Fight Climate Change: Support Offshore Wind in New York!

Join us for a virtual meeting on the Sunrise Wind Farm—to be located at least 30 miles off Montauk, Long Island—and speak up in support of offshore wind!

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) recently kicked off the scoping process for the Sunrise Wind Farm, which was selected by New York State in 2019. This is one of five offshore wind farms that were selected by New York State—each of which will go through a thorough environmental review and have opportunity for public input. The Sunrise Wind Farm will be located at least 30 miles off the coast of Montauk, Long Island, and will power over half a million homes while providing green jobs for New Yorkers. 

The scoping meetings are an opportunity for the public to find out more about the project, speak out on the importance of offshore wind, and weigh in on the upcoming environmental review process for Sunrise Wind. Learn more about this project and register for a virtual public meeting on Sunrise Wind here.

Sunrise Wind Scoping Virtual Meetings

• Thursday, September 16 at 5:30 p.m.

• Monday, September 20 at 1:00 p.m.

• Wednesday, September 22 at 5:30 p.m.

Thank you for joining us!

Sincerely,
Your Friends at CCE

Protect Our Drinking Water

Image by brisch27 from Pixabay

New York Must Test Drinking Water for Dangerous Emerging Contaminants!

In recent years, high profile incidents of drinking water contamination in New York communities have highlighted the critical need to improve drinking water protection. Emerging contaminants have polluted drinking water supplies in communities across New York State, often at levels above federal health guidelines. Unfortunately, due to a lack of testing, residents have been left in the dark when dangerous chemicals are lurking in their drinking water. Every New Yorker deserves the right to know if there are dangerous emerging contaminants in their drinking water! 

New York State Must Act to Protect our Drinking Water!
New York has made strides in identifying and setting strong drinking water standards for a limited number of emerging contaminants (i.e. PFOA, PFOS, and 1,4-dioxane) but little has been done to address the ever-growing number of new emerging contaminants that threaten public health in communities across the state.

To address the growing threat of emerging contaminants in drinking water, the New York State Senate and Assembly passed legislation (A.126A/S.1759A) to significantly expand drinking water testing. The legislation would:

• Expand testing of our drinking water for more contaminants by establishing the state’s first list of emerging contaminants and require that every drinking water system test for these contaminants. This bill lists a minimum of 40 emerging contaminants that all New York public water systems must test for in drinking water. The list includes chemicals known to occur in some NY water systems, as well as new and emerging threats, including many PFAS chemicals (e.g. GenX). The NYS Department of Health would also be required to update the list at least every three years to ensure that all communities are testing for the most up-to-date list of emerging contaminants.

• Close the loophole for smaller water systems. Smaller water systems, which serve less than 10,000 residents, would have to test for emerging contaminants. This would help protect the drinking water for an additional 2.5 million New Yorkers.

Email Governor Hochul today and urge her to expand testing of drinking water for new emerging contaminants by signing this important bill (A.126A/S.1759A) into law.

Background Information

New Emerging Contaminants Pose a Threat to Drinking Water and Public Health
Industries regularly replace toxic chemicals they use for a newer “safer alternative.” Unfortunately, the alternatives are often just as toxic as the chemicals they replace. This has been the case with a chemical known as GenX, which was used to replace a different PFAS chemical, and has now been found polluting water resources in other parts of the country. New York State must stay ahead of the curve and ensure that all water systems in the state are testing the most up-to-date list of emerging contaminants. Expanded testing is needed to protect public health.

Federal Loophole Leaves Smaller Communities at Risk
Regrettably, the federal Safe Drinking Water Act does not require smaller water systems, serving less than 10,000 residents, to test for many emerging contaminants. This federal loophole puts New Yorker’s health at risk—there are approximately 2.5 million New Yorkers served by smaller water systems that do not test for many emerging contaminants, such as chromium-6, a known carcinogen.

This problem was exemplified in December of 2020, when elevated levels of the contaminant known as PFNA were detected in the small public water supply system for the Village of Mayville, NY. PFNA is a member of the class of chemicals known as PFAS, which have been linked to immune disorders, cancer, and other adverse health impacts. As result, the Department of Health issued a “Do Not Drink” advisory and pallets of bottled water were distributed to residents. 

