Governor Cuomo Proposes Ban on Styrofoam in 2020

For immediate release: December 17, 2019

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

CCE lauds proposal to rid New York of environmentally harmful product

Albany, NY—Today Governor Cuomo is proposing to ban StyrofoamTM, as part of his 2020 State of the State proposals.  In response to the announcement, Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE), said:

“We applaud Governor Cuomo for proposing to ban this antiquated and environmentally harmfully product in New York State.  Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam, commonly referred to as “Styrofoam™”, poses a significant risk to the health of our environment. Styrofoam packaging is only used for a short time, but can wreak havoc on our environment for generations—littering open spaces, polluting waterways, and harming wildlife. Styrofoam doesn’t biodegrade; instead it breaks into small pieces and eventually becomes microplastic pollution in our waterways.

Styrofoam also poses a threat to human health. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicology Program listed styrene, a chemical in EPS foam, is listed as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.” It is known to leach from food packaging containers into food or drinks, especially when exposed to heat.  When grabbing a cup of coffee on the go, we expect it to contain milk and sugar but not a dose of cancer causing styrene.  Takeout food is meant to be convenient, not carcinogenic. 

There is absolutely no reason to continue using this harmful material when sustainable alternatives are readily available.  NYC, along with several New York Counties, have already taken action to ban Styrofoam. I live in a village that banned Styrofoam in 2018 and the transition to new materials was seamless and widely embraced by the public.  Now we need a statewide ban.  We urge the legislature to work with the Governor to adopt the strongest ban possible in the 2020-21 SFY budget. “ 

Highlights and Happenings: November 2019

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

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Highlights

Victory! Tompkins County, NY Passes Fee on Carryout Paper Bags

The Tompkins County Legislature unanimously passed a local law placing a 5-cent fee on carryout paper bags. CCE staff attended the public hearing and provided testimony to the legislature on the environmental and economic impacts of paper bags. This local law, in conjunction with the statewide ban on plastic bags, is necessary to fully address disposable bag pollution and encourage the public to change their behavior and bring their own bag. Tompkins now joins Albany County and NYC, who passed similar laws earlier this year.  We still need more cities and counties to step up and do their part to address single-use bags!

Victory! Long Island Towns Ban Balloon Releases

The Town of Hempstead, the largest town in America, and the Town of North Hempstead, have banned the intentional release of balloons. Suffolk County and Long Beach had previously passed similar laws to prevent plastic pollution, reduce beach litter, and protect wildlife. Now that most of Long Island now has balloon release bans, we have one town left to go. Next up in our fight to prevent balloon pollution – the Town of Oyster Bay (not to mention all of NYS!).

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Happenings

Eighth Annual “Water We Going to Do?” Conference

The Long Island Clean Water Partnership held our annual “Water We Going to Do?” Conference in November. We heard great updates from our federal, state, and local officials, as well as scientific experts, on the threat nitrogen pollution and other threats pose for Long Island’s waters. It was a great opportunity to learn about our water quality improvement campaign’s progress, discuss ongoing clean water projects, and set the stage for what needs to happen in the next year. Thanks to everyone who turned out and made it our best conference yet!

Gearing up for our NYS Water Priorities in 2020

In November, we attended several hearings of the NYS Assembly Minority Water Quality Task Force across New York State to discuss water protection priorities for next year’s legislative session, including funding for clean water infrastructure, a stronger Environmental Protection Fund, protecting NY’s streams and wetlands, establishing drinking water standards for emerging contaminants, banning toxic pesticides, and combating PFAS contamination. Stay tuned for more info on our upcoming 2020 campaigns!

Talking CT’s Environment

Want to hear more about some of our Connecticut campaigns? CCE’s Lou Rosado Burch appeared on WLIS/WMRD radio program “CT Outdoors with Suzanne Thompson” to speak about the state-wide disposable bag law as well as our campaign to keep toxic PFAS out of Connecticut’s water. You can check out the interview here.

 Examining NYS Cancer Clusters

The New York State Health Department identified several communities across NYS, including Centereach, Farmingville, and Selden in Suffolk County, which have higher rates of leukemia, bladder, lung, and thyroid cancers then average. After a year-long investigation into the cause of these cancer rates, the health department failed to thoroughly investigate possible environmental exposures in air and water quality issues. In November, we attended a public meeting where the health department released their findings and we were outraged to hear about the state’s lack of serious investigation into this public health crisis in our communities. 

Upcoming Event: Suffolk County, NY: Change Out Your Septic System

We’re continuing our series of forums in 2019 and 2020 highlighting the importance of reducing nitrogen pollution from outdated septics and cesspools and helping Suffolk County residents get grants to change out their old systems for new, on-site, nitrogen-reducing treatment systems. Our next forum is on December 16 at 7pm at the Setauket Neighborhood House.

