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Highlights
Victory! Celebrating the Sunrise Wind Community Benefits Agreement
In March, Long Island celebrated another big step forward for offshore wind in NY! We joined elected leaders, labor groups, community representatives and environmentalists for a press conference to announce the communities benefit agreement for Sunrise Wind. Sunrise wind will be located approximately 30 miles off Montauk, will generate 924MW of electricity, and power nearly 600,000 Long Island homes. The energy will be brought to Suffolk County, in the Town of Brookhaven, via a cable connection to the Holbrook substation. This agreement between developers Orsted/Eversource and the municipalities means $700 million in investments going back to communities for green jobs, park improvements, sewers, schools and more!
Great News! EPA Proposes Limits on PFAS “Forever Chemicals” in Drinking Water
PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” are being found in drinking water supplies in NY, CT, and across the nation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new enforceable drinking water standards, known as Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs), for two PFAS chemicals (PFOA and PFOS), as well as a combined standard for a mixture of four additional PFAS chemicals (PFNA, PFBS, PFHxS, and GenX). The MCLs for PFOA and PFOS are proposed at 4 parts per trillion (ppt), which is significantly stronger than New York State's existing MCLs of 10ppt for both PFOS and PFOA. CT does not have an enforceable standard for these chemicals. EPA has crafted a strong proposal that is needed to protect public health. Look for updates from us soon on how you can submit a comment to EPA in support of the proposed regulations during the public comment period!
Happenings
Fighting to Protect the Great Lakes in Washington D.C.
In March, advocates from all eight Great Lakes States traveled to Washington to attend Great Lakes Day. We led a team to meet with New York’s congressional delegation, calling for increased investments in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and clean water infrastructure, as well policies to protect our wetlands and small streams.
Fighting Climate Change in Nassau County
We joined Nassau County Legislator Joshua Lafazan as he announced a new bill that will fight climate change, invest in energy efficiency and embrace renewable energy. The bill will make Nassau County municipal operations carbon neutral by 2035. New York’s climate law mandates a carbon neutral economy by 2050. We applaud Leg. Lafazan for working to make Nassau County a leader in fighting climate change!
Check out our Clean Water Video Series: Progress and Challenges in New York
To celebrate World Water Day, we released a series of six short videos on the progress and challenges associated with protecting NY’s water resources. These videos highlight what successful water quality protection projects look like in the Great Lakes, Finger Lakes, and Long Island. Learn more about the work that has been done to protect New York’s treasured waters, the work left to do, and why we need continued state and federal investments in protecting clean water in New York.
Transitioning to Offshore Wind
New York is poised to be a national leader in offshore wind, with five wind farms already selected and a mandate of 9,000MW of offshore wind by 2035. This will not only bring environmental and health benefits to our communities but will also create thousands of jobs and make NY a hub of offshore wind development. March saw some more big milestones for offshore wind:
NYS hearings on Empire Wind 2. NYS held a public comment period for the Empire Wind 2 project as part of their Article VII process. Empire Wind 2 will power over 600,000 homes in Nassau County via a cable connection to Island Park. We participated in very lively public hearings on the project last month.
City of Long Beach Votes on Empire Wind 2. City of Long Beach voted yes to maintain control of Ocean Beach where the cable for Empire Wind 2 plans to come onshore, which will allow the city to participate in the review process for the project. We testified at the hearing and are planning to do extensive outreach in Long Beach and Island Park this spring and summer, so stay tuned for more events.
We hosted a Lunch and Learn with Community Offshore Wind, a joint venture between RWE Renewables and National Grid. Community Offshore Wind was one of the six lease winners in the New York Bight and their awarded seabed is the largest parcel, with the potential to host three gigawatts (GW) of capacity and power over one million homes. Community Offshore Wind has submitted to NYSERDA's third offshore wind solicitation and provided an overview of the project including information from their fisheries, stakeholder engagement, permitting, and project development teams.
Wind Education at Uniondale High School. CCE is working with Uniondale High School to educate the students about Offshore Wind. We met with the faculty staff in March and presented to them about offshore wind. In the spring, we will be engaging the students in a three-part educational program about Offshore Wind, Renewable Energy and Climate Change which will end with fun and exciting discussions and adventures for the students. We look forward to this journey!
Protecting Our Pollinators
One of our top legislative priorities for 2023 is the Birds and Bees Protection Act. This bill would limit unnecessary uses of toxic neonicotinoid pesticides (A.K.A neonics), which have decimated bee populations, polluted drinking water, and have been linked to adverse human health impacts. Last month we continued to push for state legislation to ban the sale of neonic treated corn, soybean, and wheat seeds; and ornamental uses on lawns, gardens, and golf courses. By banning just these few uses, we could eliminate 85-90% of all neonics used in New York and protect our pollinators, water quality, and human health. Email your elected representatives today and urge them to pass the Birds and Bees Protection Act!
Pushing for Water Reuse on Long Island
We were proud to stand with Seatuck Environmental Association as they released their new Water Reuse Road Map & Action Plan for Long Island last month. Reusing water has the potential to reduce harmful nitrogen in coastal waterways while restoring the region’s aquifer resources. Water reuse is a crucial component of restoring water quality and protecting our sole-source aquifer for future generations, and this important plan provides guidance for important water reuse projects.
2023 Long Island Sound Summit
We partnered with The Nature Conservancy and Save the Sound to host the 2023 Long Island Sound Summit: Funding & Strategies to Tackle Local Water Pollution. This fantastic Long Island Sound clean water event brought together 100 Network members, policy makers, environmental advocates, and clean water professionals across the Sound to learn about resources for clean water project design and implementation and to discover new collaboration opportunities to advance key projects. Thanks to all who attended and made the event such a success!
Upcoming: Lunch and Learn with Yale - Impacts of 1,4-Dioxane Contamination on Long Island
1,4-Dioxane is an emerging contaminant of concern found in drinking water throughout the nation and was found in 80% of personal care products tested. New York has been a leader in the fight to combat 1,4-dioxane contamination, but there is still a lot of work to be done to protect our communities from this toxic chemical. We have partnered with the Yale Superfund Research Center to engage with Long Island communities to better understand the impact of 1,4-dioxane exposure on Long Island communities and ways to mitigate that impact. Join us on April 24th at noon. Register today for this free virtual Lunch and Learn.
Upcoming: Join Us for Earth Day Advocacy Day in Albany!
Earth Day is right around the corner and to celebrate CCE is joining advocates from across the state for a lobby day in Albany. Join us to show your support for healthy people and a healthy planet in an in-person Earth Day Advocacy Day with NYS policy leaders on Tuesday, April 25th. Talk to your legislators, urge them to pass key environmental bills to protect New Yorkers! Register TODAY and we will see you in Albany!