The Suffolk Department of Health says that it has found contaminants in private drinking wells near the Grumman Facility in Calverton.
Several residents in Manorville say their drinking water is contaminated with dangerous chemicals, and the Citizens Campaign for the Environment tells News 12 the chemicals came from work done over 20 years ago at the former Navy site.
67. Adrienne Esposito
Executive Director, Citizens Campaign for the Environment
Longtime Long Island environmentalist Adrienne Esposito heads up Citizens Campaign for the Environment, a 120,000-member organization with offices in Farmingdale, Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo and Connecticut. While Esposito fell short in her 2014 bid for a state Senate seat, despite public backing from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, she has continued to advocate for clean drinking water, protecting wetlands, investing in renewable energy and safer consumer products.
As Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s climate council finalizes recommendations for how the state can meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals, state agencies are simultaneously overseeing final approvals for a new natural gas-fired power plant.
Environmental advocates, elected officials and community leaders joined together for a virtual press event today to highlight public opposition to NTE Partners' proposed fracked gas plant in Killingly, and to call for a moratorium on new fossil fuel infrastructure projects in Connecticut.
Image by Gerhard G. 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.
Victory! Another Milestone to Reduced Nitrogen Pollution to the Western Bays
For decades, nitrogen pollution from sewage has caused harmful algal blooms, depleted oxygen, killed fisheries, and threatened tidal marshes in the Western Bays on Long Island. In November, the Nassau County Legislature unanimously voted “yes” to advance the much-needed project connecting the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant to an ocean outfall pipe at the Cedar Creek STP. This vote was a crucial milestone in the road to fixing our sewage infrastructure problems on the south shore of Long Island and will lead to greatly reduced nitrogen pollution entering the Western Bays.
Fighting Toxic PFAS Contamination in Connecticut
We are working throughout Connecticut to educate communities on the threat of PFAS—known as “forever chemicals”—in drinking water. In November, we joined the CT Department of Public Health and Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, as well as our environmental partners, for a discussion on PFAS contamination. Experts gave a detailed overview of the problem and the State’s response plan, followed by an informative Q&A session. If you missed the forum, watch it here!
Supporting a Clean and Equitable Transportation Sector
To address the climate crisis, we must take action to address climate pollution from the transportation sector, which accounts for more than one-third of greenhouse gas emissions (our largest source of carbon emissions). The Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI) is a regional program—consisting of 12 states (including New York and Connecticut) and the District of Columbia—which seeks to improve transportation, create green jobs, invest in disadvantaged communities, and reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector. In November, we called on Governor Cuomo and Governor Lamont to sign on to TCI—we anticipate the Governor’s to make a decision by the end of the year.
Developing a Shared Vision for Clean Water in New York
For the fourth year in a row, we convened a broad, diverse group of stakeholders from around the state for our Clean Water Roundtable (though this year the event was virtual). This group of environmental leaders, water suppliers, wastewater treatment operators, environmental justice organizations, construction contractors, and other clean water stakeholders work together to develop a list of shared priorities for clean water in New York State. We will be creating a 2021 agenda to protect water from its source to the tap, so stay tuned!
Fighting for Clean Water and Jobs in New York
In both good and bad economic times, it is critical that we maintain funding for environmental programs that support jobs, clean water, and healthy communities. New York’s environmental programs provide $40 billion to NY’s economy annually, support clean drinking water, protect public health, and help keep New Yorkers safe from the impacts of climate change. In November, we joined with a large coalition of organizations from across the state for a virtual lobby day to call on the legislature to maintain funding for key programs, including the Clean Water Infrastructure Act, Environmental Protection Fund, Parks 2020, and more!
Supporting Long Island Offshore Wind
Long Island is on the verge of becoming a national leader in offshore wind, with three projects in the pipeline and a goal of 9,000 MW from offshore wind over the next 15 years. One of the three selected projects, Sunrise Wind, will be located off the coast of Montauk and power over half a million homes. In November, we joined many of our Wind Works Long Island partners, community groups, and the public for a virtual forum hosted by project developers Ørsted and Eversource, to learn more about this project and give feedback on how to mitigate environmental and community impacts as New York moves forward with this key project.
