ENFORCE THE PLASTIC BAG BAN IN NYS

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Elected leaders and New York State agencies, including the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), have worked tirelessly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to protect the health and well-being of New Yorkers—we are very grateful for their continued efforts. 

This public health crisis impacted the state’s ability to enforce certain environmental laws, however; as we “re-open” our state, it is imperative that we move to enforce laws that protect our health and environment. Laws to provide clean air, clean water, and healthy communities are as important now as ever. 

In May, CCE joined with 122 organizations from across the state in calling on the DEC to do three important things:

1. Enforce the statewide plastic bag ban. While the law took effect on March 1, due to an industry lawsuit, the state extended the start date of enforcing the bag ban until at least June 15. There is no need to delay this any further—the DEC should implement the plastic bag ban as soon as possible.

2. Inform stores that they cannot prohibit people from using their own reusable bags. CCE has received numerous reports that some stores prohibit consumers from using reusable bags. Reusable bags remain an environmentally friendly, safe, and cost-effective option for the public to use when shopping at the store. Currently, there is no credible peer-reviewed scientific evidence to support the claim that reusable bags contribute to the transmission of COVID-19. Retail employees may ask consumers to pack their own groceries in reusable bags out of an abundance of caution.

3. Enforce the Bottle Bill*. Adopted in 1982, the Bottle Bill has served as one of NY’s most successful environmental laws. The five-cent deposit on beverage containers has increased recycling, reduced litter, created jobs, and saved energy and natural resources.  Like other bottle deposit states, NY relaxed enforcement to help struggling retail establishments during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The suspension was not due to public health concerns—the DEC states “there is no evidence that suggests that management of residential wastes or recyclables, including returned containers through the Bottle Bill, represents a danger to the public.” Like other bottle deposit states are doing, New York should re-start enforcement as soon as possible.

*Update: As of June 3, 2020, the New York State DEC reinstated enforcement of the Bottle Bill!  If you see covered retail establishments that are out of compliance and not taking back deposit bottles, please let the DEC know by emailing nybottle@dec.ny.gov .  

We now need members of the public to join our call for the state to take these critical steps to enforce the statewide plastic bag ban. Send a quick email to Governor Cuomo and the DEC today!

Thank you for taking action!

Sincerely, 
Your Friends at CCE

Protect our environment and public health—from the safety of your home!

We are all in this together, and we at CCE understand the importance of respecting social distancing during this public health crisis.  While we have had to temporarily suspend our door-to-door canvass, there are other ways we can continue to organize and keep you involved! 

1. Visit our website to stay informed and take action on important campaigns.  Sending a quick email to your representatives is an easy and effective way to ensure important environmental campaigns continue to move forward.

1. Donate online, and help support CCE’s continued work during this uncertain time.  Due to our current limitations with fundraising, this is an excellent way to keep the organization going strong!

1. Answer a call from our phone canvass organizers.  In addition to door-to-door canvassing, we call our existing membership to thank them for their support, educate them on campaigns, and get them involved in our work through donating and contacting their representatives.  We still have limited staff making these important phone calls—please answer and show your support!

Stay safe and healthy!  Thank you for your support. Together we make a difference!

Sincerely,
All of us at CCE

Gala Postponed and New Date Confirmed

Save the Date: September 9, 2020

From all of us at CCE, we hope that you and your families continue to stay safe and healthy.  Due to the ongoing public health crisis caused by COVID-19, we have postponed our annual Environmental Equinox Awards Gala, which was originally scheduled for May 21. The event has now been rescheduled for September 9, 2020, at The Piermont in Babylon, NY. Please save the date and look for an official invitation coming your way in early summer.

 Thank you for your ongoing support during these difficult times! 

