Lee Zeldin is one Trump nominee who cannot be easily put into a box.
When Adrienne Esposito, executive director of a New York environmental group, appealed to the then-congressman to keep funding for Long Island Sound restoration in the federal budget, he and two other representatives from the state secured the reauthorization of $65 million per year in 2018.
When he served as a Republican congressman from New York, Lee Zeldin delighted environmentalists by championing efforts to protect critical wildlife habitat from potential development efforts, including a golf course proposed by Donald Trump.
State, town and county officials announced on Tuesday the completion of a $13.7 million sewer project in downtown Central Islip that they hope will spur long-sought development there.
The project includes about 4,500 feet of new sewer line installed along Carleton Avenue, according to state officials, with “an average flow of 277,000 gallons per day.” Civic leaders and government officials at a news conference touted the infrastructure as “vital to the success” of the hamlet’s downtown by allowing restaurants and increased density.
City officials and water management experts are working to stop overflows from New York’s archaic sewer system without really knowing how much worse climate change will make storm surges and extreme rainfall.
As climate change intensifies, New York City is increasingly facing weather extremes. Currently, the city is on drought watch, and recently, wildfires have erupted in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and neighboring New Jersey and Connecticut.
With the holiday season upon us, our minds turn to traditions — Thanksgiving meals filled with comfort and gratitude, and other gatherings of family and friends over the coming weeks.
These moments of celebration are precious, but they also give us an opportunity to reflect on what it means to give back. Thanksgiving, rooted in the idea of gratitude, serves as a poignant reminder of our privilege and the responsibility to extend a hand to others. Here on Long Island, where vibrant communities thrive amid significant challenges, there is no shortage of causes deserving our time, attention and generosity.
One of Michael E. White's prized possessions is a flag commemorating the first Earth Day in 1970.
More than a half-century later, the environmental lawyer has been selected by Stony Brook University to serve as interim director of its Waste Reduction and Management Institute. He is principal investigator overseeing a state-funded study of Long Island's municipal trash and recycling programs. The institute is using a $250,000 grant for the research.
The views are certainly mixed, to put it mildly, about President-elect Donald Trump announcing last week that he would nominate Lee Zeldin, the former congressman from Suffolk County, to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
New York faces a major environmental decision as it considers what role — if any — it wishes to play in the future of Whitney Park, a 36,202-acre tract of land in the central Adirondacks. We think the potential opportunity to acquire such a large piece of wild land is a once-in-a-generation opportunity that demands prudence.
For immediate release: December 15, 2024
For more information, contact: Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director: 516-390-7150, aesposito@citizenscampaign.org
Albany, NY – Governor Kathy Hochul has vetoed the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act (S.3185A/A.10140), which was resoundingly passed by the NYS Legislature and has immense support from the public. This law would have prohibited the taking of horseshoe crabs for commercial and biomedical purposes in New York. A broad coalition of advocates and environmental organizations are disturbed by the Governor’s decision to veto this bill.
In response to the veto, Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, Citizens Campaign for the Environment said:
“Governor Hochul didn’t just drop the ball; she dropped the axe by vetoing the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act. It’s unacceptable to allow the continued antiquated practice of chopping up horseshoe crabs so they can be used as bait by fisherman. Overharvesting has drastically depleted horseshoe crab populations, to the point where they now face local extinction. This archaic harvesting practice should have been left in the past, but with this veto, horseshoe crabs may be lost to history. We are appalled that Governor Hochul squandered a rare and special opportunity to save an ancient species from extinction. The Governor’s inaction is not only harmful to horseshoe crabs, but also to the many other species that rely on them, such as the Red Knot. Other states have already passed or are considering legislation to end the taking of horseshoe crabs, but New York has repeatedly failed to implement any meaningful protections. We are truly saddened that we are now more likely to see horseshoe crabs in museums than on our shores.”
Horseshoe Crabs have existed for over 350 million years, having shared the planet with the dinosaurs. Horseshoe crabs act as a keystone species in the food web, their eggs are the single most important food source for millions of migrating shorebirds, including threatened birds, such as the Red Knot. As horseshoe crab populations have drastically dropped, so has the Red Knot’s. Experts predict the Red Knot may become extinct unless action is taken to protect horseshoe crabs. Sharks, sportfish, sea turtles, and other species also feed on horseshoe crabs, making them critical to the food web and a diverse ecosystem.
According to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, horseshoe crab populations have been in decline for at least 15 years. This is largely due to harvesting by commercial fishermen who chop up the crabs and use them as bait for eel and conch. Horseshoe crabs are slow to mature and therefore very susceptible to harvesting impacts. Alternative eel and conch bait are in development to reduce the exploitation of horseshoe crabs while satisfying the needs of fishermen.
Horseshoe crab’s blue blood is used by pharmaceutical and medical manufacturers to test products for the presence of bacterial substances known as endotoxins. However, New York has not issued permits for biomedical harvesting of horseshoe crabs in over 10 years. Now there are synthetic alternatives that are widely available and are an effective replacement for the blue blood of horseshoe crabs.
Over 40,000 letters, post cards, and emails from members of the public have been sent to the Governor in support of the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act and yet, the Governor ignored all of them. Connecticut has already banned the taking of horseshoe crabs and other states are considering similar action which may drive increased harvesting in New York’s waters. The Horseshoe Crab Protection Act (S.3185A/A.10140) would have prohibited that taking of horseshoe crabs for commercial and biomedical purposes and would have protected this vulnerable species and the many other species who rely on them.
The New York State Legislature passed a bill last June banning the harvesting of horseshoe crabs for bait and biomedical purposes, and environmental groups are pressuring Governor Kathy Hochul to sign the bill before the end of the year.
