Environmentalists are alleging a controversial sand mine in the Hamptons is still operating illegally, and town officials are doing nothing about it.
Highlights and Happenings: August 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.
Highlights
New York Plastic Bag Ban Upheld by State Supreme Court!
After over a decade of fighting to prevent plastic pollution throughout New York, we successfully worked to pass a statewide ban on plastic bags in 2019. The ban was due to go into effect in March of 2020, but an unfortunate lawsuit by plastic bag manufacturers and bodega owners delayed the implementation. Now, we are closer than ever to finally be plastic bag-free. NY won the court challenge in August, and the state is expected to announce the new implementation date soon. We can’t wait to celebrate once the date is announced, but don’t wait until then to act—start (or continue!) using your reusable bags when you shop!
Tackling Climate Change, COVID, and our Economic Crisis in Connecticut
We’re thrilled to be working with RENEW CT, a large coalition of non-profits, businesses and labor groups aiming to a progressive policy framework for CT. The goal is to simultaneously achieve progress on the three major challenges of our time: climate change, COVID-19 and the economic crisis. We’re fighting to craft and implement policies that significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while investing in environmental justice communities and creating jobs in our state. This is a big challenge, and we will need to implement policies on clean energy, transportation, clean air and water, food security, healthcare and affordable housing in order to protect our CT communities. Make sure to stay tuned for information on RENEW CT as developments occur.
Happenings
Getting Clean Energy Back on Track
While New York is pushing forward with three offshore wind projects and a new solicitation for up to 2,500 MW of additional offshore wind power, the federal government has stalled. We need the U.S. Department of Interior to designate additional “Wind Energy Areas” (areas appropriate for offshore wind farm siting) off the coast of New York. These areas should have been designated in 2019, and we cannot afford further delays as we push to meet our state mandate of 9,000 MW of offshore wind by 2035. In July, we joined Congresswoman Rice, NYS Senator Kaminsky, environmental organizations, and labor groups in Long Beach to call on our federal government to stop delaying and announce new “Wind Energy Areas” in 2020.
Exploring the Potential for Offshore Wind in the Great Lakes
NY’s nation-leading climate law mandates 70% renewable energy by 2030 and carbon-free electricity by 2040. Offshore wind power in the Atlantic, and potentially in the Great Lakes, will play a critical role in meeting these important and ambitious clean energy mandates. Therefore, the state recently proposed to study the feasibility of offshore wind in the Great Lakes (there are currently no wind farms in the Great Lakes). As New York considers the potential for offshore wind in the Great Lakes, it is essential that the public has access to fact-based information about offshore wind and its potential benefits and impacts on the lakes. Therefore, we have put together an educational page on our website with a series of fact sheets on Great Lakes offshore wind—we invite you to take a look and learn more!
Protecting Connecticut’s Water Resources
Last year, Connecticut approved the State Water Plan (SWP), which will ensure that water is a public trust and that CT’s current and future water supply needs are met equitably for years to come. We are now working to see this landmark water protection plan implemented and engage the public in the process. In July, CCE’s Lou Rosado Burch became chair of the newly-formed Outreach & Education subcommittee of the SWP Implementation Working Group. This new subcommittee will develop a public outreach strategy for individuals, community groups and businesses about the SWP and what it means for CT communities and regulated industries. We’ll be working with our subcommittee partners to do outreach on public water use, water conservation, drinking water quality, and more.
Image from DEC https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/77118.html
Harmful Algal Blooms are Still a Threat Across New York!
It’s late in the summer, but harmful algal blooms (HABs) are STILL posing an immense threat to our communities’ drinking water, public health, outdoor recreation and wildlife! HABs are erupting across NY more frequently and more aggressively—in 2019, over 1,000 HABs were present in NY waterbodies. If you see a HAB in a lake or waterbody (looks like spilled green paint or pea soup), be sure to avoid it and report it using the DEC Suspicious Algal Bloom Report Form!
Coalition pushes to reinforce New York State's safe drug disposal law as opioid overdoses rise
Elected leaders push for wind farms in region
Rice Calls On Feds To Let Offshore Wind Projects Move Forward
Two offshore wind farms were approved by the state last year, but the federal government hasn't done its part yet, the Congresswoman said.
LONG BEACH, NY — Government, environment and labor leaders gathered in Long Beach today to call on the federal Department of Interior to allow lease auctions to be held for New York offshore wind farms.
New York Delegation: End Offshore-Wind Delays Now
Final Point One referendum left standing
The postponement of a statewide vote this fall on a $3 billion environmental bond act leaves only one environment-related referendum on the November ballot for Suffolk County residents. It’s a proposal by County Executive Steve Bellone to divert about $190 million from a sewer fund to plug holes in the county’s always-creaky but now pandemic-afflicted budget.