Prior to discovering the contamination, Mayville residents were unaware that they were regularly being exposed to a dangerous contaminant every time they turned on the faucet. PFNA could have been detected and treated for much earlier if all New York water systems were required to test for certain emerging contaminants. Across New York, there are millions of residents who are being served by water systems that do not test for emerging contaminants. All water systems, regardless of size, should be testing for dangerous emerging contaminants.

Thank you for taking action!

Sincerely, 
Your friends at CCE

Highlights and Happenings: July 2021

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.

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Highlights

Victory! Celebrating Passage of Connecticut’s PFAS Law 

We were thrilled to attend a bill signing ceremony for a new law prohibiting the use of food packaging and firefighting foam treated with toxic PFAS in CT. The law will go a long way to protect human health from PFAS chemicals which can leach out of food packaging, and to prevent contamination of CT waterways from fluorinated firefighting foams. The law also authorizes CT to establish a buyback program to remove stockpiles of PFAS-treated foams that remain in storage at airports, military installations, and firefighting training facilities across the state. 

Victory! Suffolk County, NY Passes Honeybee Protection Bill 

Honeybees are an integral component of our food web, but unfortunately, global populations of honeybees have declined since 2005. We worked with Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski to craft and introduce an important bill to prevent exterminators in Suffolk County from exterminating honeybee hives without first calling a beekeeper. Beekeepers can come to resident’s homes, remove the hive and provide the honeybees with a safe home. 

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Happenings

Voices for Wind 

Offshore wind will play a crucial role in allowing NY to reach our renewable energy targets under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Law. To ensure we meet these important goals, including 9,000MW of offshore wind, we have been working with a diverse coalition of student groups, community stakeholders, elected leaders, environmental experts, labor leaders, and more to voice support for offshore wind on Long Island. We recently compiled short videos from a variety of these prominent “Voices for Wind” in an interactive map, which allows our partners and the public to share why they support transitioning away from fossil fuels to offshore wind in their community. Check out our “Voices for Wind” series today! 

Vote Yes For Clean Water and Air! 

This fall, New Yorkers will have the historic opportunity to establish the right to clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment into the Bill of Rights of the New York State constitution. We have joined the Vote YES for Clean Air and Water coalition to establish the highest legal protection available under law to protect public health and the environment. This election season, registered voters across New York State will be able to vote YES to guarantee: “Each person shall have the right to clean air and water, and a healthful environment.” Voting YES on environmental rights will create legal safeguards for New Yorkers to secure clean air and water for generations to come. And we’ll need your help to get the word out to voters from the Adirondacks to the Great Lakes to Long Island Sound and everywhere in between. Click here to learn more about the campaign and pledge to vote YES for clean water and air! 

Fighting for Federal Action on PFAS 

We joined with U.S. Senator Blumenthal and our allies at Clean Water Action CT last month for a press conference calling attention to the use of toxic PFAS in many cosmetic products. Putting on lipstick and mascara in the morning should not mean increasing our risk of cancer. We are pushing for the adoption of bipartisan legislation prohibiting PFAS from cosmetics at the federal level. 

Slash Transportation-Section Carbon Pollution 

The transportation sector is the largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions in the NY, CT and the U.S. The Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI) is a regional approach to addressing the pollution and climate change emissions from the transportation sector. TCI seeks to improve transportation, develop the clean energy economy, and reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector. TCI would provide green jobs, protect the health of communities, help New York meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets and address climate change. However, New York has yet to commit to the TCI-P. We are urging Governor Cuomo to commit New York to the TCI program! Please sign on and urge Governor Cuomo to support an equitable and sustainable transformation of New York’s transportation sector by committing to TCI. 

Fire Island Wastewater Solutions 

In July, we were proud to announce the first ever Fire Island Wastewater Solutions Planning & Engineering Study. This critical process was spearheaded by Suffolk County Legislator Steve Flotteron and CCE Executive Director, Adrienne Esposito. Now we can take the first step towards understanding the extent of the Fire Island nitrogen pollution problem and finding solutions that protect our waterways, fisheries, and community. To learn more about this project, check out our press conference here. 

Be on the Watch for Harmful Algal Blooms 

As the weather begins to get warmer, and we start spending more time outside and lakeside, it is important to be aware of dangerous harmful algal blooms (HABs). HABs pose 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 2020, over 900 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! 