Stop Sucking and Start Sipping!
Take the pledge to reduce the amount of plastic you use when getting take-out from restaurants. Throughout the pandemic we’ve seen a surge in the use of disposable plastics. In the U.S. we use millions of plastic straws and utensils every day, many of which ending up in our rivers, lakes, and oceans. It’s time to get back on track and reduce the amount of disposable plastics we get when ordering takeout from restaurants. Break the throw-away plastic habit and sign the pledge to reduce plastics by choosing reusable straws, utensils and bags when getting takeout at restaurants! Take the pledge TODAY!
Tackling Toxic Sites on Long Island
We have continued our work with the Calverton community to ensure residents have clean public drinking water. Many in the community are still on private wells, including residents just south of a Navy/Grumman toxic site in Suffolk County. Unfortunately, the Navy has been slow to clean up the contamination, including dangerous PFAS chemicals. Our Executive Director, Adrienne Esposito, is a member of the Calverton Restoration Advisory Board, a community oversight board, and we are fighting the public’s drinking water. In November, Adrienne was quoted in the Riverhead Local “The groundwater is held in public trust…If the Navy or anybody pollutes it, it’s their responsibility to clean it up. The Navy needs to put their big boy pants on and clean it up.” Meanwhile in Nassau County, we joined the public and stakeholders for a meeting last month about the clean-up plan for the Nav/Grumman toxic site in Bethpage. Advocates have been battling for a faster, more in-depth clean-up of the Bethpage site for years, and the Navy has finally agreed to an improved remediation plan for the community!
Upcoming: New York Leads on Climate Change
We are going to be hosting three virtual educational forums on offshore wind, with the first forum on December 15th at noon. We’ll be joined by Senator Todd Kaminsky, Assemblyman Steve Englebright, and NYSERDA to discuss Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, meeting the state’s critical and ambitious climate goals, and the important role that offshore wind will play. Following the presentations there will be a panel discussion with the speakers, as well as Julie Tighe from the New York League of Conservation Voters and Joe Martens from the NY Offshore Wind Alliance. Learn more about the event and find a register here.
Connecticut is facing a solid waste and recycling crisis. Recycling markets in China and elsewhere have closed their doors to the U.S., forcing us to deal with our long-standing solid waste problems. As a result, municipal recycling costs have skyrocketed, recycling rates have declined, and our environment and health are suffering from pollution.
Signs of our solid waste crisis are evident across Connecticut:
Over-reliance on trash incineration: CT is heavily dependent on outdated trash incinerators for waste disposal. Governor Lamont recently decided to end taxpayer subsidies for Hartford’s dirty and decades-old incinerator, leading to its impending closure. While this will be a win for taxpayers, our environment, and public health, it leaves CT with an increasingly urgent need for alternative solutions to sustainably manage this waste.
Costs to taxpayers have skyrocketed: Municipalities that were once getting paid for their recyclables must now pay to recycle. One example—Bridgeport went from $130,000 in income from recyclables to a projected $394,380 per year in expenses.
Consumer packaging is creating a major solid waste problem: Consumer packaging, such as plastic trays, StyrofoamTM containers, cardboard boxes, plastic film, and other flexible packaging makes up about 41% of Connecticut’s municipal solid waste. Less than half of this packaging waste is recycled properly in CT.
Food waste: Wasted food is a serious economic, environmental, and food security problem. The overproduction, distribution, and preparation of food has led to excessive waste of usable food scraps, contributes to climate change, and perpetuates the challenges of food insecurity. 22% of CT’s solid waste stream is food waste—this equates to roughly 520,000 tons of food being thrown away each year.
CT needs bold, transformative solutions to reduce solid waste, increase recycling, save taxpayers money, and eliminate the need for aging trash incinerators:
Hold Manufacturers—Not Taxpayers—Accountable for Costs: An Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) law for packaging allows municipalities to shift the cost of collecting and recycling packaging waste away from taxpayers and back to the manufacturers that design and profit from these products. By holding producers accountable for these costs, EPR incentivizes the design of packaging that is more environmentally friendly and easier to recycle.
