National Pumpkin Day

Social Media Action Toolkit

October 26, 2023

Background

October 26th is National Pumpkin Day! Pumpkins rely on bees for pollination, without bees we wouldn’t have pumpkins. Unfortunately, bee populations have been declining at an alarming rate. This rise in bee deaths has largely been linked to the explosive increase and ubiquitous use of the systemic pesticide, neonicotinoids (“neonics”). To protect the bees, environment, and public health from this toxic pesticide, the NYS Legislature passed the Birds and Bees Protection Act which bans certain uses of neonics that provide no benefit to users but pose the highest risk to bees. Now the bill is waiting to be signed by NYS Governor Kathy Hochul. Join us on National Pumpkin Day in calling on Governor Hochul to sign the Birds and Bees Protection Act!

Take Action

• Post a photo of your own or use a graphic below to your social media. Engage with Governor Hochul by tagging her on social media platforms with a corresponding message about National Pumpkin Day, pollinators, and the Birds and Bees Protection Act.

• Share posts as often as you’d like on October 26th. The more posts we share, the more opportunity we have to reach Governor Hochul.

Target

• Governor Kathy Hochul

Sample Social Media Posts

Feel free to copy and post these samples to your social media pages. Pair them with an image or graphic for a more powerful post.

• .@GovKathyHochul, celebrate National Pumpkin Day by signing the Birds & Bees Protection Act! Pumpkins rely on bees for pollination, without them we will lose this seasonal crop! Neonics are responsible for bee die offs; it’s time NY bans them.  #SaveTheBees #NationalPumpkinDay

• Over 45% of NY honeybee colonies were lost last year alone. We need to protect bees from toxic neonics or risk losing a seasonal favorite, the pumpkin! Today is #NationalPumpkinDay & @GovKathyHochul it’s time to #SaveTheBees, sign the Birds & Bees Protection Act into law!

• Happy #NationalPumpkinDay! All pumpkins are highly dependent on bees and insects for pollination. But with bee populations declining we may see a future without pumpkins. @GovKathyHochul it's time to #SaveTheBees and our pumpkins, sign the Birds & Bees Protection Act into law!

• Today is #NationalPumpkinDay! @GovKathyHochul, if you enjoy pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, then you need to #SaveTheBees and sign the Birds & Bees Protection Act. Pumpkins are dependent on bees for pollination and neonics are killing bees at an alarming rate. NY must ban neonics!

• Our bees are dying because of neonics. Without bees we risk having a future without pumpkins, which depend on bees for pollination. Today is #NationalPumpkinDay and it’s time for @govkathyhochul to take action by signing the Birds and Bees Protection Act!

• Both honeybees & wild bees are essential for the pollination of pumpkins. Declining pollinator populations threaten food production, this is particularly true for pumpkins. For #NationalPumpkinDay, we are calling on @GovKathyHochul to #SaveTheBees by banning toxic neonics!

• It’s pumpkin season! Whether you’re carving them, roasting seeds, or cooking with them, remember we wouldn’t have pumpkins without bees. @GovKathyHochul must take to #SaveTheBees and sign the Birds and Bees Protection Act into law! #NationalPumpkinDay

• Happy #NationalPumpkinDay @GovKathyHochul! Please sign the Birds and Bees Protection Act. Bees are the most important species and are essential for pollinator limited crops such as pumpkins. #SaveTheBees

Tips and Tricks

• Make sure you tag Governor Hochul by mentioning her in your post or tagging her in your picture.

• Like, retweet and share other posts about National Pumpkin Day and the Birds and Bees Protection Act.

• You can use one of the sample posts above or graphics below!

• Post on as many social media platforms as you can - X, Facebook, Instagram, just to name a few.

Graphics

Feel free to download and use any of these linked graphics in your social media posts. You can also use your own photos to show support for the Birds and Bees Protection Act and your love of pumpkins and pollinators!

Climate Week NYC is Here!

We’re excited to let you know that Climate Week is here and will be running from September 20 – 26. The kickoff event was on Monday in New York City and honored recent accomplishments in tackling climate change. Other events this week will be virtual, in-person, and hybrids and will concentrate on climate all week long. Events will include a discussion of green jobs as the clean energy revolution, climate action & finance, electric vehicle news, green tech advances, and climate change on an international scale. A complete list of these events is here.

We're at a critical time for climate change. We’ve experienced some destructive weather events recently, and we know it's because we're heating the planet. It is already changing lives, and it will only grow more devastating as time goes on. Real change needs to happen within this decade for everyone to avoid the worst possible outcomes of climate change. We need to invest in better, cleaner, renewable energy sources. Our plans need to be bigger. We need everyone to pitch in, and we need everyone to do it now.

Check out this article with five important things to look for during Climate Week: https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-week-2021-2655055702.html

VICTORY! Protecting New York’s Drinking Water from Emerging Contaminants

NYS Health Department Adopts Strongest Drinking Water Quality Standards in Nation for 1,4-Dioxane, PFOA, and PFOS

In a historic decision for drinking water protection, the NYS Department of Health (DOH) officially adopted the strongest enforceable drinking water standards for three emerging contaminants. DOH adopted a drinking water Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) of 10 parts per trillion (ppt) for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), 10 ppt for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and 1 part per billion (ppb) for 1,4-dioxane, as recommended by the New York State Drinking Water Quality Council (DWQC).  The DWQC was established by legislation passed in 2017 to address the issue of emerging contaminants in New York.  New York State is the first state to implement a drinking water standard for the probable carcinogen 1,4-dioxane.

1,4-Dioxane, PFOA, and PFOS are known harmful chemicals that have contaminated drinking water supplies across New York. Without a federally enforceable drinking water standards, New York has stepped up and adopted the nation’s strongest standards prioritizing public health and drinking water protections for families, communities, and individuals.

The highest levels of 1,4 dioxane found in drinking water in the Nation are found on Long Island. CCE mapped each Long Island water district and the highest level of 1,4 dioxane found. CCE also conducted independent testing of household products which found 80% of products have detectable levels of 1,4 dioxane, some as high as 17,000ppb. CCE conducted widespread public education campaigns on the importance and critical need for implementing an enforceable drinking water standard.

1,4 Dioxane cannot be filtered out of drinking water using standard home filtration devices. These new enforceable standards will ensure that water suppliers use the necessary treatment and provide for the removal of this harmful toxin. The public made their voices heard by submitting thousands of letters to the Department of Health supporting the creation of safer drinking water standard.

PFAS, which is often referred to as “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in our environment and bodies, are used in firefighting foam, food packaging, and in many water-resistant, stain-proof, and nonstick product. New York State has experienced some high-profile cases of PFAS contamination in public drinking water supplies, including Newburgh, 5 communities across Suffolk County, and Hoosick Falls, NY. Officials estimate that 23% of public water wells in New York need treatment for PFAS. In 2019, CCE advocated to pass legislation that bans PFAS in firefighting foam. This year, CCE successfully advocated for a law banning the use of all PFAS chemicals in food packaging.

