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Highlights
Horseshoe Crab Protection Bill Passes, Awaits Governor’s Signature
Horseshoe crabs have existed for over 350 million years, having shared this planet with the dinosaurs. Sadly, the species is now vulnerable to local extinction unless action is taken soon. Horseshoe crab populations have been depleted largely due to commercial fishermen who catch them and chop them up for use as bait. Horseshoe crabs are an essential species in the food web—if they are not protected, threatened species, such as the Red Knot, may go extinct. In order to save the horseshoe crab and the species that depend upon them, CCE championed legislation to ban harvesting of horseshoe crabs in NY. The bill was passed by the state legislature! Email Governor Hochul today and urge her to sign the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act into law!
Suffolk County Clean Water Ballot Referendum Will Be on November Ballot!
The Suffolk County Legislature passed critical legislation that will allow Suffolk County residents to vote on a Clean Water ballot referendum this November. In July, we joined County Executive Romaine, Assemblyman Fred Thiele, Suffolk legislators, and our environmental and labor partners to celebrate the bill being signed into law. Check out CCE Executive Director Adrienne Esposito’s comments here. The initiative would create a unified wastewater management district and allow sales tax to be increased by 1/8 of one penny to create a reliable funding stream dedicated to protecting water resources by expanding and upgrading sewers and installing upgraded nitrogen-removing septic systems. This is a victory 10 years in the making. Now we need Suffolk residents to turn out to vote on clean water this year!
Happenings
Transitioning to Offshore Wind
As always, there is lots going on with offshore wind. Here are the big developments from July:
Sunrise Wind Groundbreaking – We joined NYSERDA, the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, and many of our Wind Works NY partners for the groundbreaking on Ørsted ‘s Sunrise Wind project. This is a historical milestone for the future of renewable energy on Long Island. Sunrise Wind will soon power 600,000 Long Island homes with clean energy and help us transition off polluting fossil fuels.
Fighting for Battery Energy Storage - As part of NY’s transition to renewable energy, especially offshore wind, we will need to use battery energy storage systems (BESS). These systems provide capacity that will reduce our reliance on fossil fuel based generated power, thereby providing significant environmental and public health benefits. In July, we went to the Town of Southampton to urge the Town Council not to approve a second moratorium on battery storage systems. It has been a year since the Town placed a moratorium on BESS with the intention of updating zoning codes to properly site projects. Unfortunately, the Town chose to extend the moratorium another six months. Several other Long Island towns have moratoriums or extensions to existing moratoriums up for vote in the coming months, so stayed tuned for more info on how you can help support BESS.
Sign the Offshore Wind Petition – Take action today to show your support for offshore wind! As New York’s offshore power kicks into action, it’s a critical time to come out strong for a clean energy future. Join us in urging Governor Hochul's administration to grow New York's renewable energy, including offshore wind! Sign the petition today!
New Report: Random, Restrictive Recycling on Long Island
Each year, Long Island generates more than 2.9 million tons of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), with approximately 40% of that waste being packaging and paper products, such as plastic containers, metal cans, plastic film, glass bottles, paper products, and cardboard. Unfortunately, only about 20% MSW is being recycled properly. We released a report last month entitled “Random, Restrictive Recycling: The Chaotic System on Long Island and the Policy Solution Needed to Fix It”. This report analyzes municipal recycling programs and the options available for residents, discusses the complications in our recycling system that prevent Long Islanders from recycling properly, and outlines a policy solution to tackle Long Island’s recycling crisis. The report details an overcomplicated, confusing, and often misleading municipal recycling system that makes it very difficult for individuals to recycle properly. You can check out the report here and watch our press conference where we discuss our key findings here.
Heading to D.C. to Protect Long Island Sound
Each year, we head down to DC for our Long Island Sound Education Day with our coalition partners to talk about the issues facing this Estuary of National Significance. We had great meetings with our U.S. Senate and House members from New York and Connecticut on the importance of investing in LI Sound. Cleaner waters, robust fish populations, opening shellfish beds, and reduced hypoxia all demonstrate our success so far, but far more needs to be done to address climate change and combat nitrogen pollution. In July, we were thrilled when the U.S. House passed the LI Sound Restoration and Stewardship Reauthorization Act, and are urging the Senate to follow suit!
Tackling Plastic Pollution for Plastic Free July
The Long Island Sound Coastal Watershed network hosted our webinar “Tackling Long Island Sound Plastic Pollution: Plastic Free July”. We heard from expert Rachael Miller, who told us about her latest research on microplastics in the Sound, and CCE’s Adrienne Esposito, who discussed the solutions to the plastic crisis. It was a great event – thanks to the 100+ people to joined us for the presentation and Q &A. If you missed it, you can check it out here.
Talking Protecting Horseshoe Crabs on Fire Island
We participated in Saltaire’s annual Sea & Sand Festival, a weekend of kids' activities focused on the environment. We spent the day on Fire Island talking to kids and their parents on the importance of protecting horseshoe crabs. The children were excited to color and send letters to Governor Hochul urging her to sign The Horseshoe Crab Protection Act. Thank you to Kathryn Morlet and the Saltaire Sustainability Committee for putting together this great event.
Be on the Watch for Harmful Algal Blooms
As we start enjoying summer here in New York, it is important to be aware of dangerous harmful algal blooms (HABs). HABs pose an immense threat to our communities’ drinking water, public health, outdoor recreation and wildlife. HABs are erupting across NY more frequently and more aggressively in NY waterbodies. To learn more about HABs and efforts taken to combat them on Cayuga Lake check out our short video. If you see a HAB in a lake or waterbody (looks like spilled green paint or pea soup), be sure to avoid it and report it using the DEC Suspicious Algal Bloom Report Form!