Bringing Hydropower to New York 

Thanks to everyone who joined last month’s “Bringing Hydropower to NY Forum” to learn about how transporting excess Canadian hydropower to NYC can help us combat climate change and transition from polluting fossil fuel power plants to renewable energy. The virtual event, co-hosted by CCE and the NY League of Conservation Voters, and featuring experts from Hydro-Québec and Transmission Developers Inc., is available here. 

Telling the Story of a 20-year CCE Career 

We were honored to create a short video for the middle school and high school students of Junior Achievement of WNY as part of their Inspire Career Speaker Series. Check out this video of Brian Smith, CCE’s Associate Executive Director, speak about his two-decade career at CCE! 

Highlighting Smart Irrigation Month 

July is Smart Irrigation month, and we celebrated by joining members of the Suffolk County Legislature to discuss the importance of water conservation on Long Island. Water conservation is a critical component of protecting our sole source aquifer through the use of conservation measures, especially during peak water usage times in the summer months, and the use of smart irrigation systems. You can check out Adrienne Esposito’s remarks on the importance of water conservation here. 

Just Released: Long Island’s “Voices for Wind”

Congressman Tom Suozzi, Congresswoman Kathleen Rice, NY Senator Todd Kaminsky, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran and so many other prominent voices provided 30 second video messages on why they support offshore wind!

Check out our new video series and interactive map featuring diverse Long Island voices on why they support offshore wind

New York is a leader in offshore wind development. In 2019, NY passed the nation’s most aggressive climate bill, which mandates 70% renewable energy by 2030 and 9,000MW of offshore wind by 2035. To meet these ambitious goals, New York has already selected five offshore wind projects that will power over two million homes in NYC and Long Island. 

We have been working with a diverse coalition of student groups, community stakeholders, elected leaders, environmental experts, labor leaders, and more to voice support for offshore wind on Long Island. We recently compiled short videos from a variety of these prominent “Voices for Wind” in an interactive map, which allows our partners and the public to share why they support transitioning away from fossil fuels to offshore wind in their community.   Check out our “Voices for Wind” series today!

If you would like to submit a video please contact CCE Executive Director, Adrienne Esposito at aesposito@citizenscampaign.org. 

Sincerely, 
Your friends at CCE

Victory: Suffolk County Legislature Unanimously Passes Honeybee Protection Bill

Suffolk County agrees that honeybees must be protected, not exterminated!

Honeybees are an integral component of our food web, but unfortunately, global populations of honeybees have declined since 2005. Massive bee die-off events and colony collapse disorder are putting our ecosystem and food production at risk. 

We worked with Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski to craft and introduce an important bill to prevent exterminators in Suffolk County from exterminating honeybee hives without first calling a beekeeper. Beekeepers can come to resident’s homes, remove the hive and provide the honeybees with a safe home. We are excited that Suffolk is leading the way to protect our agricultural industry, ecosystem, and critical pollinator populations.

Thanks to everyone who wrote their legislators and testified in support – the legislature has unanimously passed the Honeybee Protection Bill! 

And thank you to the Long Island Community Foundation for your support of our work to protect honeybees!

Sincerely, 
Your friends at CCE 

VISIT THE ATLANTIC’S ONLY MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENT

Photo By: NOAA

ATTEND A VIRTUAL EXPEDITION INTO THE NORTHEAST CANYONS AND SEAMOUNTS

You are invited to attend a live stream of NOAA’s Okeanos Explorer Expedition into the Northeast Canyons and Seamount National Monument! Join Mystic Aquarium on July 27th for a rare glimpse of the explorer dive into the monument, followed by a live virtual Q & A session with experts from Mystic Aquarium, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and NOAA Okeanos Explorer. This event is part of NOAA’s 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones: New England and Corner Rise Seamounts Expedition. 

WHEN:  Tuesday July 27, 1:00pm
REGISTER: Click here to register (we’ll email you the link for the live stream, notify you of any delays, and send you a recording afterward in case you missed the live stream)
MORE INFO: Visit the USFWS website 

PLEASE NOTE: Dive schedule subject to change.

About the Monument

The Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument is a genuine biodiversity hotspot, located about 130 miles off Cape Cod. Established in 2016, the monument supports a multitude of marine species, including ancient corals, rare fin fish and marine mammals. 

This area plays a critical role in bolstering threatened and endangered species throughout the region, including humpback whales, endangered wright whales, loggerhead sea turtles, bottlenose dolphins, and many others. Recent expeditions into the monument have led to incredible advancements in marine sciences—new species have been discovered with each expedition! 