Long Island has been the epicenter of 1,4-dioxane pollution. Of 4,400 water supply systems tested nationwide by the EPA, Long Island has the highest levels of 1,4-dioxane detection, with some water systems in both Nassau and Suffolk containing levels over 100 times the EPA’s cancer risk guideline. 1,4-Dioxane is found in 80% of cleaning and personal care products, including baby products, shampoos, body washes, lotions, and laundry detergents and has historically been used as an industrial solvent stabilizer.  CCE successfully advocated for a law passed in 2019 to phase out 1,4-dioxane in consumer products, beginning in 2023.

COVID-19 and Nature

What does COVID-19 have to do with the way we interact with nature? The answer may surprise you.  A field of study known as the “Ecology of Disease” explores the relationship between diseases throughout history and their origins in our natural world.  Simplistically, human activity causes diseases to jump species, or rather, travel from nature or wildlife to humans. This certainly is an unintended consequence of our ever expanding population growth across the globe, but there are critical lessons to be learned.

Most of us never really ask where or how a disease originated.  It may be surprising to learn their origins:

• The Spanish Influenza in 1918 came from birds, which mutated to pigs and then to humans.

• Ebola was first identified in 1976 near the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The prevalent theory is that it was in fruit bats, then monkey species and Chimpanzees.·        

• HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, was identified in 1983 and is believed to have
  been in monkeys and chimpanzees.  Humans contracted it when they were exposed to the blood of chimpanzees when butchering them for food.

• Measles is believed to have come from cattle and jumped to humans when they started living in close proximity.

• MERS—Middle East Respiratory Syndrome—was identified in 2012 and originated in Saudi Arabia.  It is believed that it may have originated in bats and was transmitted to camels, then humans.

• COVID-19 (the coronavirus)—It is believed the virus jumped from bats to human in Wuhan China after humans were found to eating uncooked bats.  In addition, scientists are exploring the additional possibility that pangolins sold at live animal markets also contributed to the transmission of coronavirus to humans.

Increased human populations, habitat destruction, altering ecosystems (such as with climate change), and even live animal markets all create conditions for mixing bowls for new diseases that jump from wildlife to humans.  There are a multitude of examples where diseases don’t just happen, they are a direct result of how we interact with and treat the natural world. As human populations grow and expand across the globe we are invading habitats and interacting with wildlife in ways that evolution did not intend.  Nature established natural barriers that are designed to protect us from exposure to animal pathogens, but we have eroded those barriers. One real consequence of these interactions is the exposure to diseases that we can not readily fend off.  Diseases that come from animals have higher fatality rates in humans.

So one critical lesson we need to learn is that we cannot separate health policy from
environmental policy.  If we don’t take care of nature, we are in fact, not taking care of our health.  Nature is not to be conquered by us, but rather it should be protected by us. 
When we protect our natural world, we are indeed protecting our health, our habitat and our future.

Stay Safe and End PPE Pollution!

If you’ve ventured out to a grocery store of late, you’ve likely seen a form of pollution that has become increasingly prevalent during the coronavirus pandemic—gloves, wipes, and masks littered in parking lots and throughout our communities.  Preliminary data from surveys shows that gloves are the most commonly littered Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) being found in the United States. 

Not only is this a potential health threat to those that may clean up the discarded PPE, it is creating an additional plastic pollution problem.  Gloves, masks, and wipes are all typically made with plastic. Just like plastic bags, food packaging, and straws; plastic PPE that are improperly disposed of threaten our waterways and wildlife.  Plastic does not biodegrade; instead, it breaks down into tiny pieces over time and eventually becomes microplastic pollution in our waters.  Once microplastics enter our waterways, they act as toxic sponges, accumulating toxic chemicals present in the water, including pesticides and PCBs. Microplastics have been shown to accumulate toxins a million times higher than the surrounding waters. Studies show that when fish and aquatic life consume these microplastics, the chemicals are passed up the food chain to larger fish and wildlife, and ultimately, can end up on our dinner plates. 

PPE are intended to help us fight a public health threat, not create a plastic pollution problem. So what to do if you want to be safe during the pandemic while also protecting the environment?

1)     DO NOT litter: This should go without saying, but given what we’re seeing, it definitely needs to be said.  Don’t let your used PPE become litter!  Most stores have garbage cans located just outside.  Due to this growing problem, many stores now even have signage to “DISPOSE OF YOUR PPE HERE,” making proper disposal even easier.  Another option is bring a small bag or container with you to put your used PPE into, and then throw it out when you get home (in a tightly closed garbage bag).

2)     DO NOT put PPE in your curbside recycling bin: As much as we love to recycle, when it comes to PPE, avoid “wish-cycling”.  While PPE items are often made of plastic, these materials cannot be disposed of in curbside recycling bins.  Your PPE can potentially be contaminated, which puts sanitation workers that sift through recyclable items at risk. 

Furthermore, just like plastic bags, plastic gloves can jam recycling machinery, leading to damage and delays.  We are already experiencing a solid waste crisis in this country, and causing costly and timely delays at recycling facilities only exacerbates our current recycling and solid waste woes.

There are a couple other things to consider when it comes to using plastic/rubber gloves.  We’re not doctors or infectious disease experts at CCE, so we look to those experts for some important recommendations:

 1)      Public health experts recommend that members of the public don’t wear gloves when venturing out to the grocery store. If you want to wear gloves, there is nothing inherently wrong with that, but unfortunately most people aren’t wearing or disposing of their gloves correctly.  There may be a tiny rip in the glove, you could put them on or remove them incorrectly, and using gloves could give you a false sense of safety, leading to you touching your face and causing self-contamination.

According the Cleveland Clinic, the best bet for staying safe at the store is to avoid touching your face or phone, practice social distancing, limit the amount of surfaces you touch, wear a face mask (and don’t mess with it once it’s on), sanitize your hands as soon as you get into the car, and wash your hands thoroughly when you get home.

By skipping the plastic gloves when you go to the store, not only can you take precautions to stay safe, you can reduce your use of single-use plastics!

2)      Public health experts urge you not to reuse your gloves.  As environmentalists, we are constantly encouraging reuse of products—but NOT when it comes to these plastic gloves!  Removing gloves or putting them back on without contaminating your hand or the glove is difficult.  Washing your gloves is also not recommended by health professionals.  These gloves are intended to be single-use. Washing gloves can compromise their integrity, and cause them to develop tiny rips that can lead to exposure to viruses (while luring the user into a false sense of security, and potentially touching their face before washing their hands).

Together, we can take precautions to keep ourselves safe during this public health crisis, while also protecting the health of our environment.  Long after COVID-19 is gone, we’ll still need clean water and a healthy environment.

Good News for New York: Victories for Our Environment in the 2020-21 State Budget

Good news can be very hard to find these days.  That’s why we take great pleasure in taking
an opportunity to highlight some very good news.  The New York State budget, which was passed in early April, has provided some major victories for New York’s environment and public health.  Furthermore, the investments being made now through the budget will create good jobs and help to rebuild a sustainable economy in the years to come.

CCE priorities in the final budget include:

$3 Billion Environmental Bond Act: This funding will help our communities become more resilient to the challenging impacts of climate change, such as increased flooding, sea level rise, drought, and extreme heat, as well as restoring natural systems and protecting clean water for all New Yorkers.  The bond act will also help to create good-paying jobs and rebuild our economy at a time when we need it the most.