SOURCE:
By Denise Civiletti - November 18, 2024
Environmental advocates have launched a full-court press to get Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign a bill that would ban the harvesting of horseshoe crabs in New York.
The Horseshoe Crab Protection Act, passed by the State Legislature in June bans the taking of horseshoe crabs from New York waters for commercial fishing or biomedical purposes. Hochul has until the end of the year to sign the bill into law.
The legislation aims to protect an ancient species advocates say plays a vital role in the marine ecosystem but its decline is so serious they describe the arthropod as “on the brink of local extinction.”
Horseshoe crabs, which evolved more than 200 million years ago, are found from Nova Scotia to Mexico and live year-round in Long Island Sound. Its decline, due to harvesting and habitat loss, is documented by the Long Island Sound Study research.
Horseshoe crabs are an important bait for commercial fishermen of whelk and eel. Horseshoe crab is the only usable bait for commercial fishermen catching whelk, Rob Carpenter of the Long Island Farm Bureau told Times Beacon Record Newspapers in June. The bill would severely impact Long Island’s commercial fishing industry, he said.
Horseshoe crabs are also harvested for biomedical purposes. Their blood is used to perform safety checks for a variety of vaccines, injectable drugs, intravenous solutions and implantable medical devices such as pacemakers. Pharmaceutical companies have been developing synthetic alternatives to the horseshoe crab’s blood, and the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) is in the process of adopting guidelines for synthetic alternatives to horseshoe crab blood. The guidelines are expected to become official in May.
Under current New York State law, the horseshoe crab is a fishery managed by the State Department of Environmental Conservation, which by regulation has imposed daily trip limits and an annual quota of 150,000 horseshoe crabs.
The Horseshoe Crab Protection Act, sponsored by Assembly Member Deborah Glick and State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, both Democrats who represent districts in Manhattan, passed the legislature in largely party-line votes in both chambers.
The East End legislative delegation, State Senator Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) and Assembly Members Fred Thiele (D-Sag Harbor) and Jodi Giglio (R-Baiting Hollow), opposed the bill.
Giglio told Newsday in June she feared the ban would put some commercial fishermen on Long Island out of business because horseshoe crabs are the best bait for conk and eel.
Over the past three decades, the horseshoe crab population has crashed and their habitat is rapidly disappearing, according to a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity in February, asking the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to list the Atlantic horseshoe crab as an endangered or threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act.
“American horseshoe crab populations have crashed primarily due to habitat loss and overharvesting by commercial fisheries and biomedical industries. In 2022, nearly one million crabs were harvested for biomedical bleeding, including female crabs. Biomedical harvests also can occur at any time of year, including during spawning season. Horseshoe crab blood harvests have nearly doubled since 2017,” the petition states.
Overharvesting for bait in the 1990s decimated the populations along the Atlantic coast, the Center for Biological Diversity said in its petition. The populations have never recovered and remain at one-third of what they were before the overharvesting of the 1990s.
“Despite low horseshoe crab populations and egg densities, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission…in 2021… recommend[ed] increased horseshoe crab harvests and harvests of female horseshoe crabs,” the petition states.
The horseshoe crab’s overall vulnerability to climate change was ranked by NOAA as “very high” in 2023, according to the petition.
“Sea level rise and extreme weather events fueled by climate change have resulted in the destruction of spawning beach habitat. Shoreline hardening through sea walls, jetties, and bulkheads, has further degraded horseshoe crab habitat. Habitat loss has reduced the available grounds for spawning horseshoe crabs and their eggs. Dredging and harbor deepening have increased across the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and resulted in substantial mortality events for horseshoe crabs and destruction of their habitat,” the petition continues.
The Group for the East End, based in Southold, has launched an email campaign to urge Hochul to sign the bill.
“While horseshoe crabs have played an integral role in the biomedical and commercial fishery industries, it has been to their detriment. Alternatives for biomedical use of horseshoe crab blood exist and have become mainstream,” the Group for the East End said.
“If alternatives are not utilized for commercial bait, the horseshoe crab population will likely continue to decline beyond repair. What impacts might this have on the fishery industry if action isn’t taken?” the organization said on its website.
Connecticut adopted “stringent regulations” last year to help boost horseshoe crab populations, Group for the East End notes. That will likely increase harvest rates in New York waters, the organization said.
The DEC’s management strategy “has brought horseshoe crabs to the brink of local extinction,” Group for the East End says.
The organization has published an online form for sending a message to the governor urging her to sign the legislation. Access the form here.
“This legislation will allow the populations to recover and ensure the survival of this important species,” Citizens Campaign for the Environment said in a press release yesterday. “Governor Hochul has been reluctant to sign the bill, and she only has 6 more weeks to do so.”
The Farmingdale-based organization released a letter yesterday written by conservation scientist Jane Goodall to Hochul on Nov. 12, asking the governor to sign the bill into law.
“By signing this bill, you can ensure the survival of the horseshoe crab and the many species that depend on it,” Goodall wrote. “I have devoted my life to preserving the planet and I hope together, we can make a lasting difference in this important corner of the world.”
Donald Trump’s recent appointments for key environmental positions during his second term as president are causing quite the stir among environmentalists and policy experts. The names spotlighted, particularly former Congressman Lee Zeldin, have raised concerns about the potential rollback of regulations aimed at protecting the environment. Zeldin has been nominated to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and many local activists have expressed skepticism about his commitment to environmental issues.
LONG LAKE — Eight conservation groups jointly sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul urging the state to “act swiftly” to purchase and preserve Whitney Park.
The letter was signed by leaders of the Adirondack Council, Protect the Adirondacks!, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve, the Adirondack Mountain Club, New York League of Conservation Voters, and Adirondack Wilderness Advocates.
