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Highlights
Victory! Governor Hochul Signs CCE Priority Bills into Law in NY
In December, Governor Hochul signed several of our legislative priority bills into law. Thank you to all who helped to pass these critical bills by writing letters and signing petitions. The bills signed into law last month include:
Requiring all water suppliers across NY to test drinking water for harmful emerging contaminants
Banning small, wasteful, and unnecessary plastic toiletry bottles at hotels (NYC hotels alone use 27 million bottles annually)
Protecting Long Island’s drinking water from nitrogen pollution
Banning dangerous flame retardants in furniture and electronics casings—protecting the health of our families and firefighters
Protecting drinking water from lead in schools (there is no safe level of lead in drinking water)
Requiring bioheating fuel in buildings currently using heating oil
We are also gearing up for our 2022 legislative session and are urging state leaders to increase the state’s Environmental Protection Fund, place a $4 billion Environmental Bond Act on the ballot in November, protect our pollinators from dangerous pesticides, pass a waste reduction and recycling bill that will place the cost of managing waste onto manufacturers instead of taxpayers, and more. Stay tuned on how you can help.
Honoring our 2021 Connecticut Environmental Champions
We are proud to recognize CT legislators who made it their mission to protect our planet. Last month, we selected four legislators who helped advance important environmental initiatives, including increasing recycling, preventing toxic pollution, combatting climate change and fighting for environmental justice. We are honored to present our 2021 Connecticut Environmental Champion Award to Senator Christine Cohen, Senator Matt Lesser, Representative Brandon McGee, and Representative Jonathan Steinberg. Congratulations to all our 2021 Environmental Champions!
Lou Rosado Burch honored with Environmental Champion award
Our Connecticut Program Director, Lou Rosado Burch, was presented with Rivers Alliance of Connecticut’s 2021 Environmental Champion Award for his work on modernizing the state’s Bottle Bill. Increasing access to recycling in our communities is critical, both from an environmental protection and a resource conservation standpoint. Lou was deeply honored to receive this recognition from one of our valued advocacy partners and thanks the RA Staff and Board for the important work they do in Connecticut!
Happenings
New York Styrofoam Ban is in Effect
We are starting the new year off on the right foot—without styrofoam! Polluting polystyrene foam containers and packing peanuts are now banned in New York starting January 1st. This lightweight foam breaks apart easily, does not biodegrade, is not readily recyclable, and contributes to the growing plastic pollution crisis in our water ways. Many communities already have a ban in place but we're happy all New Yorkers will be seeing less of these items polluting our neighborhood and waterways!
Gearing up for a 2022 Long Island Sound High School Summit
Along with our partners at Atlantic Marine Conservation Society and Friends of the Bay, we will be planning a 2022 Long Island Sound High School Summit in the following months. We are excited to work with 8 great High Schools—Northport, Commack High School, Riverhead High School, Oyster Bay, Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women, Brentwood High School, Rocky Point High School, and Smithtown High School West. The program will educate, engage and empower students to get involved in protection and restoration of the Sound. Thank you to the Long Island Sound Study for the support! If you missed the 2021 LIS High School Summit, check out our video here.
Protecting Northport Harbor with Green Infrastructure
On Long Island, we are working with the Village of Northport and the Northport Yacht Club to install over 27,000 feet of green infrastructure to prevent polluted stormwater runoff from reaching Northport Harbor and Long Island Sound. Our proposal to install a bioretention rain garden to capture, store, and filter contaminants while protecting the shoreline was selected for funding by the Long Island Sound Study through the Long Island Sound Futures Fund in December.
Upcoming: Learn more about the Sunrise and South Fork Wind Farms
We will be co-hosting a virtual forum with the New York League of Conservation Voters to hear from representatives from Orsted and Eversource on Wednesday, January 12, at 7pm. Join us to find out more about the Sunrise and South Fork Wind Farms off the coast of Montauk, which together will power hundreds of thousands of Long Island homes. The event will be hosted on zoom and is free to the public. RSVP here.