Discarded used masks, gloves increase health risks, pollution
TRAVERSE CITY — The irony is not lost on Michelle Klein.
The dirty sanitizing wipes, the used face masks and latex gloves that are found on the ground at gas stations, in parking lots as well as sidewalks and streets have Klein, the director of personal health at the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department, scratching her head.
NEW YORK ADOPTS DRINKING WATER STANDARD FOR 1,4-DIOXANE
Support New York’s Plan to Fight Climate Change
We Must Consider the Potential for Offshore Wind in the Great Lakes
New York State has proposed a plan to implement its nation-leading climate law
In 2019, New York State passed historic legislation to fight climate change—the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) requires NYS to achieve 70% renewable energy by 2030 and 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040. The goals set forth in the CLCPA are ambitious and absolutely necessary if we are going to step up our fight against climate change. While setting strong goals is important, goals do not have value if they are not met. Fortunately, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) recently released a White Paper that provides a roadmap for the state to implement and achieve the goals set forth in the CLCPA.
Exploring the potential for Great Lakes offshore wind power
The strong winds on the Great Lakes contain over 20% of the nation’s offshore wind potential, yet they are completely untapped. While multiple offshore wind projects are under development off New York’s Atlantic coast, there are currently no projects being considered in New York’s Great Lakes waters. As part of the White Paper, NYSERDA proposes to conduct a feasibility study to explore the potential for offshore wind in the Great Lakes (if the state study determines it is feasible, specific projects proposed in the future would need to undergo site-specific environmental review before moving forward). Offshore wind in the Great Lakes, which is responsibly-sited and respects the Great Lakes ecosystem, must be considered in order to fight climate change and meet state renewable energy goals.
We need your help! Submit a comment on the White Paper today!
The Public Service Commission is accepting public comments through its online form (comment period closes August 31). Click here to take action and submit a comment to the PSC!
Express your support for a feasibility study to explore the potential for offshore wind in the Great Lakes, and please feel free use the following talking points in your comment:
The feasibility of responsibly-sited offshore wind, which undergoes rigorous, site-specific review before construction and respects the fragile Great Lakes ecosystem, should be explored to help meet NY’s ambitious renewable energy mandate of 70% renewable energy by 2030.
The Great Lakes contain over 20% of the nation’s offshore wind potential, yet this source of clean, renewable energy is completely untapped.
Offshore wind in the Great Lakes can help to fight climate change. Climate change, fueled by our dependence on fossil fuels, has detrimental impacts to the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem, including flooding in coastal communities, extreme rain events that cause dangerous sewage overflows, increased runoff that cause harmful algal blooms and a dead zone in Lake Erie, the proliferation of invasive species and adverse impacts on native fish species, and more.
Increasing the use of offshore wind energy improves public health by reducing harmful air pollutants that contribute to heart and lung disease. Air pollution reductions from the first 2,400 MW of offshore wind in New York would be valued at roughly $1 billion and would avoid close to 100 premature deaths each year.
New York can lead the way on Great Lakes offshore wind, spurring much-needed job creation and economic development in Upstate New York. An offshore wind project supports 74 different occupations, including electricians, welders, ironworkers, millwrights, carpenters, engineers, concrete finishers, scientists, and vessel operators.
Over 500 manufacturing facilities in the U.S. make products for the wind industry, 12 of which are in New York. With Western New York’s strong manufacturing base and history, there is potential for the manufacturing of turbine parts such as blades, towers, or the raw materials, such as steel and fiberglass, to be supplied locally.
Compared to rural land-based wind farms, the interconnection distance from offshore wind farms to urban electricity grids is relatively short. By taking advantage of the short distance, offshore wind can lower transmission congestion and losses in Western New York and the Great Lakes region.
Thank you for taking action!
Sincerely,
Your friends at CCE
Highlights and Happenings: July 2020
Image by Heiko Stein from Pixabay
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
Victories! Environment Wins Big in NY Special Legislative Session
Several of our priority bills were passed by the NY Senate and Assembly this July during a special session of the legislature. Governor Cuomo has already signed the bill closing the hazardous waste loophole into law, and we are working to ensure he signs all these crucial environmental bills:
Streams protection: Expands state protections to an additional 41,000 miles of important streams throughout the state.
Closing the hazardous waste loophole: Hazardous fracking waste will no longer be able to be sent to traditional landfills or wastewater treatment plants, which are ill-equipped to handle hazardous waste—threatening our health and water.
Banning TCE in products: Trichloroethylene ("TCE") is a solvent and used in paint strippers. It is also unnecessary, causes cancer, and regularly pollutes drinking water sources.
Stopping illegal dumping: Dangerous construction and demolition debris is all too often dumped in parks and open spaces, threatening our environment and public health. This legislation holds polluters accountable with significant increased penalties for illegal dumping.
