Plum Island is an 840-acre island located 10 miles from Connecticut in the heart of Long Island Sound. Approximately 90% of the island is undeveloped, allowing pristine wetlands and grassland areas to flourish and giving the island tremendous ecological value. Plum Island is home to over 111 species of conservation concern, contains one of the most significant seal haul-out sites in southern New England, and is home to 228 bird species that use the island for breeding or migratory purposes.
Plum Island has long been the home of USDA’s animal disease research facility, blocking it from public access. The facility is now being relocated to the Midwest, providing a unique opportunity for a new vision for Plum Island.
For over a decade, a broad, diverse coalition, which includes elected officials, environmental groups, businesses, and Indigenous nations, has worked together to save Plum Island from large-scale private development. We have been working for permanent protection and preservation, and now is the time to get it done! We are urging the Biden administration to designate Plum Island as a National Monument, ensuring that wildlife is protected, cultural and historical values are maintained, and people are able to enjoy this unique ecosystem for generations to come.
Email President Biden today. Urge him to designate Plum Island as a National Monument and ensure that this Island will be preserved for future generations.
Thank you for taking action,
Sincerely,
Your friends at CCE
With only a couple weeks left in the New York State legislative session, it is critical that the Senate and Assembly come together and pass strong, unified legislation to tackle the state’s solid waste and recycling crisis before time runs out!
New York State is indeed suffering from a solid waste and recycling crisis—recycling costs for municipalities and taxpayers have skyrocketed, recycling rates have declined, and our environment and health are suffering from pollution caused by excessive plastic packaging. Currently, corporate brand owners bear no responsibility in managing the product packaging waste they have created.
Bills have been introduced in both the NYS Senate and Assembly to help fix our solid waste crisis. The policy, known as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), would require product manufacturers—not taxpayers—to be responsible for the cost of collecting and recycling the packaging and paper they create.
A strong EPR policy will help:
Reduce waste: EPR incentivizes producers to produce less plastic waste and packaging in the first place!
Increase recycling: New York’s recycling rate is approximately 18%, while countries that have adopted an EPR policy have rates over 70%.
Eliminate toxic chemicals: Prohibit the harmful “forever chemical” PFAS and other toxic chemicals often used in packaging.
Reduce plastic pollution in our waterways: Lake Erie is polluted with 381 metric tons of plastic while Long Island Sound has an estimated 165 million plastic particles floating in the water at any given time.
Save taxpayers money: Local governments (outside of NYC) pay $80 million annually to keep recycling programs going.
Fight climate change: EPR can lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by over 2.3 million metric tons — the equivalent of taking half a million cars off the road or reducing the state’s GHG emissions from waste by 18%
Tell elected leaders in the NYS Assembly and Senate to support passage of a strong EPR bill this session! Act today, the legislative session is scheduled to conclude in early June.
Thank you for taking action. Together we make a difference!
Sincerely,
Your friends at CCE
The New York State Assembly recently passed the Birds and Bees Protection Act, which would ban the most dangerous and unnecessary uses of toxic neonic pesticides! Neonic pesticides decimate bee and pollinator populations, contaminate New York’s water resources, and threaten food security and human health.
There are only a handful of days left in New York State’s legislative session. We need the New York State Senate to follow the Assembly and pass this important legislation before it’s too late. Email your NYS Senator and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins today and urge the NYS Senate to pass the Birds and Bees Protection Act this session!
Pollinators, such as honeybees, beetles, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds, are essential components of our food web. Massive bee die-off events and colony collapse disorder are putting our ecosystem and food production at risk. This rise in bee deaths has been largely linked to the explosive growth in the use of neonicotinoids and other harmful pesticides. Neonicotinoids (A.K.A. “neonics”) are pesticides that attack the nervous system of insects. These pesticides are largely added as a seed coating to plants, such as corn, wheat, and soybeans and are used as a spray for ornamental plants and turf. As a seed coating these chemicals persist and spread as the plant grows, making the entire plant toxic to bees and other pollinators.
Neonics are also threatening New York’s waters. A 2018 U.S. Fish and Wildlife study found neonics in New York’s streams “in excess of toxicity and regulatory thresholds. Additionally, extensive testing of New York’s surface waters by the USGS in 2016, found the neonic imidacloprid in nearly 40% of samples. Neonics are persistent in our water and environment, posing a serious threat to health and pollinators.
Corn, soy, and wheat treated seeds account for an estimated 73% of all neonics used in New York, while lawn and garden (aka cosmetic) uses make up an additional 15%. A 2020 report by Cornell University found that neonic treated corn, soy, and wheat seeds provide "no overall net income benefits" to farmers yet pose significant risk to bees and other pollinators. Likewise, cosmetic uses posed some of the highest risk to pollinators but are easily replaced with safer alternatives. The Birds and Bees Protection Act (S.699C/A.7429A) would ban neonic treated seeds and the use of neonics on lawns, gardens, and ornamental plants.
Thank you! Together we can make a difference.
All of Us at CCE
New York has a mandate to transition to clean power. The state’s landmark 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act says the state must reach 100 percent zero-emissions electricity by 2040, but a major obstacle stands in the way: New York City’s grid. Some 85 percent of the Big Apple’s electricity comes from fossil fuels. By comparison, upstate New York runs on a grid that’s powered by 88 percent clean energy.
ALBANY, N.Y. —
The New York State legislature has three weeks left this session to remove the economic burden of hundreds of millions of dollars from taxpayers and municipalities by coming together to the table to come to an agreement and pass extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation. EPR is a strategy that mandates producers’ responsibility for their packaging by making them financially accountable for its end-of-life. In addition to its economic benefits, EPR will also bring universal curbside recycling to all New Yorkers and make it as easy to recycle as throw something away, which positively impacts the climate, reduces waste destined for disposal, and cleans up our communities. State and national leaders from Citizens Campaign for the Environment, the New York League of Conservation Voters, the New York Product Stewardship Council, and The Recycling Partnership have joined together to bring to the forefront that there is no better time in New York’s history to make as big an impact on the state’s recycling system as there is now.
Last year, 2021 set the pace for the United States to develop offshore wind in the Atlantic Ocean. The Biden administration wants America to generate 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030.
A year later, there was a flurry of development offshore in New York and Connecticut. Because New England’s offshore winds are speedy and steady, with shallow waters, the region is ideal for the future of America’s offshore wind.
NEW YORK -- For the first time in U.S. history, the president has named a Black, openly gay woman to be White House Press Secretary.
Enthusiasm and pride are bubbling over in the Long Island communities where Karine Jean-Pierre grew up and attended school, CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reported Friday.
Riverhead Town officials remain hopeful additional federal funding could eventually allow for homes in Manorville to connect to the Riverhead Water District after the town did not receive funding as part of the $638 million allocated to 199 water infrastructure projects through the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation.
CARLE PLACE, NY (April 25, 2022) - Today, Senator Anna M. Kaplan (D-North Hills) passed legislation, S.23A/A.4386, to promote the development of new electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure to help ease the transition to electric vehicles by New Yorkers. The bill passed as part of a package of legislation supported by Senator Kaplan that will combat climate change and promote environmental conservation.