While we celebrate the approval of the bond act in the budget, it is important to
note that it will also need to be approved by the voters in November.  New York has not proposed an environmental bond act since 1996. The 96’ Clean Water Clean Air Bond Act was soundly approved by the voters, leading to over two decades of increased environmental protections and sustainable economic development across New York State.  Come November of this year, New York voters will once again have an opportunity to go to the polls and support a bond act that will make lasting environmental improvements for our state!

$500 million for clean water infrastructure: Increased investments in drinking water infrastructure helps our communities provide clean drinking water to residents, install technology to treat drinking water for new and emerging contaminants that are being discovered in water sources across the state (e.g. PFOA, PFOS, & 1,4-dioxane), and keep drinking water affordable.  Investments in wastewater infrastructure help to reduce harmful sewage overflows, which cause beaches to close, hurt local economies, kill fish and wildlife, and put public health at risk. 

This new allocation of $500 million is in addition to the five-year, $2.5 billion investment from 2017, as well as an additional $500 million from last year.  These investments are going a long way in addressing New York’s enormous clean water infrastructure needs, while also driving economic development and creating jobs. It is estimated that every billion dollars invested in water infrastructure creates approximately 29,000 jobs!

Funding the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) at $300 million: Since 1993, the EPF has been New York’s most important source of environmental funding, benefiting every community in the state from Western New York to the eastern tip of Long Island. EPF projects protect drinking water, build community parks, save family farms, bolster recycling programs, revitalize waterfronts, and so much more.  The EPF has played a critical role in preserving open space throughout New York.  The importance of open space protection is as important as ever, as New Yorkers look for opportunities to get out of the house and go outside while maintaining safe social distancing. Furthermore, open space protection has proved to be an economic driver—research has shown that for every $1 of EPF funds invested in land conservation, $7 in goods and services is returned to NYS.

Ban on Styrofoam food packaging and packaging peanuts: Styrofoam litters our communities and pollutes our waters. Styrofoam containers are one of the most prevalent items found during beach cleanups. These containers don’t biodegrade; instead they break down into tiny microplastics that eventually pollute our waterways.  

Styrofoam is also a threat to our health.  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicology Program listed styrene, a chemical in EPS foam, as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.” It is known to leach from food packaging containers into food and drinks, especially when exposed to heat. There is no need to continue using this antiquated product when safe and environmentally friendly alternatives are readily available.

Permanent ban on fracking: While Governor Cuomo wisely instituted a regulatory ban on fracking in 2015, this permanent ban—established in law—will help ensure the dangerous process of fracking for gas will not be taken up by future administrations.

Streamlined renewable energy siting:  In 2019, New York State passed the strongest climate bill in the nation, known as the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Among other important mandates, the law requires 70% of our electricity to be generated from renewable sources by 2030, a carbon-free electrical grid by 2040, and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Meeting these critical mandates will require significantly ramping up large-scale renewable energy projects, such as wind and solar.  Regrettably, our current process for siting renewable energy projects is broken, with construction of a project taking 5-10 years, or worse, developers simply walking away from some projects after excessive delays. The new policy enacted in the budget will help a backlog of renewable energy projects move forward in a timely manner, while allowing for local community input and ensuring strong environmental protections. This important policy is essential for New York to meet our clean energy and climate goals!

These victories did not happen with luck or by accident; they took hard work and leadership. Despite difficult circumstances and working remotely, our dedicated staff has continued to work tirelessly to fight for our environmental priorities.  Elected officials, who are working around the clock to address urgent needs related to the COVID-19 public health crisis, did not let that important responsibility distract them from also addressing key environmental issues.  Special thanks go out to Governor Andrew Cuomo, Senator Todd Kaminsky, and Assemblyman Steve Englebright, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for their leadership to ensure environmental priorities were included in the final budget. And last, but certainly not least, we thank you.  CCE’s strength has always come from you—members of the public—to give us our grassroots power.  Writing letters, sending emails, making phone calls, and more—all ensured that our elected officials kept important environmental issues at the forefront during budget negotiations.

While we celebrate full funding for our priority programs, we also remain grounded in the reality of our current situation, and recognize that adjustments may be made as the financial situation worsens throughout the year in New York State. We will remain vigilant in supporting these critical environmental programs, and will keep you informed every step of the way!

2019 Connecticut Post Session Recap: Big Wins and Missed Opportunities for Protecting Connecticut’s Environment

2019 proved to be another rollercoaster ride for Connecticut’s Environment. We achieved some major victories, finished work on several multi-year campaigns, and also watched the CGA come up short on some key bills—and we did it all together! Now that the dust has settled, we look back on the highlights and missed opportunities (until next session!) of the 2019 Connecticut regular legislative session. But first, let’s cover the good news:

 VICTORY: CT State Water Plan is approved!

 After five years of hard work, public education and advocacy, the State Water Plan has been approved by the General Assembly! With unanimous passage of House Resolution 171, Connecticut has a comprehensive water management plan, which will help ensure our State’s current and future water supply needs are met equitably and effectively for years to come.

The final plan was approved unchanged, with language recognizing water as a public trust resource intact! Thanks to the CT Water Planning Council and the Office of Governor Ned Lamont for helping to get this plan across the finish line! #WaterisaPublicTrust

 VICTORY: Connecticut passes 10 cent bag charge/2 year phaseout on plastic checkout bags!

WE DID IT!! Thanks to all your calls and emails, Connecticut will completely eliminate pollution from single-use plastic bags by 2021! The General Assembly passed a 10 cent fee on single-use plastic checkout bags as part of their biennium budget, which goes into effect in July of 2019. After August 1, 2021 no retail or grocery store in the state will be permitted to distribute plastic bags at the checkout counter.

The bill also allows municipalities with existing bag ordinances to keep their bans in place, while enabling towns to establish their own fees on paper checkout bags. This makes Connecticut the third state in the nation to take action by banning or phasing-out plastic checkout bags, after California and New York (Hawaii has a de facto ban, as all 5 counties have banned plastic bags independently).

 Thanks to the Environment Committee leadership, especially Sen. Christine Cohen and Rep. Mike Demicco for getting this done! Special shoutouts to Senators William Haskell, Alex Bergstein and Matthew Lesser, as well as Reps Jonathan Steinberg, David Michel, and Josh Elliott for championing this important policy!

 VICTORY: Connecticut passes PERMANENT ban on hazardous fracking waste!

 The CGA passed SB 753 with overwhelming bi-partisan support, which permanently prohibits the storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous fracking waste and frack-waste byproducts in Connecticut! CCE began fighting to ban fracking waste in Connecticut in 2012 and was instrumental in passage of a statewide moratorium on fracking waste in 2014. Since then, more than 55 CT municipalities have passed their own local bans on fracking waste, helping to put pressure on Hartford lawmakers to close our doors to hazardous, potentially radioactive fracking waste for good!

 VICTORY: Connecticut expands clean energy programs, including offshore wind and solar!

 The general assembly passed two important clean energy bills this year including HB 7156- an act mandating 2,000 MW of offshore wind procurement by 2030, and HB 5002 (aka the “New Green Economy” package), which extends existing renewable energy programs (including traditional net metering, LREC/ZRECs, and the Green Bank’s Residential Solar Investment Program). The bill also increases the amount of credits authorized under the state’s virtual net metering program from $10 million to $20 million for the biennium.

