Amanda Lefton appointed as commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, with the trust of Governor Kathy Hochul.
Long Islander Amanda Lefton named new DEC commissioner
Amanda Lefton, a Queens native who grew up on Long Island and now lives upstate with her wife, has been tapped as commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
The ‘elephant in the room’ at Palumbo’s annual environmental roundtable: future of federal funds
Representatives of two dozen organizations gathered Thursday for an annual environmental roundtable meeting hosted by State Senator Anthony Palumbo to discuss regional environmental issues, concerns and needs. The event went off as it does every year: a cordial, free-wheeling, pass-the-mic conversation.
If the ongoing federal staffing cuts and budget-slashing being undertaken by the Trump administration worried the environmental advocates and government officials in the room, their concerns were mostly left unspoken —even though most of the programs addressing local environmental issues substantially rely on federal funding.
Navy Nudged: Local Officials Urge Feds to Clean Up Calverton Contamination
Local officials, advocates and residents are renewing calls for the U.S. Navy to clean up toxins used at the former Calverton-based Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant that are polluting local waters.
Suffolk County lawmakers eye cellphone towers on county-owned parkland
Suffolk legislators will vote next week to consider a bill allowing wireless cellphone towers to be built on county-owned parkland.
A resolution to allow parkland to be considered for wireless facilities was approved Wednesday morning by a 5-0 vote in the county legislature’s Committee on Governmental Operations, Personnel and Information Technology.
Betting on Long Island with the Las Vegas Sands
The real estate roulette wheel is spinning – and it’s at least possible that the ball will settle on a multi-billion-dollar Long Island resort and casino.
The Las Vegas Sands is seeking to build a $6 billion integrated resort and casino in Uniondale if it is awarded one of three downstate gaming licenses from the state. It is the only bid on Long Island.
Zeldin Confirmed To EPA; Environmentalists Ask That He Remember Roots
LONG ISLAND, NY — As the Senate confirmed former Rep. Lee Zeldin as administrator of the Environmental Agency, local advocates are imploring that he "hold strong and do what's right to protect our environment and our future."
Zeldin was confirmed by the Senate in a vote of 56 to 42, with two not voting.
"CONFIRMED! Thank you to the 56 senators for your vote and confidence," Zeldin wrote on X, adding that he was "grateful" to President Donald Tump for "having the faith in me to be part of his Cabinet as EPA Administrator."
Casino bid at Nassau Coliseum renews concern for its next-door neighbors: Two dozen species of birds
Tucked among the malls, parkways and office buildings of central Nassau County is 100 acres of natural habitat for birds, insects and threatened plant species resembling a prairie in the Midwest.
The rare, county-owned grasslands sit adjacent to another county-owned site: The 72-acre asphalt property of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum where Las Vegas Sands has proposed a $6 billion casino-resort.
Environmentalists Outraged Over Hochul's Horseshoe Crab Bill Veto
"While this bill is well-intentioned, the management of marine species is better left to the experts at DEC." — Gov. Kathy Hochul.
NEW YORK— Environmentalists are outraged over Gov. Kathy Hochul's recent decision to veto the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act, which prohibits the taking of horseshoe crabs from New York waters. The legislation would have allowed the populations to recover and ensured the survival of the important species, advocated said.
Village receives environmental award for living shoreline project
NEW YORK DEPARTMENT OF STATE RELEASES $3.5 MILLION STRATEGIC INVESTMENT PLAN TO PROTECT AND RESTORE LONG ISLAND’S SOUTH SHORE ESTUARY RESERVE
Hochul Vetoes Horseshoe Crab Harvest Ban
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has vetoed a bill that would have banned the harvest of horseshoe crabs for bait or biomedical research, saying in her veto statement Dec. 13 that she believes the management of marine species “is better left to the experts” at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Las Vegas Sands faces mixed reactions in public hearing
Lee Zeldin didn’t ask to head EPA. Here’s why Trump picked him.
When he served as a Republican congressman from New York, Lee Zeldin delighted environmentalists by championing efforts to protect critical wildlife habitat from potential development efforts, including a golf course proposed by Donald Trump.
Details on heirs and future conservation efforts emerging around the 36,000 acre Whitney Estate
What to do with Whitney Park?
New York faces a major environmental decision as it considers what role — if any — it wishes to play in the future of Whitney Park, a 36,202-acre tract of land in the central Adirondacks. We think the potential opportunity to acquire such a large piece of wild land is a once-in-a-generation opportunity that demands prudence.
Dr. Jane Goodall Joins Fight To Save Horseshoe Crabs In NY
Jane Goodall advocates for New York’s horseshoe crabs as time runs out on protection bill
Green groups push state to buy Whitney Park
LONG LAKE — Eight conservation groups jointly sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul urging the state to “act swiftly” to purchase and preserve Whitney Park.
The letter was signed by leaders of the Adirondack Council, Protect the Adirondacks!, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve, the Adirondack Mountain Club, New York League of Conservation Voters, and Adirondack Wilderness Advocates.
Adirondack conservation organizations urge protection of 36,000 acre-Whitney Estate Tract
Eight conservation organizations that are concerned with the future of the Adirondack Park called on Governor Kathy Hochul on Nov. 13 to act swiftly to protect 36,000 acres of forests, lakes and rivers in the central Adirondacks owned by heirs to the vast Whitney and Vanderbilt family fortunes.
The Whitney Estate, a vast tract of some of the most ecologically sensitive lands in the Adirondack Park, contains 22 lakes and ponds with more than 100 miles of undeveloped shorelines, connected by navigable rivers and streams in the Town of Long Lake, Hamilton County. It has been listed as a high-priority for state acquisition/protection since the NYS Open Space Protection Plan was first adopted in 1992, due to its high-quality wildlife habitat and great potential for public recreation and tourism.