Sincerely, 
Your friends at CCE

Highlights and Happenings: March 2020

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

Continuing the Fight to Protect our Environment During this Pandemic

As we practice social distancing, largely from our homes, we are constantly reminded of how important our work continues to be.  Drinking water from our kitchen tap, using personal care products (without toxic chemicals), and visiting local parks to get fresh air and exercise—all demonstrate that our work to protect public health and the environment is as important as ever.  Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated that we suspend our direct grassroots outreach in order to protect the health of our employees and the public. This has created a financial hardship on us.  CCE is a strong organization with excellent staff and we are determined to weather this storm, but we truly need your help during these difficult times.  If you are in a position to do so, please consider making a financial contribution today to support our work to protect clean water, fight climate change, conserve open space, and so much more.  

Victory!  A Green Budget for New York

CCE priorities in the final New York State budget include:

• $3 Billion Environmental Bond Act: This funding will help our communities become more resilient to the challenging impacts of climate change, including increased flooding and sea level rise, while also protecting and restoring our water resources. The Bond Act will need to be approved by the voters in November.

• Ban on Styrofoam food packaging and packaging peanuts: Styrofoam litters our communities and threatens public health. There is no need to continue using this antiquated product when safe and environmentally friendly alternatives are readily available.

• Permanent ban on fracking: While Governor Cuomo wisely instituted a regulatory ban on fracking in 2015, this permanent ban set in law will help ensure the dangerous process of fracking for gas will not be taken up by future administrations.

• $500 million for clean water infrastructure: Increased investments in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure will not only protect our drinking water and reduce dangerous sewage overflows; it will help put thousands of New Yorkers to work.

• Fully funding the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) at $300 million: Since 1993, the EPF has been New York’s most important source of environmental funding, benefiting every community in the state. EPF projects protect drinking water, build community parks, save family farms, bolster recycling programs, revitalize waterfronts, and so much more.

Victory! Suffolk Legislature Votes Yes on Clean Water Plan

Nitrogen pollution from sewage and septics poses a significant threat to Long Island’s water resources. To combat this problem, Suffolk County has worked diligently to create a comprehensive Subwatersheds Wastewater Management Plan, which analyzes the sources of nitrogen pollution in 191 subwatersheds and prescribes a path for ecosystem restoration in each water body. The Suffolk County Legislature unanimously voted “yes” in March to adopt the Final Generic Environment Impact Statement (FGEIS) for the Suffolk County Subwatersheds Wastewater Plan. This vitally important vote moves the process forward and allows critical components of the plan to be considered by the Legislature in the future. 

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Happenings

Pushing for our Priority Bills in CT 

The Connecticut legislative session is currently suspended due to COVID-19, but the fight isn’t over. We spent the first half of March pushing for our priority bills and we will continue working to ensure our CT environment is protected during this shutdown. We testified at public hearings and urged key committee member to support critical bills for 2020, including phasing out toxic PFAS in firefighting foams and food service packaging, requiring testing for PFAS in public drinking water supplies, prohibiting Styrofoam food packaging, and establishing a Climate Change and Green Jobs plan for CT. Stay tuned for more information on how you can add your voice to support these important bills. 

Tackling Emerging Contaminants on Long Island 

The NYS Department of Health is in the final phase of deciding drinking water standards for 3 emerging contaminants: 1,4-dioxane, PFOS and PFOA. The quicker these standards are finalized, the sooner it will be mandated that these chemicals are filtered out of our drinking water. Bethpage and Calverton residents live in communities with water wells impacted by toxic plumes, which include the aforementioned contaminants, and will be directly impacted by these new standards. In March, we joined community groups from Calverton and Bethpage in calling on NY to move forward without further delay in setting drinking water standards for these emerging contaminants. These residents—and everyone—deserve clean drinking water! 

Fighting for the Great Lakes in D.C. 

In early March, we joined with a team of advocates from New York and traveled down to Washington D.C. for Great Lakes Days. We met with the New York congressional offices on our Great Lakes priorities: Reauthorizing and increasing funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, increasing funding for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, stopping the invasion of Asian carp, fighting clean water rollbacks from the administration, and more. 

Suffolk County: Change Out Your Septic System 

While our series of community forums highlighting the importance of reducing nitrogen pollution from outdated septics and cesspools is temporarily suspended to observe social distancing recommendations, our nitrogen pollution problem is not going away. These forums are designed to help Suffolk County residents get grants to change out their old systems for new, on-site, nitrogen-reducing treatment systems and we will be picking up the series and rescheduling meetings as soon as we can. In the meantime, you can get information on the grant program or fill out an application here. 