 Missed Opportunities in 2019:

 HB 7294: Modernizing Connecticut’s Bottle Bill- This legislation would have expanded the state’s container deposit law to include juices, teas, sports drinks and other non-carbonated beverages, in addition to raising the deposit value on covered containers from 5 to 10 cents. The bill received favorable reports from the Environment and Finance, Revenue & Bonding Committees, but was held up by House leadership due to aggressive lobbying from the beverage industry.

HB 7346: An Act Prohibiting Chlorpyrifos Pesticides- This bill would have prohibited toxic organophosphate pesticides from use in agricultural and commercial settings. The bill received a favorable report from the Environment and Finance, Revenue & Bonding Committees but was held up by House leadership due to aggressive lobbying from the CT Farm Bureau.

 HB 5910: Prohibiting the Use of PFAS in Certain Firefighting Foams- This bill would have prohibited the use of firefighting foams containing Per and Poly-fluoroalkyl Substances for training purposes. The bill was given a fiscal note showing a cost to the state of about $78K in fiscal year ’20 and about $80K in fy ’21, and no action was taken on the bill by the Appropriations Committee.

 HB 5999: Improving Pesticide Regulation and Enforcement in Connecticut- HB 5999 would have established a pesticide enforcement account, funded through product registrations and applicator certification fees. The bill would have also required electronic filing and record keeping at the DEEP Pesticide Program office. The bill received favorable reports from the Environment and Finance, Revenue & Bonding Committees, but was not taken up for a vote in the House.

HB 5384: An Act Prohibiting Polystyrene Containers- This legislation would have prohibited the distribution of single-use polystyrene cups and takeout containers by restaurants and caterers in Connecticut. The bill passed the House of Reps and died in the Senate at the hands of Republican Senator Heather Somers, who loaded the bill with amendments exempting so-called “compostable” plastic checkout bags from the bag ban.

 HB 5385: An Act Prohibiting Single-Use Plastic Straws- This legislation would have established a “soft ban” on single-use plastic straws and stirrers at restaurants and food-service establishments, where proprietors would be permitted to give out plastic straws upon request only. The bill received a favorable report in the Environment Committee, and was put on hold due to filibuster threats and not acted upon by the House.

 HB 5395: An Act Strengthening Connecticut’s Environmental Justice Law- This bill would have strengthened requirements for meaningful public engagement when permitting sewage treatment plants, power plants, solid waste management and other polluting facilities in designated Environmental Justice communities. The bill passed the House of Reps and died in the Senate at the hands of Republican Senator Heather Somers, who loaded the bill with amendments exempting so-called “compostable” plastic checkout bags from the bag ban.

Earth’s New Mass Extinction: The Unnoticed Cost of Increased Consumption

By SARAH CHARLES | Published: NOVEMBER 29, 2018

Sixty percent of the world’s species have been lost in less than 50 years, and almost nobody noticed. How could this alarming and cataclysmic destruction of over half of the Earth’s species go almost completely unnoticed?

The current news cycle is exhausting.  In November, on the day that the World Wildlife Fund released their bi-annual Living Index report, the news was busy discussing the midterm elections, Trump’s deployment of up to 7,000 US troops to the border of Mexico, the deadliest act of anti-Semitic violence in our nation’s history, and Megyn Kelly’s claims that blackface is no big deal.

The recent report by the United Nations stating that we need to drastically change society and the way it functions by 2040 was able to get some coverage for a day or two, but then the cycle just moved on, but we  those that care, shouldn’t move on so quickly.

On the tails of the harrowing report from UN climate scientists comes more shockingly bad news from the World Wildlife Fund. Since 1970, over 60% of species on earth have been lost due to a massive increase in human consumption as countries across the world continue to develop. The report cites massive deforestation due to agriculture and livestock grazing in the world’s most biodiverse areas as one of the biggest problems on land. In our oceans, increasing temperatures and plastic pollution have caused the majority of die-offs.

One of the most alarming statistics to come out of this year’s Living Index report is that freshwater species declined by 83% since 1970. This significant loss is undoubtedly affecting the health of freshwater systems. We rely on freshwater as a drinking water source globally. How will such a massive change to the ecosystem affect our public health?

The biggest losses came in Central and South America, where a loss of 89% of the vertebrate population was observed. Cattle ranching and deforestation in the Amazon and the rainforests of South America has been exploding since the 1990s as global demand for meat continues to grow. Our rainforests are our biggest resource for biodiversity, and they are being burned and destroyed to make room for pastures and factory farms.

The 2018 report explains that while currently 25% of the world’s surface shows no impacts of human activity, by 2050 that number will drop to 10%. Human consumption has now caused a mass extinction of their own, with no signs of slowing down. Tanya Steele, the WWF’s chief executive in Britain, told CNN: “We are the first generation to know we are destroying our planet and the last one that can do anything about it.” Current science is overwhelmingly telling us that the very way our society functions needs to make changes now if we want to save our ecosystems and the health of our planet. Those changes start at the individual level. We can all start to consider our impacts, our carbon footprint, and identify waste we produce in our daily lives. Our decisions will make or break the vibrancy, health, and existence of even more of the Earth’s species, including our own.

The Health & Science of Our Bays: A Fire Island Perspective

We were proud to co-host the forum, "The Health & Science of Our Bays: A Fire Island Perspective." The public forum brought together experts from government and environmental organizations to begin a critically important discussion on water quality challenges and solutions, specifically tailored to the unique challenges of Fire Island. Background: Long Island’s water quality is in jeopardy, and the culprit is excessive nitrogen. Nitrogen pollution from outdated sewage and septic systems causes harmful algal blooms (HABs), hypoxia, beach closures, and fish and turtle die offs. HABs impair water quality and can be toxic to humans and marine life.

In Suffolk County, 360,000 homes are on septic systems and cesspools. According to a recent USGS study, 80% of septic systems on Fire Island leach effluent directly into the Great South Bay with little or no filtration due to sandy soils. Suffolk County is currently providing homeowners incentives to upgrade antiquated septic systems and cesspools to advanced, on-site wastewater treatment systems, which will reduce nitrogen entering our ground and surface waters.

Speakers included Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, Citizens Campaign for the Environment; Carl Lobue, Ocean Program Director, The Nature Conservancy; Chris Schubert, Supervisory Hydrologist, USGS (United States Geological Survey); and John Sohngen, P.E., Principal Public Health Engineer, Suffolk County Department of Health Services (“SCDHS”), Office of Ecology. Each speaker gave a brief presentation (click on each speaker's name to see a pdf of their presentation), followed by 30 minutes of questions and answers.  Thank you to all our speakers and members of the public that made this such a productive discussion!

Trump Administration Attacks on the Environment are Hazardous to Americans' Health

The first 170+ days of President Trump's term as President of the United States have been marked with controversy around a plethora of issues affecting the American public -not the least of which being the obvious and unjustifiable attacks on our environment, or the relentless assertion that climate change is a hoax. Since taking office in January, President Trump has wasted little time in waging his assault on our environment.  Early in his term, Trump appointed former Oklahoma AG Scott Pruitt as his Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief; a man who sued the EPA more than a dozen times during the course of his career as Attorney General. It's a classic example of 'the fox watching the hen house."