Community Forum: Out with the Old, In with the New Septic Replace

SOURCE:

https://patch.com/new-york/halfhollowhills/calendar/event/20191205/710419/community-forum-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-septic-replace

Join us to learn the facts on why and how you can change out your old septic or cesspool system and be eligible for a $20,000-$30,000 in grant funding! Citizens Campaign for the Environment has teamed up with Suffolk County to present "Out with the Old, In with the New" Suffolk Septic Change Out program forum. The forum will focus on how septic and cesspools are causing degradation to our rivers, bays, lakes and estuaries. We will highlight new available technologies, Suffolk County’s homeowner grant program, and experts will be available to answer your questions. More information on the program can be found at Reclaimourwater.info  
Who: 
Introduction by Suffolk Legislators Susan Berland and Tom Donnelly
Presentations by Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, Citizens Campaign for the Environment; and Justin Jobin, Environmental Projects Coordinator, Suffolk County Department of Health Services.
* Septic Installers will have their products on display and be able to answer specific questions

Extended Interview with Adrienne Esposito

SOURCE:

http://longisland.news12.com/clip/14965414/extended-interview-with-adrienne-esposito

Keep Toxic “Forever Chemicals” Out of Our Water

Lawmakers in Hartford must adopt critical measures to keep PFAS out of our water and bodies. Email elected leaders today and tell them to protect our drinking water from PFAS contamination and to ban PFAS in food packaging and firefighting foam!

What are PFAS?

Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) refers to a suite of synthetic chemicals used in many household and industrial products, including firefighting foam, food packaging, and numerous water-resistant, stain-proof, and nonstick products. Unfortunately, PFAS chemicals are a threat to human health and are being found in drinking water supplies in CT and across the nation.

An Emerging Threat to Public Health

PFAS are referred to as “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in our environment and our bodies. According to the CDC, PFAS are present in the bloodstream of 98% of American adults. Research shows that PFAS chemicals contribute to thyroid problems, adverse developmental effects, higher cholesterol levels and decreased immune response in children. The U.S. EPA has indicated that PFAS may contribute to kidney and testicular cancers.

Contaminating Connecticut’s Drinking Water & Environment

From 2013-2015, the EPA required 40 public water systems in CT to test for PFAS chemicals, including PFOA and PFOS. These chemicals were not detected above federal reporting limits; however, emerging science indicates these chemicals present a serious public health risk, even at very low levels. Several states have taken steps to advance drinking water standards for PFAS well below current federal reporting limits in order to protect public health. More recently, private drinking water wells in Greenwich and Willimantic, CT were found to have high levels of PFAS, prompting state officials to issue “do not drink” orders for residents.

PFAS chemicals are also being discharged into our waterways from wastewater treatment plants and septic systems. In 2018, researchers at UCONN tested twelve sewage treatment plants in CT, and found that 100% of those plants were discharging PFAS chemicals into local waterways that eventually drain into LI Sound.

CT Must Take Action to Protect our Water and Health from PFAS

With the chemical industry pushing back against any meaningful action to protect public health and the environment from PFAS, it is imperative that our elected officials stand up for our health and environment and adopt the following measures:

• Ban PFAS in Food Packaging
  PFAS are widely used in food packaging for their stain and grease repellent properties. Scientific studies show that food packaging is one of the most common ways humans are exposed to PFAS chemicals. Currently, there are no state or federal regulations on the use of short-chain PFAS in food service packaging, and there is no way for consumers to know if their food is packaged using PFAS. The only way to ensure PFAS are not contaminating our food and beverages is to ban them in food packaging.

•  Ban PFAS in Firefighting Foam
  In June of 2019, more than 20,000 gallons of firefighting foam containing PFAS escaped into the Farmington River following an accidental discharge at Bradley Airport. The spill prompted CT DEEP to issue a fishing ban in the lower Farmington River. CT DEEP estimates more than 24,000 gallons of PFAS-containing firefighting foam is stockpiled at fire departments and airport hangars around the State. PFAS-free foams are effective and readily available for use—Connecticut should prohibit the use of firefighting foams containing PFAS chemicals, wherever possible.

•  Adopt Strong Drinking Water Standards for PFAS
  Regrettably, there is no federal drinking water standard established for PFAS chemicals in drinking water.  Many states are stepping up to protect the health of residents by adopting their own drinking water standards. New science is revealing that even extremely low levels of exposure to PFOA and PFOS may cause health effects, such as immune suppression and serious developmental impairments. CT must set drinking water standards as low as possible. It is technologically feasible to treat water supplies down to a combined Maximum Contamination Level (MCL) of 2 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA and PFOS, using activated carbon filtration technology. In order to adequately protect public health, Connecticut should adopt a combined MCL of 2ppt for PFOA and PFOS.

Email Connecticut House and Senate leadership today!

Thanks for taking action. Together we make a difference!

Sincerely,
Your friends at CCE