New York State Bans Styrofoam!

CCE applauds Governor Cuomo and the NYS Legislature for eradicating environmentally harmful Styrofoam products in New York

For immediate release: April 2, 2020

For more information, contact: Adrienne Esposito, 631-384-1378 aesposito@citizenscampaign.org or Brian Smith, 716-472-4078, bsmith@citizenscampaign.org

Albany, NY—Today, the NYS Legislature passed a ban on Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Foam, commonly referred to as Styrofoam TM, in the 2020-21 SFY Budget. In response, Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE), said:

“This shows true leadership and foresight in protecting the environment amid a public health crisis. Environmentalists, municipalities, and New Yorkers have long awaited ending the scourge of Styrofoam across the State. CCE thanks Governor Cuomo and the NYS Legislature for taking action in protecting our environment from harmful and unnecessary Styrofoam containers and loose fill packaging. Styrofoam is one of the top ten contributors to environmental litter and has long-term negative impacts on our waterways and wildlife. Styrofoam doesn’t breakdown, it breaks apart into small pieces eventually becoming microplastic pollution in our waterways.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicology Program listed styrene, a chemical in EPS foam, 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. No longer will the public unknowingly ingest cancer-causing styrene when they get a cup of coffee or takeout from restaurants.

This ban builds on New York’s commitment to ensuring our environment and public health is safeguarded from disposable plastic pollution. Many New York counties have already banned Styrofoam food containers with widespread support from the public; we applaud the Governor and NYS Legislature for banning Styrofoam containers statewide and raising the bar by including loose fill packaging in the ban.”

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Lamont: Coronavirus hospitalizations beginning to surge

SOURCE:

https://www.ctpost.com/news/coronavirus/article/Lamont-Coronavirus-hospitalizations-beginning-to-15162249.php

By Liz Teitz- March 27, 2020

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Connecticut climbed to 1,291. Six more people have died, bringing the total to 27, and 48 have been hospitalized since Thursday, which Lamont called “the beginning of the surge.”

The 279 new cases made up about 15 percent of 1,900 new tests completed in the last day, Gov. Ned Lamont said. The large number of tests is attributed to many results arriving from out-of-state labs, he said.

Patients are 10 times as likely to be hospitalized if they are over age 80 than under 50, he said. A total of 173 people have been hospitalized in 

The 279 new cases made up about 15 percent of 1,900 new tests completed in the last day, Gov. Ned Lamont said. The large number of tests is attributed to many results arriving from out-of-state labs, he said.

Patients are 10 times as likely to be hospitalized if they are over age 80 than under 50, he said. A total of 173 people have been hospitalized in Connecticut.

Less than 24 hours after announcing a loan program for small businesses, the Department of Economic and Community Development has already stopped accepting new applications, Lamont said. More than 4,000 businesses have applied for the no-interest loans, which were initially expected to be about $25 million total. “I think we’re probably going to double the capacity,” to $50 million, he said.

Jeffrey Flaks, president and CEO of Hartford HealthCare, said modeling indicates an expected peak of the virus in the second week of April.

Hospitals are working to add capacity in anticipation of a surge, and across the state, 39 percent of hospital beds are currently vacant, Josh Gabelle, Lamont’s chief operating officer, said. In Fairfield County, “there’s a lot more stress on the system already.”

Lamont praised Stanley Black & Decker for donating 75,000 surgical masks to Hartford HealthCare, and the tribes for donating more than 1 million surgical gloves. He also highlighted Custom Shop, an upholstery store in Glastonbury that is making and donating surgical masks, a “parachute manufacturer” making surgical gowns, and whiskey distilleries making hand sanitizer. “I was impressed by the number of folks with sewing machines who are making surgical masks,” he said.