The president's FY2018 budget proposal included a $2.6 billion (31%) cut to the EPA  budget, reducing the agency to funding levels to it's lowest level in 40 years (adjusted for inflation).  The proposal would eliminate more than 3,200 employees, severely diminishing the agency's ability to implement and enforce important environmental standards, review permit applications, and oversee superfund remediation sites and other environmental cleanup projects.

The president's budget also zeroes-out more than 50 geographic EPA programs, including the Long Island Sound, Great Lakes, and Hudson River Estuary programs.  These critical programs monitor water quality and implement on-the-ground projects to restore habitat and improve water quality in our nation's most vital waters.  Not only do these programs help support local economies by maintaining the health of aquatic ecosystems, but they also play an important role in protecting public health.

In addition to his assault on the EPA, the president has already signed a slew of executive orders (EO's) aimed at limiting environmental protections.  These include EO's to expedite the Dakota Access and Keystone XL Pipelines, abandon the Clean Power Plan that would limit greenhouse gas emissions from fossil-fuel burning power plants, eliminate protections for vital waterways under the Obama-era Clean Water Rule, ease restrictions on off-shore drilling including in the Arctic, allow disposal of coal sludge in rivers and streams, and several others.

By taking such aggressive action to eliminate environmental protections (without congressional approval), Trump is sending a clear message that the interests of business and industry are a priority over  public health and our environment.  Nothing embodies this dynamic better than the Trump administration's war on climate science.

Recently, EPA Director Pruitt has announced the establishment of a new task force to review and challenge climate change data at the EPA.  The task force would review inconsistencies or "vulnerabilities" in existing climate data and determine how the agency should vet and apply climate change research moving forward.  This completely undermines the peer reviewed, science-based standard that is traditionally used to weigh and verify scientific research, and it could limit the agency's ability to ensure sound scientific approaches to important environmental policy matters.

Trump ran on a platform of eliminating the EPA and removing what he deems are "unnecessary" regulatory burdens to business and industry, and so far, it seems he intends to deliver.  Unfortunately, the news media has been so focused on the controversy regarding the president's use of Twitter and swirling allegations of collusion with the Russians, that the president's actual policy agenda is sailing past voters without them even knowing it.  During times like these, it's critical that members of the public remain vigilant, they remain informed, and most importantly, they must remain active.  Now more than ever, our environment is under attack, and it's up to you to defend it.

CT Legislative Recap: Areas of Progress and Missed Opportunities in 2017

With the 2017 Connecticut legislative session behind us, it's time to reflect back on what happened this year in the realm of conservation, environmental protection, and public health.  As a whole, this session was marked with some disappointment from environmental groups and consumer advocates across a spectrum of issues, but there were some noteworthy areas of progress as well.  As always, CCE remains committed to advancing unfinished business in the future, and we will continue to advocate for our legislative priorities in 2018 and beyond. Water Protection

VICTORY: CCE worked in conjunction with CT Clean Water Action, Rivers Alliance of Connecticut, Save Our Water, and the CT League of Conservation Voters to successfully advocate for legislation that allows the public greater access to water planning information under the Freedom of Information Act. Additionally, legislation to appoint a consumer advocate to the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) board.  MDC is a municipal water authority serving 8 municipalities, including Hartford, Bloomfield, East Hartford, West Hartford, Newington, Rocky Hill, Windsor and Wethersfield.  It is critical that the public have increased transparency and greater input into decisions that impact our water supply.

ISSUES FOR 2018: The legislature failed to act on legislation that would protect our water supply from large water users. A proposed bill would have put mandatory restrictions on water withdrawals from large water bottlers during times of drought or other water supply emergencies, and another bill would have prohibited the use of declining block rates for large volume water bottlers and other industrial users.

Toxics 

VICTORY: CCE successfully advocated for legislation that allows retail pharmacies in the state to establish programs for collecting unused and unwanted pharmaceutical drugs.  In addition, CCE supported the passage of a new law that prohibits the use of coal-tar based sealants on state and local highways.  Improperly discarded pharmaceuticals and coal-tar sealants are emerging contaminants that both have devastating impacts on marine ecosystems.

ISSUES FOR 2018: Legislation that would have established a permanent ban on the storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous fracking waste made it through the House with nearly unanimous bipartisan support, but ultimately failed to get called for a vote in the Senate before the midnight end-of-session deadline on the June 7th.  CCE was instrumental in passage of a moratorium on fracking waste in 2014, which spawned a statewide effort resulting in more than 15 local governments in CT passing local ordinances to prohibit the storage, treatment and disposal of fracking waste.

CCE also worked in 2017 to pass a bill that would have prohibited the use of recycled rubber mulch made from shredded car and truck tires on school and public playgrounds across the state.  Despite receiving favorable reports in the Children's and Planning & Development committees, the bill was never brought forward for a vote in the House.

Clean Energy

VICTORY: CCE worked in a coalition with environmental groups and consumer advocates to prevent the passage of ill-conceived legislation that would allow Millstone Nuclear Power Station in Waterford, CT to compete with Class 1 and Class 2 renewable resources for long term power-purchase agreements with the State.  CCE is proud to have defeated this legislation in 2017, which would make our state increasingly reliant on dirty nukes while further delaying progress on meeting Connecticut's clean energy goals.

ISSUES FOR 2018: Environmental advocates were deeply disappointed in the lack of progress made on clean energy policy in 2017.  From legislation that would have expanded our Renewable Portfolio Standard to bring more renewables into Connecticut, to a bill that would have repealed a hidden surcharge levied against electric customers to help subsidize the construction of oil and gas pipelines across New England, the CGA failed to make meaningful progress on a wide range of important energy issues this year.  This is especially concerning in light of Governor Malloy's recent announcement that Connecticut would be joining the U.S. Climate Alliance (a group of 12 states that have agreed to upholding our commitments under the 2015 Paris Climate Accord).

Recycling

VICTORY: CCE worked with ConnPIRG, CT League of Conservation Voters, CT Leage of Women Voters, CT Citizens Action Group, Clean Water Action and many others to successfully defend Connecticut's bottle deposit law (aka the Bottle Bill).  Ill-conceived legislation would have eliminated the 5-cent deposit on carbonated beer and soda containers and bottled water, and replace it with a non-refundable 4-cent tax on every beverage sold in the state.  Thanks to an outpouring of grassroots opposition from all parts of the state, our coalition successfully opposed this shortsighted legislation, thereby preserving one of Connecticut's most effective recycling laws!

ISSUES FOR 2018: CCE will continue to push to modernize Connecticut's Bottle Bill to include juices, teas, and other non-carbonated soft drink containers that are currently not covered by the law. The bill to accomplish this unfortunately died in the House this year, along with a bill to increase the handling fee paid to retailers and redemption center for each container they recycle under the bottle deposit.  The Bottle Bill is a proven, effective system for incentivizing recycling and keeping our beaches, parks and open spaces free of bottles and cans.

Open Space Preservation

VICTORIES: Legislation passed in 2017 to provided added transparency and opportunities to intervene in the trimming and/or removal of trees on municipal property.

ISSUES FOR 2018: Last but not least, many environmental groups are mourning the death of a Constitutional Amendment that would require transparency and public participation for any transfer of protected state lands for development or any other purpose.  An identical bill was passed in 2016, but passage is required two consecutive years in a row in order to approve any changes to our state constitution.  Unfortunately, the bill was never brought out for a vote in the senate, despite widespread bipartisan support for the bill in 2016.

