SOURCE:
https://patch.com/new-york/east-islip/suffolk-county-executive-environmental-groups-campaign-prop-1
Maureen Mullarkey, Patch Staff - October 31, 2022
New Yorkers will vote on Proposition 1, or the Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Bond Act, this election day.
OAKDALE, NY — Suffolk County community members are urging New Yorkers to vote 'yes' to the Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Bond Act (Proposition 1) this election day.
County Executive Steve Bellone, the Suffolk County Water Authority, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, joined local groups at The Snapper Inn, at 500 Shore Dr in Oakdale on Monday,to demonstrate support for the proposition.
The Nature Conservancy, Students for Climate Action, Blue Points Brewery, and other local groups, also attended the press conference.
Speakers voiced the importance of act as a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to protect clean drinking water, modernize infrastructure, and improve quality of life across the state.
“We know the science of climate change is unequivocally true and we cannot wait any longer to make the necessary investments to protect our environment for future generations,” said Bellone. “Come November 8th, we must flip over the ballot and vote yes on Proposition 1 to keep our air, water and land clean.”
The measure would authorize the sale of state bonds to about $4 billion to fund environmental protection, natural restoration, resiliency, and clean energy projects, according to the state website.
Advocates said that the act will help communities throughout New York make critical upgrades to water and sewer lines, replace lead pipes, and maintain water treatment plants to ensure that our drinking water is safe and clean, a news release said.
"Long Island communities are especially vulnerable to the changes brought on by our changing climate," said John Halsey, president of the Peconic Land Trust. "Through the Bond Act, we can protect more land that grows healthy food, protects our ground and surface waters, buffers our neighborhoods from rising sea levels and storm surges, and provides important green spaces (parks, woodlands, wetlands) for people and wildlife."
If approved by voters on the general election ballot on Nov. 8, the Bond Act would support nearly 100,000 local, family-sustaining jobs across multiple sectors, from construction, to healthcare, to retail, and more, a news release said.
“This is an important moment in New York’s environmental history," said Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment. "Unfortunately, much of our water infrastructure is over a century old. We know what the solutions are. Now we need to go to the polls and vote 'yes' for clean water."
Further information about the Bond Act can be found here.