The Biden administration is taking steps to ensure that this national treasure is protected for generations to come. Join the virtual deep dive to learn about what makes this area so important!

Thank you for joining us. Together we make a difference!

Sincerely,
Your friends at CCE

Highlights and Happenings: June 2021

Image by Dimitris Vetsikas 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.

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Highlights

Victory! Priority bills that were passed by the New York State legislature (we’ll be working to ensure that all these bills are signed by the Governor) at the end of session in June: 

• Protecting drinking water from emerging contaminants: This will require drinking water suppliers to test for additional toxic chemicals, including currently unregulated toxic PFAS chemicals. The bill would also require smaller water suppliers to test for emerging contaminants—helping to protect the drinking water for an additional 2.5 million New Yorkers.

• Banning coal car sealant – After a decade of work, we have successfully lobbied the New York State legislature to pass a ban on the use of coal tar in paving products. Coal tar contains a known human carcinogen and contaminates local waterways. Safe and effective alternatives are readily available.

• Expanding kelp aquaculture - Kelp aquaculture is a growing industry with significant economic, health, and environmental benefits. This legislation would allow for kelp aquaculture in Gardiners and Peconic Bays, create a local kelp farming industry, and help restore water quality and fish habitat in our Long Island east end bays.

• Keeping drinking water lead-free at schools: This bill sets a more protective standard for lead in school drinking water and increases the frequency of testing. There is no safe level of exposure to lead, especially for our children.

Victory! Connecticut Legislative Victories: 

• Modernizing the CT Bottle Bill- This law will expand CT’s container deposit law to cover juices, teas, sports drinks, hard seltzer and hard ciders; double the refundable container deposit from $.05 to $.10 cents, and significantly increase access to convenient recycling options for deposit containers! Gov. Lamont signed the bill into law in late June.

• Protecting our health and water from toxic PFAS chemicals- The CT General Assembly unanimously passed a ban on toxic PFAS chemicals in food service packaging and in firefighting foams. The legislation will also enable the state to establish a buyback program for existing stockpiles of PFAS treated firefighting foams that remain in storage at airports and firefighting training facilities across CT.

• Strengthening CT’s Sewage Right-to-Know Law - This is a much-needed update to CT’s sewage pollution right to know law, which requires wastewater treatment operators to provide timely public notification any time raw or partially treated sewage overflows into our waterways and ensures downstream communities are notified of these sewage overflows. This bill has been signed into law.

Victory! Suffolk County Passes Critical Environmental Bills 

In June, the Suffolk County Legislature passed two of CCE’s priority bills. Suffolk has passed a bee protection law that requires homeowners, pesticide applicators, and exterminators dealing with an unwanted honeybee infestation to first call a beekeeper, who can safely relocate the hive. The legislature also approved increased funding for the Suffolk County septic replacement program, which provides homeowners grants to replace outdated septic and cesspools with advanced, nitrogen-reducing systems that protect our drinking water and waterways. NYS provided $10 million, and Suffolk County will allocate $20 million for the program this year. Thanks to all who testified in support! 

Connecticut’s Plastic Bag Ban is in Effect! 

The statewide ban on single-use plastic shopping bags went into effect on July 1st! Plastic bags contaminate our waterways, threaten aquatic wildlife and create costly infrastructure problems. Connecticut residents (and everyone else) – remember to bring your own reusable bags to the store! 

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Happenings

Urging Congress to Invest in Clean Water Infrastructure 

Congress is currently developing next year’s federal budget while also considering a major infrastructure package. This provides our nation with a critical once-in-a-generation opportunity to finally address our long-standing clean water needs! We have launched our campaign pushing Congress to invest in upgrading sewage and drinking water systems and replacing lead service lines, which will protect public health, protect our drinking water for future generations, and create jobs. If you haven’t yet, take action today! 

Fighting for Environmental Justice in Brookhaven, NY 

A massive 228-acre solid waste transfer facility has been proposed on the last heavily forested area of Yaphank. The proposed facility would be the largest in the state, taking up to 6,000 tons of waste per day and then shipping the waste via rail off the island. Instead of going through an important public process, including public hearings, the Town of Brookhaven is considering allowing the federal government to usurp local control and ignore community voices. Last month, we joined the Brookhaven Town NAACP and concerned community members to call on the town to NOT relinquish local control to a federal agency for a massive solid waste facility. 