Looking back on the 2017 session, it's clear that while Connecticut has made incremental progress on a number of environmental issues, but there is still much work to be done to preserve public health and the environment, protect our water supplies and open spaces, meaningfully advance our clean energy goals, and end our reliance on dirty fossil fuels.  Unfortunately, there were a number of good bills that never saw the light of day this year- this is no doubt due in part to the looming $3.5 billion dollar deficit lawmakers are grappling with currently.  It's a classic example of how the environment suffers during tough economic times, and policymakers need to understand that these issues are just as important now as they are when the state finds itself in "greener" economic pastures.  Clean air and clean water are not luxury items that can be disregarded in difficult economic times!

The failure of the Connecticut General Assembly to act on many commonsense, bipartisan efforts to protect our environment is troubling, especially when juxtaposed against Governor Malloy's recent announcement that Connecticut must remain a leader on climate change.  What our state needs now more than anything is leadership; the kind of leadership that Malloy is trying to demonstrate.  It's time for our House and Senate representatives to step up to the plate, put politics aside, and make our health and the quality of our environment a priority once again.

People's Climate March - Washington D.C. 4/29/17

It’s pre-dawn on the Jersey Turnpike.  A torrential downpour has turned it into a river.  The unrelenting storm is complete with constant, menacing flashes of lightning and crashes of thunder.  In the days prior, it has already wreaked havoc and destruction across the Midwest as the driving force behind a rash of tornadoes. By midday in D.C., the temperature has climbed all the way to 91ºF.  It is still April.

These extreme weather events could not have been more ironically timed, as CCE came together with over 200,000 people from all over the country - lead by indigenous people from all over the world - to march for action on our changing climate.  The unseasonable heat punctuated the urgent message each one of us was there to deliver directly to the White House: “Climate Change is upon us and there is no more time to waste!”

This is fact. Fifteen of the sixteen hottest years on record occurred between 2000 and 2016.  Data collected from the polar regions tells us they are warming even faster than the rest of the world. Scientists have studied fossilized life forms and Antarctic ice cores to determine that the speed at which the Earth is warming is happening much, much faster than ever before.

Sea level rise threatens coastal communities, ocean acidification and warming ocean temperatures imperil marine organisms of all types and have already contributed to the impending death of the Great Barrier Reef.  Desertification is reducing the amount of arable land available to feed our exploding population.  Unpredictable weather patterns are leading to water shortages and crop failures.

All of that can – and must – change.

But, the People’s Climate Movement is in fact more than a movement for the climate. Indeed, one of the slogans for the march proclaimed it was for “Climate, Jobs, and Justice.”  Transitioning to renewable energy offers solutions not just for climate change, but also for a range of economic and social issues facing our country.  Over 900 different organizations came together for the march.  Among them were labor unions, groups concerned with water and air quality protection, and even coal mining communities who were there to advocate for a ‘just transition’ to renewables for the workers in their hometowns. Moving our country forward toward energy independence, toward leadership in innovation and economic prosperity, toward keeping our air safe to breathe and our water safe to drink, can only happen by embracing the renewable energy future.

The good news?  It’s already happening.  Deepwater Wind flipped the switch on the first offshore wind farm in America this week, providing 100% of the power for Block Island, Rhode Island and replacing noisy, polluting, diesel-burning generators with its five turbines a few miles out.

The best part?  It will not be the last.  Advances in solar and wind technology have made them cost-competitive against fossil fuel generation. That means we don’t have to choose between clean energy and cheap energy. We have reached the point whence they have become one in the same!

We pay tremendously with our dollars, our health, and our environment to keep fossil fuels on life support.  It needs to end now. We must demand it – for the Climate, Jobs, and Justice we all deserve.

The march was a great start.  It was an absolute inspiration to see so many doing exactly what needs to be done; standing up, showing up, and speaking up for our energy policies to work in the best interest of everyone.  We must continue to demand it because (as one sign read) “Silence is Compliance”.  We have finally arrived at the precipice of a paradigm shift away from filthy fossil fuels.  We have the technology and the capability to make it happen. Exercise your rights to the fullest!  Protests.  Letters.  Petitions.  Phone Calls. ‘This is what De-mo-cra-cy looks like!’

Some quotes spotted on signs at the march:

“CLIMATE JUSTICE IS A MORAL IMPERATIVE”

“THE GREATEST THREAT TO OUR PLANET IS THE BELIEF THAT SOMEONE ELSE WILL SAVE IT”

“WE ALL NEED CLEAN AIR, WATER”

“RESPECT EXISTENCE OR EXPECT RESISTANCE”

“GREEN ENERGY --> 5 TIMES MORE JOBS THAN COAL”

Long Island Sound Day in D.C.!

3:00am—BEEP BEEP BEEP That was the sound of CCE’s staff waking up to spend the day in D.C. fighting for Long Island Sound restoration and protection funding.  We boarded the bus in the early hours of the morning with other Long Island stakeholders, including Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor, Friends of the Bay, Save the Sound, Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley, Hempstead Harbor Coalition, Town of North Hempstead, Seatuket Harbor Protection Taskforce, The Nature Conservancy, and many more.

We met with Congressman King, Congressman Zeldin, Congressman Suozzi, Congresswoman Delauro, Congresswoman Lowey, Congressman Courtney, Senator Schumer, Senator Blumenthal, and Senator Murphy.  Everyone agreed that the Sound was important ecological and economic asset for both NY and CT.  It is an extension of our backyard.  We have made progress in restoring the Sound but more needs to be done.  The president’s misguided budget blueprint completely eliminated funding for the Sound. These crucial federal dollars are leveraged by local, state, regional and private funds to restore habitat, improve wastewater infrastructure, implement green infrastructure, and protect ecologically important wetlands--and they are making big difference for the health of the Sound.

The day was long, yet energizing, as we heard our Senators and House members committing to fight for federal restoration and protection dollars for the Sound. Shortly after our trip, Congress reached an agreement for an interim budget for FY2017 that includes $8 million for the Sound—double what it was last year.  This is a HUGE victory!

However, our work is not over yet.  The FY 2017 budget will be in place through September, and then Congress will have to pass a budget for FY 2018.  The negotiations have already begun for the 2018 budget, and we are again facing an uphill battle.  Just as we celebrate our victory for 2017, we are going back to work  to advocate for next year's budget.  Look for opportunities to get involved, starting with our online petition.

Nuclear is NOT Renewable! Connecticut's Lawmakers Taking our State Energy Policy in the Wrong Direction

The CGA Joint Committee on Energy and Technology introduced legislation this week that would allow Dominion (the Virginia based corporation that owns and operates Millstone Nuclear Power Plant in Waterford, CT) to apply for state energy subsidies under the "Class 1 Renewable" category of Connecticut's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS).  The RPS is a critical program designed to ensure energy providers in our state procure a certain percentage of the electricity they sell through clean, renewable sources and energy efficiency, thereby helping to reduce our state's carbon footprint and create good paying clean energy jobs. The Class 1 tier of the RPS has historically been reserved for true clean energy sources, such as clean wind, solar, hydropower and geothermal.  Connecticut's current RPS standard goal is to derive a minimum of 23% of our total in-state energy supply from renewable sources by the year 2020.  With only three years left to meet that goal, our state remains overly reliant on nuclear power and natural gas, while renewables make up less than 4% of our total energy mix.

