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Highlights
President Signs Infrastructure Bill!
On November 15, President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan infrastructure bill, paving the way for historic investments in replacing dangerous lead drinking water pipes ($15 billion), restoring the Great Lakes ($1 billion) and Long Island Sound ($106 million), plugging abandoned oil and gas wells that leak toxic chemicals and methane ($4.7 billion), and more! The law will help provide clean drinking water, support environmental justice for disadvantage communities, fight climate change, and create thousands and thousands of good jobs!
U.S. House Passes Build Back Better Act!
The Build Back Better Act (BBBA) would invest a historic $555 billion to fight climate change by investing in renewable energy, expanding electric vehicles, and creating a thriving green energy economy. The bill would also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 52% by 2030 and includes significant investments in fixing water infrastructure, remediating toxic sites, protecting marine habitats and more. In November, we joined with our friends New York League of Conservation Voters and labor to urge the US House of Representatives to vote YES on the BBBA. We are thrilled to announce the House has passed BBBA and we will keep pushing the US Senate to ensure we get this critical bill passed this year.
Victory! Governor Hochul Signs Coal Tar Sealant Ban into Law
Coal tar sealants are commonly used in parking lots to “beautify” asphalt every few years. It contains high amounts of PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), a known carcinogen. Within just a month the coal tar sealant is worn away and scraped off by car tires, and pieces are washed into storm drains and pollute rivers, lakes, and streams. After a decade of fighting to ban these unnecessary, harmful products New York’s ban on coal tar sealant has been signed into law! Thank you to Governor Hochul and our bill champions, Senator Sanders and Assemblywoman Rosenthal.
Victory! NY’s First Offshore Wind Farm Gets Federal Approval
In November, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued a Record of Decision on South Fork Wind Farm, the 130MW project off the coast of Montauk that will power the South Fork of Long Island and offsets the need for a new fossil fuel plant. LIPA selected this project in 2016 and we have been working hard to ensure that the wind farm and cable connection are done in an environmentally responsible manner while providing clean energy for tens of thousands of Long Island homes. We could not be more excited that this project has been issued this Record of Decision and that construction is set to start next year! A giant thank you to all our Wind Works Long Island partners and all of you who have wrote letters, made calls, and signed petitions in support of NY’s first offshore wind farm.
Happenings
Protecting NY’s Water from Forever Chemicals
We joined our friends at Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) to give New Yorkers a virtual tour of potential PFAS pollution in waterways around the state. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that some 3,500 industrial facilities “may be handling” per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) across New York, a number that carries troubling implications for controlling the spread of these toxic “forever chemicals” in our environment and water supplies. PEER obtained the list of industrial facilities from EPA through a lawsuit (involving PFAS manufacture, import, handling, or storage) and has developed an interactive, online map of those facilities and joined us for a virtual tour to discuss the sources of PFAS contamination, how this chemical is impacting our waterways and public health in NY, and what we can do to fight back.
Saying NO to Long Island’s Solar Tax
The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) is considering an ill-advised tax on solar customers that would disincentivize homeowners from going solar and penalize existing homes that have already switched to reusable energy. As we fight to meet our ambitious NY renewable energy goals, including 70% renewables by 2030 and 6,000 MW of solar by 2025, it is absurd to unjustly burden the Long Islanders who chose to go solar and are already doing their part to help improve air quality and public health in our communities. In November we rallied with NYS Senators Kevin Thomas, John Brooks, and Jim Gaughran, along with our allies, in the fight for clean energy to demand LIPA kill the proposed solar tax.
Giving Thanks to Bees, Butterflies, and Pollinators
This November, as we all gathered around the table for Thanksgiving dinner it is important to remember and give thanks to the bees, butterflies, and pollinators that made it all possible. Pollinators provide an estimated $439 million worth of pollination services to top New York State crops like apples, squash, tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, and pears. Unfortunately, pollinator populations have been decreasing. The decline in pollinators is largely linked to the unnecessary overuse of neonicotinoid pesticides. Corn, soy, and wheat neonic treated seeds account for approximately 73% of all neonics used in NY, and lawn, garden, ornamental, and turf uses make up an additional 15% yet provide no net benefit. Help us eliminate these low benefit/high risk uses of neonics by signing a petition in support of the Birds and Bees Protection Act here.