Modernize Connecticut’s Bottle Bill: The Bottle Bill stands as one of CT’s most successful environmental laws since the 1980’s. Unfortunately, failure to update this law has made CT the lowest performing deposit system in the world, with a redemption rate around 50% (a 37% drop from where CT was 15 years ago). Expanding the program to include non-carbonated beverages such as juices, teas, and sports drinks can increase recycling by more than 400 million containers per year. Raising the deposit from 5 to 10 cents creates a stronger incentive to recycle.
Expand Food Waste Collection in Connecticut: CT’s Commercial Organics Recycling law requires some large food generators (e.g. food wholesalers, supermarkets, resorts) to donate or compost their unwanted food. By expanding this law to include other large food generators such as schools, hospitals, stadiums and food courts, CT could significantly reduce food waste, while increasing composting, generating clean energy, and feeding the hungry.
Thanks for taking action. Together we make a difference!
Sincerely,
Your friends at CCE
Sunrise Wind, an offshore wind joint venture between Ørsted and Eversource, has announced a purchase in Brookhaven Town – 22 Research Way, in East Setauket – a new facility that will serve as the regional Operations and Maintenance (O&M) hub for Sunrise Wind and will help support the joint venture’s portfolio of Northeast wind farms.
Data released by the U.S. Navy indicates that contamination from the former Grumman property in Calverton could be migrating farther off site and into private drinking wells, residents and elected officials said.
Advocates have for years urged the Navy to expand testing at the former Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant — which was owned by the federal government and operated by Northrop Grumman Corp. until 1996 — larger than a one-mile radius.
New York must take action to address climate pollution from the transportation sector, which accounts for more than one-third of greenhouse gas emissions (our largest source of carbon emissions). The Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI) is a regional program—along with 11 neighboring states and the District of Columbia—which seeks to improve transportation, create green jobs, invest in disadvantaged communities, and reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector.
Our outdated networks of roads, bridges, sidewalks, transit systems, and other modes of travel are plagued by problems decades in the making. These problems include congestion, delays, underfunding, inaccessibility, high costs, and pollution. This makes our day-to-day lives difficult, makes air unsafe to breathe, and contributes to the climate crisis.
TCI is an opportunity for New York to bolster the clean transportation economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a meaningful way. The TCI program will advance investment in clean vehicles and fuels, safe and affordable public transportation, equitable transportation options for disadvantaged communities, complete streets that are safe for walking and biking, and more!
New York can be a leader of the TCI program and improve the state’s transportation while helping achieve a strong and cohesive regional response to climate change. We need Governor Cuomo to commit to this important regional initiative!
Thank you for taking action!
Sincerely,
Your friends at CCE
New York is a leader in addressing climate change. In 2019, NY passed the nation’s most aggressive climate bill, which mandates 70% renewable energy by 2030. From Montauk to Niagara Falls, NY has already begun to transition to a renewable energy economy.
In the first of three virtual forums (via zoom), Senator Todd Kaminsky, Assemblyman Steve Englebright, and a representative from NYSERDA will discuss this groundbreaking legislation, the work that has been initiated to meet these critical and ambitious climate goals, and the important role that offshore wind will play.
After each presenter, there will be a question and answer session with our speakers and expert panel members, including Julie Tighe from the New York League of Conservation Voters and Joe Martens from the NY Offshore Wind Alliance.
Topic: New York Leads on Climate Change
Date: Tuesday, December 15, 2020
Time: 12:00pm -1:00pm
Register: https://forms.gle/37soQBZ5VUNULSon7 (after registering, you will receive a zoom link to participate)
This is the first of three offshore wind forums. See below for additional upcoming forum topics.
January
Date: TBA
Topic: Long Island Offshore Wind Projects
February
Date: TBA
Topic: Offshore Wind and Community Benefits
Thank you for joining us!