SB 106 would allow Dominion to compete directly with true clean energy providers for Renewable Energy Certificates(RECs) under the RPS program.  These RECs are sold on a regional market to states that have less robust renewable programs and rely on those credits to help meet their own clean energy goals.

To be clear, nuclear power is not clean energy. Subsidizing existing nuke plants to compete with new development in clean energy totally defeats the purpose of this important program, and it sets a terrible precedent for other states to follow.

A thorough examination of the nuclear fuel cycle--from mining, enriching and transporting the uranium, to the construction of billion-dollar refineries and nuclear power plants, to the handling, processing and storage of nuclear waste--demonstrates that our dependence on nuclear power is energy intensive and creates signficant amounts of pollution.

It's also important to remember that Millstone causes significant adverse impacts to the health of Long Island Sound. Millstone utilizes an outdated "once-through" cooling system that damages Long Island Sound and its marine ecosystems with deadly thermal pollution.  In fact, CCE and other groups concerned with LIS protection and restoration efforts have been working for almost a decade to see Millstone act as a good neighbor by upgrading to a closed-cycle cooling system, which is something Dominion has refused to do.  In 2012, Millstone was forced to shut down one of its two reactors for 12 days because the ambient water temperature in the Sound was higher than the plant's safety standards would allow for.  This was the first time a U.S. nuclear facility had to halt its operations for such a reason.

Perhaps the most alarming part of this discussion is that Connecticut lawmakers do not seem to be concerned in the least about the fact that nuclear power leaves a legacy  of more than 10,000 years of radioactive waste with no permanent repository.  Spent nuclear fuel rods must remain on site for40-50 years or longer before they can be moved, as the radioactive fuel remains highly unstable for decades after use.  To make matters worse, the industry has a questionable safety record, including thousands of private, public and military accidents leading up to the present day.  Most recently, a tritium leak at New York's Indian Point Nuclear Plant resulted in groundwater contamination problems that NYS DEC is still working to mitigate to this day.    Indian Point acknowledged the elevated risk in preliminary reports, finding "alarming levels of radioactivity" at three monitoring wells, including one where radioactivity levels reportedly increased by more than 65,000%.

The bill to include nuclear power as a renewable energy source under Connecticut's RPS is a dishonest effort to fool Connecticut's ratepayers into thinking we are moving forward on clean energy, when in reality, we would be subsidizing a dirty energy source of the past.  Nuclear power is  a costly, outdated technology that puts Connecticut's residents and their environment at risk.  Allowing nukes to compete with real renewables is a raw deal for Connecticut, one which our lawmakers in Hartford seem all too eager to approve.

Think subsidizing nukes instead of investing in renewables is a bad idea? Contact the members of the CGA Energy and Technology Committee and tell them to Vote "NO" on SB. 106 today! https://www.cga.ct.gov/et/

What a Week for the Great Lakes (and every one of us that depends upon them)!

After working on Great Lakes protection and restoration issues for the past 15 years, it’s hard for me to think of a time when so many accomplishments occurred in such a short period of time.  That said, last week was good week—actually, a great week. Especially when you consider that much of the work that went into these accomplishments started well over a decade ago. It’s what I’d consider winning the triple crown of Great Lakes restoration.  Here’s what was accomplished late last week… Plan 2014 for Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River Enacted!  After fifty years of regulation that forced unnatural water levels and flows on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River—devastating the health of the ecosystem and degrading tens of thousands of acres of wetlands—the U.S and Canadian governments recently seized a once-in-a-generation opportunity to restore the health of the lake and river by enacting “Plan 2014.” Plan 2014 is a modern, balanced water level management plan that will work with nature to restore the health of the lake and river, while continuing over 50 years of shoreline protection.  The plan will restore 64,000 acres of wetlands, which is largest wetlands restoration effort in U.S. history outside of the Florida Everglades!

If that wasn’t enough, the plan will also rebound populations of fish and wildlife such as the Northern Pike and Black Tern, provide a $5.3 million annual increase in hydroelectric power production, provide a $12 million annual increase in recreational activity along the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario, and continue over 50 years of significant shoreline protection.  And one more thing—the cost of implementing Plan 2014: $0.

We have to thank the 25,000+ of our members that signed petitions and wrote letters in support of Plan 2014 in the last couple years, which contributed to the 36,000 expressions of support that we—along with our coalition partners—delivered to the White House Council on Environmental Quality in D.C. this fall. We couldn’t have done it without your support!

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act passed!  We often tout the importance and success of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), which has provided well over $2 billion since 2010 to fund over 3,000 restoration projects throughout the Great Lakes. The GLRI has ushered   progress in cleaning up toxic hot spots, fighting invasive species, restoring critical habitat, and so much more; yet we still have a lot more restoration work to do.

While the GLRI was funded in each federal budget since 2010, the program has never been authorized by Congress.  Without an authorization, the GLRI could be at risk from changing administrative and congressional priorities.  Authorizing the program provides greater long term certainty for restoration to continue, and allows more long-term, complex restoration work to move forward.

After advocating for an authorization since the program started several years ago, the GLRI Act was finally passed as part of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act  (formerly known as the Water Resources Development Act) with bipartisan support from Congress last week!  The law authorizes the GLRI for $1.5 billion over the next five years!

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding continues! As previously mentioned, the GLRI has provided well over $2 billion for more than 3,000 restoration projects since 2010.  The GLRI has been biggest boon to Great Lakes restoration in decades, helping to push forward long-awaited projects, such as the cleanup of the Buffalo River. The GLRI has provided over $100 million for 229 projects in New York State alone.  The success of the program has been dependent upon Congress continuing to fund the GLRI year after year, in order to ensure progress continues and previous investments are not wasted.  The Continuing Resolution (CR) passed by Congress last week continued funding for the GLRI at current funding levels through April of 2017, ensuring that progress to protect and restore the lakes can continue!

We certainly couldn’t have accomplished this without a multitude of partner organizations, which have been with us every step of the way.  And very importantly, this success has been dependent upon strong and enduring support from the public.  Our members have signed petitions, written letters, spoken at public hearings, and even traveled to Albany and Washington. We thank you!

As we take time to celebrate these victories for the Great Lakes, we also recognize that our work is never done, and the New Year will certainly bring new challenges.  Although as we’ve seen time and time again, with strong support from you—the public—there is nothing we can’t accomplish.  We look forward to working with you to continue to advance Great Lakes restoration in 2017!

VICTORY in CT: Town of Hamden Chooses Natural Materials over Crumb Rubber for new High School Athletic Field

Hamden Mayor Curt Balzano Leng announced this week that the new baseball diamond at Hamden High School would be designed using cork, coconut fiber, and rice, instead of the recycled rubber infill originally approved by the Town Council.  The decision came after months of deliberation, in which the Mayor's office consulted with CCE, researchers from Yale University, and industry experts about the potential health hazards associated with children's exposure to crumb rubber. The rubber used in synthetic turf is typically made from recycled car and truck tires, meaning it can contain a variety of hazardous materials, including heavy metals, volatile organic compounds (VOC's), and polyciclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH's).  Researchers have also found as many as 12 known human carcinogens in the rubber, which may actually put certain athletes at an elevated risk of cancer.  Additionally, the surface of these fields can reach as high as 60-70 degrees hotter than ambient temperatures, creating an unsafe playing environment on hot summer days.  Despite this growing body of evidence, the CT Department of Public Health has repeatedly dismissed any data suggesting that artificial fields made with crumb rubber are unsafe for use by children, and has refused to restrict or regulate its use in any way.