Some of the equipment the state has ordered has been delayed, Lamont said; 3,000 thermometers are expected to arrive next week, while some of the surgical gowns and other equipment ordered won’t arrive until next month. “We’ve got to take care of what we can take care of ourselves,” he said. It’s not clear whether that equipment was over-promised by the vendors, or if someone “came in with a higher bid.”

Geballe said he’s in discussions with a few Connecticut companies that could potentially manufacture ventilators, though details weren’t immediately available. The state has 932 ventilators across hospital systems, he said, and another 1,500 ventilators have been sought from the national stockpile in two separate, still unanswered, requests.

Flaks said hospitals in the state are piloting an innovation already being used in New York that allows two patients to use one ventilators.

Under Lamont’s latest executive order, issued shortly before 8 p.m. Friday, distilleries and other businesses can produce alcohol-based hand sanitizers and medical devices or protective equipment without registering as manufacturers, and health care providers can treat patients at facilities using their identification badges from other facilities.

He also suspended Department of Public Health licensing, renewal and inspection requirements, and waived the mandatory fees for children to participate in remote early intervention services, such as the Birth-to-Three program.

Speaking just after President Donald Trump signed the $2 trillion CARES Act for coronavirus relief, Lamont said he would have a better idea of how much money the state will be getting “within a week,” but that at least $1.5 billion will come to Connecticut.

Connecticut officials on Friday denounced discrimination against Asian-Americans, which they say has increased due to misinformation and xenophobia stemming from the coronavirus outbreak.

The commissions on Equity and Opportunity, Human Rights and Opportunities and on Women, Children and Seniors, along with Attorney General William Tong and Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, held a virtual news conference Friday to raise awareness of the issue.

“We call for unity in the face of coronavirus (COVID-19) and condemn racism and discrimination targeting Asian-Americans — or anybody for that matter — related to the pandemic,” commission co-chairman Alan Tan said in a statement. “We are deeply concerned that recent incidents of racism and discrimination against Asian Americans in Connecticut threaten both our collective well-being and ability to manage this crisis.”

Tong calls for lift of research restrictions

Tong and 14 other attorneys general have asked the federal government to lift restrictions on fetal tissue research, which they say will help respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Scientists need every single tool available to find a vaccine and cure for COVID-19,” Tong said in a statement. “For years, fetal tissue research contributed to major medical advancements. We need to lift this partisan impediment and let scientists get to work.”

The Trump administration in June 2019 ended fetal tissue research at the National Institutes of Health, canceled a $2 million contract for a California university laboratory project and announced that research projects conducted at other universities with NIH funding would be reviewed by an ethics advisory board before being renewed. Fetal tissue is obtained from elective abortions.

The Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement at the time that “promoting the dignity of human life from conception to natural death is one of the very top priorities of President Trump’s administration.” The restriction was criticized by scientists who said it would jeopardize research on diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, HIV and spinal cord injuries.

Tong and the other attorneys general, from states including Massachusetts and New York, argue in their letter to the department and President Donald Trump that “if we are going to rise as a nation to overcome this pandemic, then we need to utilize all the tools in our toolbox, including allowing our scientists to develop a vaccine and treatment to COVID-19. This means we need to permit research on all fronts.” They wrote that they support NIH scientists who are appealing the ban.

Plastic bag backlash

Three state departments issued guidance Friday on the suspension of the 10-cent tax on plastic bags, which Lamont announced Thursday. That fee is suspended through May 15, the Department of Revenue Services said.

Residents are still “strongly encouraged” to bring and pack their own bags, the Departments of Public Health, Revenue Services and Energy and Environmental Protection said in a joint statement. They said the order, which also allows retail employees to refuse to use customers’ reusable bags, aims to give flexibility to workers in response to their concerns about transmission of the coronavirus.

The Citizens Campaign for the Environment criticized Lamont Friday for caving to “the plastic industry’s efforts to capitalize on this pandemic for their own benefit.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “it may be possible” to get COVID-19 from a surface that has the virus on it, “but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.” Researchers from the NIH recently found that the virus can live on surfaces like plastic and stainless steel for up to two to three days.

Governors in Massachusetts and New Hampshire have already prohibited the use of reusable bags during the outbreak.