Sincerely,
Your friends at CCE
Last year, Governor Cuomo signed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act into law, requiring 70% renewable energy by 2030 and 9,000MW of offshore wind by 2035. The state also approved two huge offshore wind projects, Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind, which will generate a combined 1,700MW of clean, renewable energy in NYC and Long Island. Sunrise Wind will be located at least 30 miles off the coast of Montauk and will power over half a million homes while providing green jobs for New Yorkers. Orsted and Eversource, the companies developing the Sunrise Wind Farm, are hosting a free virtual open house meeting on the project on November 16. The public will have an opportunity to provide comments, so join us and speak up in favor of offshore wind.
Join us for the Orsted/Eversource virtual meeting on the Sunrise Wind Farm to learn more about this important project. Speak up in favor of transitioning from fossil fuels to offshore wind !
When: Monday, November 16, at 6:30pm
Pre-Register for the event here.
Thank you for joining us!
Sincerely,
Your Friends at CCE
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.
Victory! Reducing Nitrogen Pollution to the Western Bays
For decades, nitrogen pollution from sewage has caused harmful algal blooms, depleted oxygen, killed fisheries, and threatened tidal marshes in the Western Bays on Long Island. Last month, we joined U.S. Chuck Senator Schumer, NY Senator Todd Kaminsky, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, SUEZ, and our partners in the fight to restore the Western Bays to celebrate. Major infrastructure upgrades have been made at the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant that will drastically reduce nitrogen pollution entering the local bays and help restore water quality in these treasured waters!
Implementing New York’s Plastic Bag Ban!
While New York’s ban on carryout plastic bags was scheduled to go into effect on March 1, an industry lawsuit, coupled with the pandemic, caused the implementation date to be set back. After defeating the industry challenge in court, New York State officially began to enforce the ban on plastic bags on October 19! Make sure to always bring your own bag to the store and keep an eye out to make sure stores are not distributing single-use plastic bags. You can report non-compliance through an online form or by calling DEC at 518-402-8706.
Fighting for NY’s First Offshore Wind Farm
NY has committed to 9,000MW of offshore wind by 2035 and our first offshore wind project will be the South Fork Wind Farm off Montauk on Long Island. October brought another big milestone for the project, as Governor Cuomo signed a joint proposal to move the project forward with state agencies. But the fight isn’t over. We need New York to approve a cable connection carrying energy from the offshore turbines to an electrical substation in Town of East Hampton. Dozens of studies are already completed to ensure the project is responsibly developed, mitigates potential impacts on wildlife, and protects the coastline. Tell the NYS Public Service Commission to approve the South Fork Wind Farm cable connection.
Another Summer of Discontent for Long Island’s Waters
Last month, we joined Dr. Chris Gobler of Stony Brook University and our Long Island clean water partners to release an annual water quality map that includes harmful algal blooms, hypoxia, and fish kills. Unfortunately, the news was not good. Once again, nitrogen pollution has caused water quality impairments in nearly every major bay and estuary across the island. You can check out the map of water quality impairments and a video of the press conference for more info.
Fighting for the Great Lakes “in Washington”
While we usually lead a group of advocates down to Washington D.C. every fall to meet with Congressional offices, this year we instead held a virtual Great Lakes day via zoom with D.C. offices. We recruited strong partners to join our virtual meetings—fishing groups, wastewater treatment operators, water suppliers, and environmental justice advocates—to speak in one voice on all the issues that must be addressed to protect our lakes. Funding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, fixing our aging sewer systems, ensuring affordable drinking water, and fighting invasive species were all identified as Great Lakes priorities for the year ahead.
Stop Sucking and Start Sipping!
Take the pledge to reduce the amount of plastic you use when getting take-out from restaurants. Throughout the pandemic we’ve seen a surge in the use of disposable plastics. In the U.S. we use millions of plastic straws and utensils every day, many of which ending up in our rivers, lakes, and oceans. It’s time to get back on track and reduce the amount of disposable plastics we get when ordering takeout from restaurants. Break the throw-away plastic habit and sign the pledge to reduce plastics by choosing reusable straws, utensils and bags when getting takeout at restaurants! Take the pledge TODAY!