The decision to move forward with a non-toxic alternative represents an important victory for Hamden families, and it is one that CCE is proud to endorse.  It's an acknowledgement on the part of town officials that the potential health hazards associated with the chemical constituents in crumb rubber present an unacceptable risk to the health of our children, and it takes a precautionary approach that other communities should follow.  We applaud Mayor Leng for his leadership and commitment to protecting children's health in the Town of Hamden, and urge other communities to err on the side of caution when it comes to using crumb rubber where our children play.

Communities Want a Healthy River and Lake

Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River provide drinking water to several million people, support multi-billion dollar industries, offer unparalleled recreation and fishing opportunities, generate renewable hydroelectric power, and are home to an impressive array of wildlife. Perhaps most importantly, the river and lake enhance the quality of life for everyone in the region. It is no wonder then, that the residents of New York State support modernizing an outdated management plan that is slowly killing the health of the lake and river.

As a grassroots organization working to protect the environment throughout New York State, Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE) has lead a large-scale public outreach campaign on the issue of Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River water level management over the past few years. We conducted direct public outreach in numerous communities along the south shore of Lake Ontario up to the St. Lawrence River.

What did we find when we spoke directly with families across the region about this issue? Whether it was the mother with small children that loves taking trips to the beach on weekends, a recently retired man that spends countless hours on a boat fishing, or the college student that cares passionately about protecting the health of our waters for future generations, we spoke with a broad range of New Yorkers that care passionately about the health of our waters and overwhelming support the adoption of Plan 2014.

Members of the public signed petitions, wrote letters and emails, and made phone calls to key government officials in support of Plan 2014, contributing toward the nearly 23,000 expressions of citizen support that have been generated by CCE and our partners in recent years.

Despite this growing wave of support for Plan 2014, the federal governments of the U.S. and Canada have yet to adopt the plan. U.S. Secretary John Kerry and Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion can help restore the health of the lake and river with the simple stroke of a pen. We can’t let up now— they need to know that we can’t wait any longer. We need your help to demand action today!

Please join Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Save The River/Upper St. Lawrence Riverkeeper, American Rivers and countless other Americans and Canadians in asking Secretary John Kerry and Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion to protect and restore the St. Lawrence today.

This blog post was originally posted by American Rivers as part of the America’s Most Endangered Rivers® series spotlighting the St. Lawrence River.

Industry Decisions Matter

Industry decisions matter.  So when Ortho, a division of Scotts, voluntarily decided to phase out the controversial class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids (a.k.a. neonics) in order to save bees, we were hopeful that other companies would follow their lead.   Neonicotinoids are a relatively new class of insecticides that affect the central nervous system of insects, resulting in paralysis and death. They include imidacloprid, which has been implicated in killing bees and pollinators.  But instead of other companies acting responsibly, they have gone into defense mode.   Bayer put out a blog mocking Ortho for their bold action.  Bayer stated “With hundreds of studies conducted, we know more about neonics and bees than any other pesticide, and new research continues to confirm their safe use around bees when used according to the label.”  Well, that’s simply a lie. Here’s a quote from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) about their assessment released in January 2016, “EPA’s assessment, prepared in collaboration with California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation, indicates that imidacloprid potentially poses risk to hives when the pesticide comes in contact with certain crops that attract pollinators…The preliminary risk assessment identified a residue level for imidacloprid of 25 ppb, which sets a threshold above which effects on pollinator hives are likely to be seen, and at that level and below which effects are unlikely. These effects include decreases in pollinators as well as less honey produced.”

This means EPA’s analysis of detailed tests found that a specific concentration of the pesticide imidacloprid adversely impacts bees. If nectar brought back to the hive from worker bees had more than 25 parts per billion of the chemical, "there's a significant effect," namely fewer bees, less honey and "a less robust hive," said Jim Jones, EPA's assistant administrator for chemical safety and pollution prevention.

So here’s a radical idea, Bayer should stop lying and start phasing out neonics just like Scotts and Ortho did.  We need honey bees and pollinators, more than Bayer needs toxic pesticides to make money.  They can change their products.  We cannot change our global ecosystem and the role of bees in our food supply.

2016 Connecticut Post-Session Legislative Recap

Wednesday, May 4th marked the last day of the 2016 regular legislative session in Connecticut.  It was a difficult year for many in our state, as deep cuts to critical government programs are being implemented across virtually every sector.  Over the last few weeks, we've seen the executive and legislative branches clashing repeatedly over budget negotiations in an effort to mitigate a projected $900 million deficit in FY 2017.  The final budget agreement will be finalized and voted on this coming Thursday, May 12, when the entire CT General Assembly will return for a special budget session. While we will not know the extent of the cuts and how they will impact Connecticut's health and environment for another week, there were some significant legislative victories this year to celebrate!  Victories include:

• Passage of first of its kind legislation to protect pollinator's health by restricting the use of neonicotinoid pesticides that are toxic to bees and other pollinators. The law also establishes a pollinator health task force to study the decline of pollinators in Connecticut and take steps to promote and develop pollinator-friendly habitat.

• Legislation to reduce the amount of unnecessary and wasteful consumer-based packaging used in manufacturing every day consumer goods.

• The legislature approved $6 million in virtual net metering credits for municipalities seeking to increase clean solar development in their communities.

• New legislation to require greater transparency and oversight during the removal of trees on private property.

There were a number of good environmental bills that unfortunately did not get a vote before the midnight end-of-session deadline.  Important legislation that did not pass in 2016 included a bill that would eliminate toxic flame retardants in children's products and household furniture, legislation to reduce pollution from single-use disposable shopping bags, and a resolution to enact a referendum vote on a constitutional amendment to preserve State-owned lands (the resolution passed the Senate and House but unfortunately did not receive the two-thirds vote needed in the House to put the amendment on the ballot for a vote this November).

These losses came as a disappointment to many advocates and members of the public who fought hard for these pro-environment measures in 2016, but the bills also garnered a growing body of bipartisan support that advocates hope to build on in 2017.

CCE would like to extend a special thanks to Rep. James Albis, Sen. Ted Kennedy Jr., Sen. Dante Bartolomeo, Rep. Diana Urban,  Sen. Beth Bye, Rep. Phil Miller, Sen. Bob Duff, Rep. Joe Aresimowicz, Rep. Roberta Willis, Rep. Mary Mushinsky, Sen. Clark Chapin, Rep. John Shaban, Rep. Kim Rose, Rep. Noreen Kokoruda, Rep. Russ Morin, Rep. Michael D'Agostino, Rep. Joe Gresko, Sen. Tony Hwang, Rep. Jon Steinberg, Rep. Fred Camillo, Rep. Roland Lemar, Rep. Matt Lesser, Rep. John Hampton, Sen. Joe Markley, and the countless others who worked tirelessly on these critical environmental issues in 2016.  We appreciate your efforts and look forward to working with you to continue fighting for Connecticut's environment during next year's CT legislative session!