look forward to learning more about the Green New Deal and fighting to advance good wind, solar, and other renewable projects.

Going Strawless for Sea Turtles

In December, we received a grant from Long Island Sound Futures Fund focused on preventing plastic pollution entering Long Island Sound. We'll be working in Nassau and Suffolk communities to educate the public on going strawless and conducting coastal cleanups, so stay tuned for more!

Central NY: Stay Warm This Winter with Geothermal!

We are an active member of the HeatSmart CNY campaign, which has been working to help CNY residents and businesses install modern, clean geothermal systems. HeatSmart CNY is a grassroots community initiative to support residents and businesses in exploring ways to improve the efficiency of their buildings, including air source, ground source, and hot water heat pump technologies. To learn more about geothermal technologies, join us at upcoming HeatSmart events. If you own a home or business in Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, or Oswego, you can sign up for a free, no obligation energy assessment!

Working to Ensure Affordable Drinking Water in the City of Buffalo

From 2010 to 2017, water costs increased 41 percent across the country as water shutoffs also increased. As we work to make investments in protecting drinking water, we are also working to ensure that water remains affordable, particularly to low-income residents. In December, CCE's Brian Smith testified at a City of Buffalo Water Board hearing calling for a robust water affordability program. We commend the Water Board for moving forward with a program to provide low-income residents with a credit to ensure that their water bills don't increase in the short term; however, we recognize that this is only a first step and more needs to be done to ensure that water rates remain affordable in the years to come.

Implementing the New York State Drug Take Back Act

In 2018—with your help—we passed the monumental NYS Drug Take Back Act, which will require the pharmaceutical industry to fund a robust, statewide drug take-back program to keep drugs out of our waters and prevent drug abuse. While the law begins to take effect on January 6, 2019, much work remains to ensure that the program is effectively rolled out throughout 2019. In December, we attended a meeting held by the Governor's office and called for the program to provide convenient access to drug drop boxes for every community throughout the state.

Upcoming: Suffolk County: Change Out Your Septic System

Throughout 2018 we hosted a series of forums highlighting the importance of reducing nitrogen pollution from outdated septic systems and cesspools. We will be helping residents secure grants to change out their old systems for new, on-site, nitrogen-reducing treatment systems through Suffolk County's Reclaim Our Water program. We'll be continuing the series throughout the winter and spring of 2019, and our next forum will be at Sachem Public Library on January 14 at 7:00pm. We hope to see you there!

Upcoming: Vote "Yes" to Protect the Forge, Carlls, and Connetquot Rivers

On January 22, voters who live around the Carlls, Connetquot, and Forge Rivers in Suffolk County will be able to vote on a ballot referendum that provides funding for homeowners to hook up to sewage treatment facilities. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these communities to receive $390 million in state and federal funds that will allow residents to ditch their outdated septics and cesspools and move to sewers. Join us at community meetings (below) to learn more about each project and find out if you are eligible to vote. If you live in one of the project areas, don't forget to vote "Yes" on January 22. Community meetings include:

• Forge River: January 8, 11:00am and 7:00pm, Mastic Fire Department, 1080 Mastic Road, Mastic, NY.

• Carlls River: January 10, 6:00pm, North Babylon Volunteer Fire Company, 20 Hale Road, North Babylon, NY.

• Connetquot River: January 18, 7:00pm, Timber Point Elementary School, 200 Timber Point Road, East Islip, NY.

Chemical from Brookhaven lab may have spread to residential wells

Source: Newsday

Chemical from Brookhaven lab may have spread to residential wells

Brookhaven National Laboratory's advisory council has recommended 97 properties in East Yaphank south of the Upton lab be tested for a chemical that was in firefighting foams once used at the lab.

BY DAVID M. SCHWARTZ

Posted: January 2, 2019
Originally Published: December 31, 2018

Contamination from a firefighting foam has been found at Brookhaven National Laboratory, raising concerns from an advisory group that a soon-to-be-regulated chemical has spread off-site to private residential wells.

The lab's community advisory council urged BNL to test 97 properties in East Yaphank south of the lab for per- and polyfuoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of artificially made chemicals that includes perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). The chemical, which was in firefighting foams used at the lab from the 1960s until 2008, is expected to be regulated next year by New York State, officials said.

In a Nov. 8 letter, the council wrote that it "is concerned about members of the public utilizing private wells that live south of the Laboratory and may be adversely impacted by PFAS contamination," according to the letter from the 26-member advisory council, made up of civic board representatives, scientists and environmentalists, to lab director Doon Gibbs. "The members of the CAC [community advisory council] are hopeful that the practice of prioritizing public health, environmental and groundwater protection will continue and that BNL will test all private wells contained in the 97 additional properties."

Brookhaven National Lab officials said last week they had not decided whether to test the wells outside the lab, south of the Long Island Expressway, and was working with local, state and federal regulators. BNL is a research institution funded primarily by the U.S. Department of Energy, with almost 3,000 employees and 4,000 visiting researchers studying physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, and applied science.

