Looking back at a successful 2023—we couldn’t have done it without your support!
Happy holidays from everyone at CCE! 2023 has been another successful year as we fought to protect clean water, battle climate change, ban dangerous pesticides, and so much more. Here are some of our top accomplishments from the past year:
Offshore wind becomes a reality in New York: After many years of persistent advocacy from CCE, the first offshore wind turbines at the South Fork Wind Farm have been constructed—bringing clean, renewable energy to Long Island.
Funding the restoration of Long Island Sound and the Great Lakes: Despite threats of cuts from Congress, we were able to maintain funding for the Long Island Sound Restoration Act and Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
Got lead pipes? Now you’ll know: There is no safe level of lead in drinking water. A new NYS law creates an inventory of all the lead pipes across the state and gives residents the right to know if they are drinking water that may be contaminated with lead.
Fixing our sewage and drinking water infrastructure: We helped to secure $500 million in NYS to prevent sewage spills into waterways and to remove dangerous emerging contaminants from drinking water.
New York becoming a national leader in giving the public the right-to-know about PFAS “forever chemicals” in drinking water: After years of advocacy, NYS will soon require the testing of 23 additional PFAS chemicals in drinking water, while requiring prompt public notification when it is discovered. Additionally, we are continuing to support proposed national standards to limit PFAS in drinking water to the maximum extent possible.
Matching an all-time high for the NYS Environmental Protection Fund: Once again, we successfully advocated for a $400 million NYS EPF, which will help restore the Great Lakes and Long Island Sound, build community parks and save family farms across the state, advance environmental justice in disadvantaged communities, and so much more.
While we celebrate all the success we’ve achieved with your support, we recognize there is so much more work to do in the year ahead. We still await a decision from Governor Hochul on whether she will sign legislation to save bees by banning dangerous uses of toxic neonic pesticides. We need to move forward aggressively with more offshore wind to fight climate change. We also need to make corporations reduce their plastic packaging waste that is polluting our Great Lakes and Atlantic Ocean. We won’t be able to do this without your support, so please make an end of year donation today! Happy holidays and thank you for everything you do!
Happy Holidays,
All of us at CCE