Exploring the Potential for Great Lakes Wind 

In June, we provided testimony at a hearing held by NYSERDA in support of a study to determine the feasibility of Great Lakes wind (if determined feasible, CCE strongly believes that any future offshore wind project is responsibly-sited and is evaluated to protect the Great Lakes ecosystem and the lakes’ many uses). In June, we also worked to oppose a resolution proposed in Erie County, NY that opposed Great Lakes wind, prior to the completion of the state’s feasibility study. The anti-wind resolution included misinformation on wind power and opposed Great Lakes wind before important studies have even been completed (the anti-wind resolution did not pass!). Want to learn more about exploring the potential for Great Lakes wind? 

Victory! Landfill Lawsuit May Bring Justice for Brookhaven Community Members 

For decades, those living and working in the Brookhaven community near the landfill have complained of foul odors, poor air quality, harmful health impacts, and decreased quality of life. Out of 105 employees at the Frank P. Long Middle School, which is immediately adjacent to the landfill, 38 have developed cancer and 10 have passed away. In June, the court rejected all the Town’s legal defenses in an action by 25 plaintiffs, including 6 estates. The court’s decision essentially assures there will be a trial in front of a jury where the community can get justice. 

Image by doskey12 from Pixabay

Wind Works for Long Island 

In June, the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced public scoping hearings on the Empire Wind project. This is an important step for advancing offshore wind in NY and meeting our goals of 9,000 MW by 2035. The Empire Wind Farm, located off the coast of Long Beach, will generate enough renewable energy to power 500,000 New York homes. We submitted comments in support of the project in June, but in case you missed it you can still attend a public meeting and weigh in in support of the offshore project on July 13th. 

Be on the Watch for Harmful Algal Blooms 

As the weather begins to get warmer, and we start spending more time outside and lakeside, it is important to be aware of dangerous harmful algal blooms (HABs). HABs pose 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 2020, over 900 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! 

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Upcoming: Bringing Hydropower to New York 

Join us to learn about how transporting excess Canadian hydropower to NYC can help us combat climate change and transition from polluting fossil fuel power plants to renewable energy in our communities. The free virtual event, co-hosted by CCE and the NY League of Conservation Voters and featuring experts from Hydro-Québec and Transmission Developers Inc. will take place July 14th at 12pm. Register today. 

Join us for an Informative Webinar on Bringing Hydropower to New York

Join Citizens Campaign for the Environment and the New York League of Conservation Voters for a webinar on “Bringing Hydropower to New York.” Join us to learn more about this proposal to bring existing, excess power from Canadian hydropower facilities to New York City via a transmission line down the Hudson River. The Hudson Champlain Power Express transmission line is approved and could bring 1,000 - 2,500MW of clean, renewable power to the NYC grid. Join CCE, NYLCV, and experts from Hydro-Québec to learn more about this project and the benefits of bringing Canadian hydropower to NYC.  

New York has advanced the most ambitious climate legislation in the country with the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), which requires us to achieve 70% renewable energy by 2030 and carbon-free electricity by 2040. One major obstacle our state faces in reaching CLCPA goals is that there is a “tale of two grids,” with upstate New York using 88% zero-emission hydropower resources but only representing 1/3 of the state’s energy load, while downstate still relies primarily on fossil fuels while consuming 2/3 of the state’s total energy. 

Advancing offshore wind, solar, and energy storage downstate is critical, but we will also need to bring additional renewable energy into the New York City energy mix if we are going to reach our CLCPA goals. Join us to find out more about how transporting excess Canadian hydropower to NYC can help us combat climate change and transition from polluting fossil fuel peaker plants to renewable energy in our communities. 

Topic: Bringing Hydropower to New York
Date: Wednesday, July 14, 2021
Time: 12:00PM - 1:00PM 
Where: Zoom - click here to register today! After registering, you will receive a zoom link to participate.
Speakers:

• Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, Citizens Campaign for the Environment

• Julie Tighe, President, NY League of Conservation Voters

• Gary Sutherland, Director of Strategic Affairs and Stakeholder Relations, Hydro-Québec

• Donald Jessome, CEO, Transmission Developers Inc.

Thank you for joining us!

Sincerely, 
Your friends at CCE