Improving Recycling in Connecticut
We’re happy to announce that CCE’s Lou Rosado Burch was re-elected to the CT Recyclers Coalition (CRC) board of directors at their annual meeting in October. The CRC's membership includes municipal recycling authorities, non-profit organizations and private businesses working to advance Connecticut's recycling and materials management programs at both the local and state levels. We are looking forward to working with our partners at the CRC to educate the public on important recycling issues including municipal solid waste reduction, modernizing Connecticut’s bottle bill, and increasing recycling education for CT residents and businesses.
Investigating Incinerator Ash
Our Executive Director, Adrienne Esposito, is an official member of the Ad hoc Committee on the Ash Fill formed by Brookhaven Town (NY). The committee is evaluating a proposal to locate a regional ash monofil at the current Brookhaven landfill. As part of their due diligence, we joined our fellow committee members for a visit to Covanta’s advanced metal recycling facility in Pennsylvania. The facility is able to extract gold, silver, aluminum, copper, iron and even coins and jewelry from incinerator ash. The facility is piloting options to re-use ash in roads and construction projects. The Committee also went to visit the Babylon Ash Monofill. This ashfill is located in an industrial area, bordered by cemeteries and accepts incinerator ash from the Babylon Covanta facility. The committee is tasked to provide a report on the ash fill proposal to Brookhaven Town by the end of January.
Discussing Climate Change in NY Congressional Districts 1 & 2
Long Island is on the frontlines of climate change. Our next Congressional representatives from NY-01 and NY-02 will have a crucial role to play in ensuring protections for our coastal communities, local economy, and environment. In October, we joined the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund and Students for Climate Action to host a free virtual Town Hall on Climate Change for NY Congressional Districts 1 & 2. We had a great turnout and a lively panel discussion with climate experts on the issues facing Long Island. You can check out the entire event here.
You are invited to attend a 1-hour virtual forum about how toxic PFAS chemicals affect our health and water, and to learn what can be done to protect your family from exposure to these toxic chemicals.
PFAS (sometimes referred to as “forever chemicals,” due to their persistence in soil and water) can be found in a variety of non-stick and water-resistant products including textiles, some food packaging, and even certain firefighting foams. PFAS chemicals build up in the body and contribute to a range of health impacts.
Attend our virtual event on Monday, November 9, from 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm. The discussion will be led by CCE and feature officials from the CT Department of Public Health. Most importantly, we want to hear your questions and concerns about toxic PFAS at this interactive event!
Virtual Town Hall:
When: Monday, November 9, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Where: Zoom Meetings https://zoom.us/j/92366018756
This event is being cosponsored by Yale University and Clean Water Action.
And don’t forget to take our public awareness survey on toxic PFAS, if you haven’t already!
Thank you for joining us. Together we make a difference!
Sincerely,
Your friends at CCE
We are working with Yale University to build public awareness about toxic PFAS chemicals and we need to hear from YOU!
PFAS (sometimes referred to as “forever chemicals,” due to their persistence in soil and water) can be found in a variety of non-stick and water-resistant products including textiles, some food packaging, and even certain firefighting foams. PFAS chemicals build up in the body and contribute to a range of health impacts.
Please take a 60-second survey! Responding to the survey is very important to us. Your answers will guide our work and help us gauge public awareness on toxic PFAS chemicals. Most of all, it helps us identify information gaps so we can better inform community members about how PFAS affects our environment and our health.
We are also hosting an educational forum on PFAS in CT drinking water sources. All respondents will receive a link inviting them to “zoom in” to this 1-hour virtual forum about how PFAS affect our health and water, and to learn what can be done to protect your family from exposure to these toxic chemicals.
Attend our virtual event on Monday, November 9, from 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm. The discussion will be led by CCE and feature officials from the CT Department of Public Health. Most importantly we want to hear your questions and concerns about toxic PFAS at this interactive event!
Virtual Town Hall:
When: Monday, November 9, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Where: Zoom (you will receive a zoom link after filling out the survey)
This event is being cosponsored by Yale University and Clean Water Action.
Thank you for joining us. Together we make a difference!
Sincerely,
Your friends at CCE