Brookhaven has continued to drill wells on the 5,265-acre lab grounds in Upton to see how far the contamination has spread. The chemical has been detected at the highest levels around its current and former fire stations, and in three of five drinking water supply wells. 

"We recognize how important this issue is. We’re trying to move forward as quickly as we can, working with the regulators," Jason Remien, manager of the lab's environmental protection division, said Wednesday.

Officials from the state DEC and Department of Health said in a joint statement they were evaluating the need to test the wells "as part of their comprehensive investigation of contamination."

The Suffolk County Department of Health Services had requested private well testing for about 97 properties, in an area that stretches south from the lab to Sunrise Highway, according to a PowerPoint presentation given to the advisory council in October.

"It is the position of Suffolk County Department of Health Services that due to the detection of PFAS in groundwater on BNL property above the EPA health advisory level, the U.S. Department of Energy should pay for PFAS testing in private wells down-gradient of BNL," according to a statement from health department spokeswoman Grace Kelly-McGovern. 

Private wells are not regularly tested or treated, and are generally shallower than those drilled by public water providers, meaning health officials fear they're more susceptible to pollution. The number of private wells on Long Island is unknown, though water officials estimate up to 40,000 homes are on private wells.

The group of chemicals at issue increasingly have become a concern among regulators and environmentalists. Health effects include liver damage, decreased fertility, developmental delays in fetuses and children, and is considered a possible carcinogen, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The detection of PFOS in groundwater prompted the state to add Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach and a Suffolk County fire-training center in Yaphank to the state Superfund list because of contaminated water supplies. The chemicals have shown up in private wells in nearby Wainscott, as well as in public wells in Hampton Bays.

A state panel this month recommended a drinking water standard of 10 parts per trillion for PFOS and a related chemical PFOA, used in manufacturing, which would be the most protective drinking water standards in the nation. The state health commissioner is expected to set a standard next year.

Historical photos included in the lab's presentation to the advisory group show firefighting foam spilling onto the ground during training exercises in 1966 and a demonstration of a fire suppression system in 1970.

Testing wells installed near the lab's current firehouse found levels of PFOA and PFOS up to 12,400 parts per trillion, and at 5,370 parts per trillion at the lab's former firehouse, according to a statement from lab spokesman Pete Genzer. Those two sites were believed to be the "primary locations" where firefighting foam was used during training.

The Suffolk Department of Health Services tested drinking water supply wells in 2017 as part of a national program to collect data on emerging contaminants of concern to the public. The detection at BNL previously had not been reported.

The contamination has been found at three of the five drinking water supply wells at BNL; two at levels of up to 27 parts per trillion, and one at up to 70.4 parts per trillion, though Remien said he believes there was a quality assurance problem with the highest sample, from June 2018. Other samples were below 70 parts per trillion, which is the current EPA health advisory level for PFOS.

One supply well is no longer used, and the lab is re-establishing carbon filtration on the other two wells, Genzer said in a statement. Tests of treated drinking water at the lab are less than 3 parts per trillion, he said.

Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment and a member of the CAC, said BNL shouldn't delay testing the private wells.

"To be a good neighbor, they should just test the wells," she said. "It is an ethical obligation of BNL to test their neighbors' wells for contamination they may have caused."

Legis. Al Krupski (D-Copiague), whose district includes the lab, said he believes BNL is evaluating other potential sources of contamination.

"I think they have to do their due diligence, and I have confidence they will. They have addressed environmental concerns in the past," he said.

Raymond Keenan, representative for Affiliated Brookhaven Civic Organizations, said, "I don’t have a feeling they’re sitting on this, but it’s a bureaucracy. They have to go through their motions."

Mike Giacomaro, president of the East Yaphank Civic Association, said most of the homes in the area have been offered hookups to public water supplied by the Suffolk County Water Authority because of pollution passed from BNL, including tritium in the groundwater.

Town scores $80K to cut energy costs, pollution

Source: Long Island Business News

Town scores $80K to cut energy costs, pollution

BY ADINA GENN

Posted: January 2, 2019
Originally Published: December 31, 2018

The Town of Hempstead was awarded an $80,000 grant from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to develop an energy and sustainability master plan to help slash the municipality’s carbon footprint and energy costs.

According to the DEC, the plan will include updating the town’s energy, fleet, and greenhouse gas inventory data and assessing all energy and sustainability related polices. The analysis will aim to indicate where the town made progress and highlight opportunities for improvement, addition of new policies or programs, or expansion of existing programs.

Officials say that last year the town spent nearly $8 million in gas and electric. But each year, they say, those costs increase by an average of 3.2 percent even if its energy consumption stays the same.

“The development of a green innovation economy is not only beneficial to the environment, it is better for the bottom-line, saving taxpayers money,” Town of Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen said in a statement.

“By setting goals to decrease our reliance on fossil fuels and making purchases that are more environmentally friendly, we can combat the disastrous effects of climate change,” she said.