Banning PFAS in food packaging: PFAS, a dangerous suite of chemicals that are harmful to public health, are widely used in food packaging to provide water and grease resistance. This bill bans these harmful—and unnecessary—chemicals in food packaging.
Banning glyphosate on state property: Glyphosate is a dangerous herbicide that is a probable carcinogen, is ubiquitous in our waterways, and is harmful to pollinators. This bill makes our state lands glyphosate-free!
Pilot project for Adirondack road salt reduction: The over-application of road salt is damaging ecosystems, harming aquatic life, and destroying drinking water sources. This project will develop best practices to protect the Adirondack Park, and ultimately expand statewide.
NYS Sets Nation’s Strongest Drinking Water Standards for Emerging Contaminants
After three years of hard work advocating for the NYS Department of Health (DOH) to adopt drinking water standards for the toxic chemicals PFOA, PFOS, and 1,4-dioxane, the DOH officially adopted strong, enforceable drinking water standards for these contaminants in July! The Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL)—10 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 1 ppb for 1,4-dioxane—are the toughest MCLs adopted in the US and will ensure that our tap water is treated for these toxic chemicals. In fact, NY is the first state to set a 1,4-dioxane standard, and we look forward to seeing other states do the same!
Happenings
Working to Improve CT’s Bottle Bill
As part of our continuing campaign on Connecticut’s Container Deposit Law (aka “the Bottle Bill), we participated in the CT Recycler’s Coalition presentation about challenges and solutions for modernizing Connecticut’s Bottle Bill. Some important steps we could take include: increasing the deposit value from 5 to 10 cents, and expanding the deposit to juices, teas, sports drinks and other non-carbonated beverage containers. After creating a comprehensive stewardship program for beverage container recycling, Oregon and B.C. Canada have achieved redemption rates between 80-90% on covered containers (as opposed to CT, which lingers just over 50%). Stay tuned for more information on how you can help push CT to successfully modernize its Bottle Bill.
Big News for Offshore Wind
In July, Governor Cuomo announced the largest combined clean energy solicitation ever introduced in the US. NY's offshore wind projects seek up to 2,500 MW (the largest in the nation's history), and could bring NYS halfway to our offshore wind goal of 9,000 MW by 2035 (when combined with previously approved projects). While New York has once again proven to be a leader in combating climate change, our neighbors in Massachusetts are also making an important stride towards offshore wind. The nation’s first large-scale offshore wind farm (the US has one small project in operation off Rhode Island), Vineyard Wind 1, could be approved by the end of this year. Last month, we submitted public comments, worked with coalition partners, and garnered emails from NY and CT residents in support of the project. We will keep pushing federal leaders to give the final approval for Vineyard Wind 1 by the end of 2020 and make large-scale offshore wind a reality for the US.
Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay
U.S. House Takes Big Step Forward for Clean Water
As we continue our campaign to urge the U.S. to support a green economic recovery from the devastating impacts of the pandemic, the U.S. House stepped up with a strong budget for FY 2021 that supports clean water and jobs. The House-passed a budget that includes major funding increases for the Great Lakes restoration, upgrades for wastewater and drinking water infrastructure, and lead drinking water line replacement. We are now urging the U.S. Senate to follow suit!
Protecting Suffolk County NY’s Land Preservation Program
Suffolk County’s land preservation program, which began in the late ‘80s, has been the most important water quality protection initiative in the county’s history (protecting important open spaces is critical to protecting water quality). Due to current budget shortfalls from the Covid-19 pandemic, the Suffolk County Executive proposed putting forth a ballot initiative that would have allowed the county to raid funds from the land preservation program. This pandemic highlighted the importance of our parks and open spaces, and we fought hard in opposition to the potential decimation of one of the county’s pivotal environmental programs. Last month, the Suffolk County Legislature and County Executive decided to withdraw the legislation and keep this landmark program intact!
Connecticut lawmakers need to update the bottle bill
Connecticut’s container deposit law, known as the “Bottle Bill,” has been a critical part of our state’s recycling infrastructure for the last 40 years. Refundable container deposits are a proven, effective way to incentivize recycling of single-serve beverage containers and reduce litter in our communities. Unfortunately, the system has not been updated in several years to keep up with changing market trends and inflation.
New York’s tough new drinking water standards may help local residents without access to public water
Don’t let Long Island Sound become a victim of pandemic
Unanimous vote sets New York's water standards as among the nation's most strict
Your Used Mask Needs to Make It to the Trash Can
They’re on beaches, in parking lots and on sidewalks. You probably won’t catch the coronavirus from a discarded mask, but the litter poses a risk to the environment.
Helen Lowman looks at litter a lot. It’s her job. But while walking her dog in Westport, Conn., in March, she noticed an alarming trend. First she passed some dirty wipes on the ground. Then there were gloves. And finally a mask. Four months later, she said the litter of personal protective gear has only gotten worse.