“A comprehensive sustainability plan is important for the betterment of the environment in the Town of Hempstead,” State Sen. Todd Kaminsky said in a statement.

He said that by implementing the plan, the town would “become a leader in advancing renewable energy.”

As a proponent of protecting the environment, Kaminsky said earlier this year that “we need to be aggressive and we need to act quickly, but we need to be thoughtful.”

In July, the town became the largest local municipality in the state to take the “climate smart communities pledge,” officials said. That meant pledging to reduce community energy use and the discharge of pollutants into the environment, while increasing the use of renewable resources.

The pledge also calls for boosting local resiliency projects and other public works to prepare for the effects of climate change that can endanger the town’s infrastructure and economy and that might also pose health threats to the community.

That commitment scored high marks from advocates for the environment.

“The South Shore of Long Island is currently engaged in an historic battle to protect our communities from climate change impacts,” Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said in a statement.

The pledge “will have a positive impact locally and regionally. Reducing greenhouse gases, saving tax dollars, and fighting climate change is just good government,” she added.

Retail Roundup: Complaints snagged 12 stores not charging for single-use bags

Source: Newsday

Retail Roundup: Complaints snagged 12 stores not charging for single-use bags

The Suffolk County Department of Health Services imposes a penalty of up to $500 if a bag violation is cited upon re-inspection.

BY TORY N. PARRISH

Posted: January 2, 2019
Originally Published: December 31, 2018

Retailers say Suffolk County’s bag-fee law is working as intended, but how many are violating the law by not charging customers for bags?

The Suffolk County Department of Health Services said it has received 24 complaints about noncompliant stores since Jan. 1, 2018, when a law began requiring supermarkets, pharmacies, clothing stores and other types of retailers to charge customers 5 cents for each single-use plastic and paper bag they use to carry out their purchases.

“Twelve covered stores were found to be in violation of the law. Zero stores were in violation upon reinspection,” the department said.

The department imposes a penalty of up to $500 if a violation is cited upon re-inspection. No stores have been fined, it said.

The 24 complaints about noncompliant stores came from consumers, but the department does have inspectors out doing spot checks, the agency said.

The number of cited complaints is small considering that, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Suffolk County has 5,500 retail trade establishments, excluding furniture stores, car dealerships and non-store retailers. 

The county's bag-fee law, which raised the ire of some shoppers when it went into effect, is intended to increase the utilization of reusable bags and reduce the number of single-use plastic bags polluting waterways. Suffolk County does not receive any portion of the bag fees collected by stores.

The county’s law requires the health department to prepare an annual recycling report by March 1 on the legislation’s progress, including information on any cost savings for the county from reductions in contaminated waterways and on the benefits of waste and litter reduction.

I reported on Dec. 20 that the Food Industry Alliance of New York State said its survey of Suffolk County grocery stores that are members of the trade group showed an 80 percent decline in the distribution of single-use bags in the first and second quarters of 2018.

Twenty cities, towns and villages in New York State have enacted single-use bag fees or bans, including Long Beach and the Village of Sea Cliff in Nassau County, according to the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, an advocacy group based in Farmingdale. New York City’s fee was blocked by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2017.

New Tanger tenants

Shoes, shirts and shades. Oh, my.

Two new tenants, Cole Haan Outlet and Looks & Co. Designer Glasses, opened at Tanger Outlets Deer Park in November. Also, one of the premium-brand shopping center’s existing shops, a Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store, relocated to a space that is about 40 percent bigger in October.

“We are excited to welcome all of the new additions,” said Nancy W. Larson, general manager for the shopping center.

Looks & Co., which sells designer prescription sunglasses and eyeglasses, opened Nov. 3 in a 2,007-square-foot space, suite 1450, that was once occupied by Kay Jewelers.

The eyewear shop offers high-end brands such as Tom Ford, Versace, Gucci and Prada, said owner Rafael Hanukashvili.

A Dix Hills resident, Hanukashvili, 42, opened his first Looks & Co. store in Syosset in September 2016, he said.

“Customer service is the most important to me. … We make sure we can take care of everything for our customers,” he said.

Cole Haan Outlet sells shoes, outerwear and accessories. 

On Nov. 14 the store opened in a 2,400-square-foot spot in Tanger suite 1599, which was previously occupied by an Easy Spirit shoe store.

“New York is a strong market for Cole Haan, and this is an addition to the fleet,” the Greenland, New Hampshire-based retailer said.

The Deer Park Polo Ralph Lauren store, an outlet tenant since 2014, relocated to suite 301, a space of 10,283 square feet near the Neiman Marcus Last Call store, and opened there on Oct. 26.

“It was relocated just to have a more prominent space and a bigger footprint,” Manhattan-based Ralph Lauren Corp. said.

Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Stores sell clothing and accessories for adults and children.
Opened in 2008, Tanger Outlets Deer Park has 739,109 square feet of leasable space and was 97 percent occupied as of Sept. 30, according to a regulatory filing by Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc.