Highlights & Happenings

Highlights and Happenings: February 2025

 

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Highlights

Celebrating 40 Years! 
We are celebrating 40 years of working to protect our air, land, and water—and fight climate change! Your generosity has given us 40 incredible years! Help us to keep up the fight and continue our mission of empowering communities and advocating solutions. Together we can make a difference! Your contribution helps us continue our fight for a cleaner, healthier future! Please support us today! 

Turn Off the Tap to Toxic PFAS Chemicals! 
We joined advocates from across the state in Albany to fight to prohibit the unnecessary use of PFAS chemicals in a variety of consumer products. The ubiquitous use of these “forever” chemicals has contributed to the contamination of drinking water sources across NYS and threatens our health. We are fighting to ban the use of PFAS chemicals in a host of everyday products, including rugs, cookware, paints, children’s products, dental floss, and cleaning products. Take action today and urge your elected representatives to support passage of this critical legislation in 2025. 

Adrienne Esposito wins LI Herald Sustainability Award 
Congrats to our Executive Director, Adrienne Esposito, for being honored at the first ever Long Island Herald’s Sustainability Awards, powered by Reworld Waste. It was a great event with fantastic honorees, including other advocates that we have worked with for decades! Congrats to all! 

Happenings

Fighting for Clean Water
Clean water is an essential human need and is vital to our health and economy. NY’s historic investments have produced significant results for clean water, but NY’s clean water needs remain at nearly $90 billion. We joined our NY Clean Water Coalition partners to host the 7th Annual Clean Water Forum, where experts spoke about New York’s top 2025 priorities, including protecting drinking water from emerging contaminants, replacing lead pipes, upgrading wastewater infrastructure, and more. A key priority is increasing clean water funding in this year’s state budget. If you haven’t yet, email Governor Hochul and your Legislative leaders and urge them to provide at least $600 million for the Clean Water Infrastructure Act in the 2025-2026 NYS budget. 


Another Step Forward on Great Lakes Restoration 
In February, the U.S. Senate joined the House in introducing the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2025—to reauthorize the successful program for another 5 years at $500 million annually. We need your help to ensure that this bill is passed into law—please email your Congressional representatives today! 

Bringing Together a Diverse Group to Fight for Long Island
Last month, the Long Island Lobby Coalition, representing a diverse group of Long Island small business, civic, human service, downtown planner, labor, environment, student, and transportation advocates, headed to Albany for the Long Island Coalition Lobby Day. We spoke to Long Island’s Assembly and Senate representatives and the Governor’s staff about a range of issues, including sewer infrastructure, drinking water protection, renewable energy, transportation, and much more. Thanks to all who took the trip up to Albany and advocated for Long Islanders with us! 


Supporting Increased Funding for the Environmental Protection Fund
New York’s environment, economy, and public health are dependent upon the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). From Buffalo to Long Island, all New Yorkers benefit from the numerous programs and projects in the EPF. EPF projects improve water quality, protect clean air, conserve open space, save family farms, bolster recycling programs, revitalize waterfronts, build community parks, and more. In February, we joined advocates from across the state to call on elected officials to increase the EPF to $500 million. 


Updates on Our Work to Advance Offshore Wind: 

• Follow Wind Works New York - We’re excited to share that Wind Works New York has officially moved to a new public Facebook page! Follow or Like Wind Works New York to get the latest updates on offshore wind news, events, and actions and share with the people you know who care about clean energy. 

• Excelsior Wind Begins Federal Approval Process - Vineyard Offshore and Excelsior Wind have begun the federal permitting process for their Vineyard Mid-Atlantic Lease Area. This project has the potential to provide enough to power approximately 1.5 million NY homes. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published Notice of Intent (NOI) to start an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and we worked with our Wind Works partner groups to submit comments.

• Upcoming: Climate Change Symposium 
Join us on Thursday, April 10, from 9:30am - 12:00pm at Babylon Town Hall for our Climate Change Symposium. This is an exciting educational program to explore how climate change is impacting our local community and what you can do to help. Featured speakers include Dr. Paul Shepson, Dean of The School for Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University and Dr. J Bret Bennington, Professor and Chair of the Dept of Geology, Environment, and Sustainability, Hofstra University, amongst others. Register today. 

• A Windy Day on the Water – This past fall, we joined many of our Wind Works NY partners for an incredible trip out to see South Fork Wind, NY’s first offshore wind farm located 35 miles off the coast of Montauk. The project is now supplying clean, renewable energy to 70,000 homes on the south fork of Long Island. In fact, it is generating more power than expected! Learn more about the trip and South Fork Wind by watching our video, A Windy Day on the Water and check out our YouTube Channel and social media pages for additional Offshore Wind Chats. 


Combatting PFAS Contamination in Calverton, Long Island 
We are working with a coalition of municipalities, elected leaders, other environmental groups, and community members in Calverton to address legacy contamination from the Navy/Grumman site. Toxic soil and water contamination at the site was discovered as far back as the mid-1980s. This contamination, including PFAS “forever chemicals,” migrated off site and contaminated residential drinking water wells and surface waters. The community is still working for the groundwater plume and soil contamination to be remediated. Last month we joined Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine to call on the US Navy to clean up toxic PFAS contamination in Calverton. The Navy needs to step up and clean up their mess to protect families and the environment. Watch our Executive Director’s comments here. 


Banning 1,4-Dioxane in Household Products in Connecticut 
1,4-Dioxane is an emerging contaminant and likely carcinogen found in drinking water throughout the nation. Our independent testing found this “hidden carcinogen” in 65 out of 80 products we tested (including shampoos, body washes, baby products, laundry detergents, hand and dish soaps). As a result, New York became the first state in the nation to ban 1,4-dioxane from products. NY’s law took full effect last year and has been an overwhelming success. Now, Connecticut is considering similar legislation. We testified in support of banning 1,4-dioxane in household products at the Environment Committee last month and are urging the General Assembly to protect public health and drinking water by banning this hidden carcinogen. 


Pushing for the Environment at NYS Senator Anthony Palumbo’s Roundtable 
We joined NYS Senator Palumbo’s annual environmental roundtable with over two dozen Long Island environmental organizations, and discussed local and regional environmental issues, concerns and needs. We urged our Long Island elected leaders to pass the ban on PFAS in everyday products and fund the Environmental Protection Fund, including increasing funding for the South Shore Estuary Reserve. 

Upcoming: Learning about Propel NY 
New York Power Authority and New York Transco are hosting Propel NY Energy Community Information Sessions on Long Island. We recently attended an informative session, but if you missed it, there are more to come. Sessions include Q&A through written questions and answers from experts. Following the session there will be an open house to allow attendees the opportunity to speak to the experts one-on-one. Register here. 


Upcoming: Whale Tales and Real Facts 
Humpbacks, Minke, Right Whales, oh my! There are many species of whales that inhabit our waters throughout the year. Join us to learn more about these whales off New York’s coast and the threats whales are facing. This virtual forum will feature whale experts that have decades of experience in tracking individual whales, conducting necropsies on deceased whales, and monitoring growing threats to whales and other marine mammals. Please join us for our free virtual webinar on March 19th at noon and learn more. Register here. 


Upcoming: Long Island Sound Summit
The Long Island Sound Coastal Watershed Network will be hosting its second LIS Summit on March 27 from 11am-2:45pm at Housatonic Community College in CT. The Summit is for everyone who lives, works, and plays in the Long Island Sound region. Clean water advocates, municipal leaders, and local individuals and groups looking for actionable ways to reduce their pollution contributions to LIS might find it especially engaging and helpful. This is a great opportunity to gather in person to learn, network, exchange ideas, and celebrate the work we’ve already accomplished for Long Island Sound. Register today. 

Highlights and Happenings: January 2025

 

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Highlights

Fighting for our Environment in the NYS State Budget
This year’s New York State budget process is underway. In January, we testified at the Senate and Assembly Joint Hearing on Environmental Conservation and Energy to push for our top budget priorities, including investing $600 million in the Clean Water Infrastructure Act, providing $500 million for the Environmental Protection Fund, increasing state agency staffing, and funding to fight climate change. Watch a recording of our budget testimony here.


Kickstarting Our Campaign to Advance Great Lakes Protection
In January, we celebrated the introduction of federal bipartisan legislation that would accelerate progress to restore our Great Lakes, protect drinking water, and support economic development in the region. The legislation reauthorizes the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), allowing up to $500 million annually in support of actions in New York and throughout the region to clean up toxic pollution, fight invasive species, protect drinking water, and more. We need Congress to pass this vital legislation before the program expires next year. Please contact your representatives in support of the GLRI today!

Pushing to Get Lead Out of Drinking Water
We joined with elected leaders, drinking water suppliers, and others at a press conference in Albany to call for increased funding in the NYS budget for replacing lead drinking water pipes. There is no safe level of exposure to lead, especially in children. New York State has an estimated 494,000 lead service providing drinking water to homes and businesses, from Buffalo to NYC. Federal regulations require that all lead pipes are replaced by 2037. Urge your representatives to support increased clean water funding in the 2025-26 state budget!

Happenings

Calling for Action at Assembly Hearing on Horseshoe Crab Protection
One of biggest legislative priorities in NYS this year is to protect horseshoe crabs. Last month our Executive Director, Adrienne Esposito, provided testimony to the NYS Assembly on the importance of protecting horseshoe crabs. This ancient species is being overharvested by commercial fishermen and the biomedical industry to the point where they face local extinction in New York. Last year, Governor Hochul failed to protect this vulnerable species by vetoing the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act. At the hearing we urged the NYS Assembly to reintroduce and pass the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act, replicate proven, successful protection efforts happening at the local level, and prohibit the taking of horseshoe crabs on state land. Watch a recording of our testimony here.

Updates on Our Work to Advance Offshore Wind:

• Offshore Wind Legislative Breakfast – We joined our partners at the NY League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, Climate Jobs NY, Long Island Federation of Labor, and Nassau and Suffolk Counties last month to host the Long Island Offshore Wind Legislative Breakfast. It was a fantastic event where we spoke with elected leaders, key stakeholders, and offshore wind developers to discuss the future of offshore wind projects in New York and their impact on Long Island. Thanks to Vineyard Wind, Community Offshore Wind and Haugland Group for your presentation and a big thanks to all of the elected officials who attended for a great discussion.

• Follow Wind Works New York - We’re excited to share that Wind Works New York has officially moved to a new public Facebook page! Follow or Like Wind Works New York to get the latest updates on offshore wind news, events, and actions and share with the people you know who care about clean energy.

• A Windy Day on the Water – This past fall, we joined many of our Wind Works NY partners for an incredible trip out to see South Fork Wind, NY’s first offshore wind farm located 35 miles off the coast of Montauk. The project is now supplying clean, renewable energy to 70,000 homes on the south fork of Long Island. In fact, it is generating more power than expected! To find out more about the trip and South Fork Wind, check out our video, A Windy Day on the Water and check out our YouTube Channel for additional Offshore Wind Chats.

• 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). BESS systems store energy from renewable energy sources and deliver it when electricity demand is greatest, helping to create a more reliable grid. In January, we attended an excellent community forum on BESS hosted by Town of Brookhaven. The event featured presentations by NYSERDA and the Energy Safety Response Group followed by Q & A by a panel of experts. If you missed the event, you can watch the video here.


Planting Rain Gardens in Northport, LI
Over the past year, we have been working with the Village of Northport on Long Island to install new rain gardens on Bluff Rd and James Street. These rain gardens prevent polluted stormwater runoff from reaching Northport Harbor and Long Island Sound. They capture, store, and filter contaminants while protecting the shoreline and prevent pollution from entering our local waterways. To learn more, check our new video, Building a Rain Garden in Northport Harbor.

Upcoming: Long Island Water Quality Town Hall
We are joining Operation SPLASH and Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages to co-host a Water Quality Town Hall on March 6. Presenters will discuss critical water quality challenges on Long Island and explore the diverse solutions available to protect and restore our local waterways. This free educational forum will take place at the Valley Stream Village Hall Auditorium at 6pm. Please RSVP here if you’d like to attend.
 

Upcoming: Long Island Sound Summit
The Long Island Sound Coastal Watershed Network will be hosting its second LIS Summit on March 27 from 11am-2:45pm at Housatonic Community College in CT. The Summit is for everyone who lives, works, and plays in the Long Island Sound region. Clean water advocates, municipal leaders, and local individuals and groups looking for actionable ways to reduce their pollution contributions to LIS might find it especially engaging and helpful. This is a great opportunity to gather in person to learn, network, exchange ideas, and celebrate the work we’ve already accomplished for Long Island Sound. Registration will go live in the coming weeks so stay tuned and mark your calendars.

Highlights and Happenings: December 2024

 

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Highlights

Gearing Up to Turn off the Tap to PFAS in NYS in 2025!
In recent years, communities across NY and the nation have discovered their drinking water sources are contaminated with harmful PFAS chemicals. These toxic chemicals are unnecessarily added to many of the products we use every day, such as cookware, cleaning products, dental floss, children’s products and more. Due to widespread use, PFAS chemicals have been polluting our drinking water, soil, air, and even our bodies. To protect public health, drinking water, and the environment, NY needs to pass legislation in 2025 to ban PFAS from a number of everyday products. Take action today and urge your elected representatives to support passage of this critical legislation in 2025! 


Important Bills to Fight Climate Change Signed into Law at the End of 2024 in NY! 
While it’s been years since we worked to successfully ban hydro-fracking (which uses water to extract gas) due to its inherent threats to our climate, water, and health; a company recently attempted to exploit a loophole by offering leases to residents in the Southern Tier to extract gas by instead injecting CO2 into shale formations (which poses similar threats to our environment as hydro-fracking). To close this loophole a bill was signed to prohibit the process of fracking using CO2 in NY. Additionally, the Climate Superfund Act, which will require fossil fuel corporations, rather than taxpayers, to pay for the cost of damage caused by climate change and to make NY more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Once implemented, this “polluter pays” law is expected to generate $3 billion per year for NYS.

Happenings

Governor Vetoes Horseshoe Crab Protection Bill 
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 are being depleted, and one contributing factor is the commercial fishermen who catch them and chop them up for use as bait. Horseshoe crabs are an essential species in the food web. In order to save the horseshoe crab, and the species that depend upon them, the New York State Legislature passed a bill to ban harvesting of horseshoe crabs. Unfortunately, Governor Hochul vetoed the bill in December, leaving horseshoe crabs on the chopping block and at risk of further population loss. Thanks to the thousands of you who sent emails and made calls in support of the bill. We will keep fighting to save the horseshoe crab! 

Protecting New York’s Water in 2025 
Much of New York’s wastewater and drinking water infrastructure is aging and failing, putting public health and our environment at risk. New York State has made significant investments to upgrade water infrastructure in recent years; however, much more needs to be done to provide clean water for all New Yorkers. To make drinking water safe and affordable for all New Yorkers, protect our environment, and create jobs, we are urging Governor Hochul and the legislature to provide at least $600 million for the Clean Water Infrastructure Act in the 2025-2026 NYS budget! Email Governor Hochul and your elected representatives today!


Updates on Our Work to Advance Offshore Wind 

  • 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). BESS systems store energy from renewable energy sources and deliver it when electricity demand is greatest, helping to create a more reliable grid. In December, we urged Town of Babylon to not extend their moratorium on battery storage and to move forward with zoning changes that will allow good BESS projects to move forward. Unfortunately, Babylon passed a moratorium extension. 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. We also joined Jupiter Power for a public meeting on their proposed 275-megawatt battery energy storage system in Glenwood Landing, New York. 

  • Upcoming: Battery Storage Educational Forum - The Town of Brookhaven will be hosting a free community meeting on January 21, 2025, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at the Shea Theater at Suffolk County Community College. There will be a panel of experts to discuss how battery energy storage systems work and address safety concerns. You can register and submit questions in advance here. 

Celebrating the South Shore Estuary Reserve Awards 
The South Shore Estuary Reserve is a unique network of 173 square miles of bays along Long Island’s south shore. In December, we joined the South Shore Estuary Reserve (SSER) Office to host the 2024 SSER Stewardship Award Breakfast. Thanks to all who joined us to celebrate our progress in protecting the South Shore Estuary Reserve and learn what is needed for the future. Congratulations to our 2024 SSER Stewardship Awardees: Village of Patchogue, Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, and Tom Wilson from Stony Brook University. 


Saying No to Sandmining Southampton 
Sand mining operations have threatened Long Island’s sole source aquifer and public health for decades. Last month, Southampton Town held a public hearing on the Proposed Amortization of Nonconforming Sand Mines, which would allow the town to prevent these sand mining operations that have contaminated drinking water for decades. We testified in support of finally closing down these harmful mines. You can check out our testimony here. 

Highlights and Happenings: November 2024

 

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Help CCE build on our success, and support our campaigns to protect public health and the environment in NY and CT. 
Make a contribution today.

 

Highlights

Victory! Suffolk County Votes Yes on Clean Water On election day, Suffolk County residents had the opportunity to vote on Prop 2, the clean water ballot referendum. The initiative allows the sales tax to be increased by 1/8 of one penny to create a reliable funding stream dedicated to protecting water. The clean water ballot measure was passed by Suffolk residents with an overwhelming 72% of the vote! The program, effective January of 2025, will generate billions of dollars in the years ahead to reduce nitrogen pollution from sewers and septic systems—reducing pollution that impacts our drinking water and waterways. Thank you to Suffolk County residents that voted in favor of this critical clean water initiative! 

We Have Only Days Left to Save Horseshoe Crabs—Governor Hochul Must Sign the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act! 
In order to save the horseshoe crab from local extinction, the New York State Legislature passed a bill to ban harvesting of horseshoe crabs. We need Governor Hochul to sign the bill. The clock is ticking. She has only days left to decide whether to sign the bill or veto it. Horseshoe crabs have existed for over 350million years, having shared this planet with the dinosaurs. Sadly, the species is now vulnerable to local extinction unless action is taken soon. We can’t afford to wait any longer. We continued outreach to the Governor’s office last month, getting letters of support for the bill from the public, stakeholders, and Dr. Jane Goodall! Email Governor Hochul today and urge her to sign the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act into law! 

Happenings

Heading to D.C. to Advocate for the Great Lakes 
In November, we headed down to Washington D.C. to meet with our elected leaders on the importance of Great Lakes protection. Our big push is to reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act, which would extend funding this successful program to protect and restore the Great Lakes for another 5 years. Many thanks to our partner National Audubon Society and students from SUNY ESF for joining us for a very productive trip! 

Providing Testimony to Address PFAS Contamination in Our Waters 
Last month, the New York State Assembly held a public hearing on PFAS contamination. Our Executive Director, Adrienne Esposito, provided testimony on the dangers of these “forever chemicals,” which are found in our drinking water and communities throughout the state. We outlined what New York must do to protect our health, environment and drinking water, including passing legislation to stop PFAS at the source by banning these dangerous chemicals in common household items. Check out Adrienne Esposito’s testimony here.

Transitioning to Offshore Wind 
Here’s a look at the big developments with offshore wind from November: 

  • Talking Offshore Wind with Uniondale High School - Last month, we continued our partnership with Community Offshore Wind and Uniondale High School with another round of presentations for students entitled “Transitioning to Renewable Energy,” which is an educational program designed to inform and engage the next generation of Long Islanders on the clean energy future. We then headed down for our annual trip with the students to the Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center, where the students learned about coastline protection and climate change mitigation strategies, and were then able to take a close up look at a real wind turbine blade. Thank you again to all the students and teachers that participated in making this year’s program a success! 

  • 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). BESS systems store energy from renewable energy sources and deliver it when electricity demand is greatest, helping to create a more reliable grid. In November, we testified in favor of the New York Power Authority’s strategic renewable plan, which includes plans to phase out fossil fuel peaker plants and build a BESS facility in at their Brentwood site on Long Island. We also urged Town of Babylon to not extend their moratorium on battery storage and to move forward with zoning changes that will allow good BESS projects to move forward. 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. 

  

Planting a Rain Garden in Northport 
We are working with the Village of Northport on Long Island to install new rain gardens on Bluff Rd and James Street. Rain gardens prevent polluted stormwater runoff from reaching local waterways. They capture, store, and filter contaminants while protecting the shoreline and prevent pollution from entering Northport Harbor. We joined community members to plant a rain garden in October and another in November. We are very excited to see how these rain gardens continue to thrive and protect Northport Harbor. 

Highlights and Happenings: October 2024

 

Help CCE build on our success, and support our campaigns to protect public health and the environment in NY and CT. 
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Highlights

A Milestone Victory for the Great Lakes: Rochester Embayment Cleanup 
The most toxic hot spots in the Great Lakes, known as Areas of Concern (AOCs), were identified as such way back in 1987. Due to restoration efforts over decades—and largely supported by recent investments of $14 million from the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)—the Rochester Embayment was finally taken off the AOC list in October! This is yet another demonstration showing that we can reverse the environmental harm caused by decades of pollution, if we invest in solutions. In November, we’ll be heading to Washington DC to advocate for continued investments in the GLRI, which is necessary to finish clean ups in the Buffalo River, Eighteenmile Creek, Niagara River, St Lawrence River, and more!

Vote Yes for Clean Water in Suffolk County: Flip your Ballot and Vote YES on Prop 2! 
With early voting in full swing, and Election Day on November 5, we are in the home stretch of our public outreach and education campaign to ensure Suffolk County residents know to vote on the Clean Water ballot referendum. The initiative would 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. Voting on this initiative is critical to restoring Suffolk County’s drinking water, beaches, bays, lakes, and rivers! 

In October, we joined our environmental, labor, business, and community partners for a 100+ person rally in support of Prop 2 in Babylon, LI. If you missed the event, you can watch it here. We also did presentations around the county on this ballot initiative, including a great community meeting with Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine and Suffolk County Legislator Dominick Thorne, as well as presentations for the Retired Teachers Association, NAACP, Rocky Point Civic Association, Setauket Civic Association and a call in radio show with 103.9! Thank you to everyone who came out to these events and everyone working to educate your communities on this crucial program. Also, a giant thank you to the dozen advocates working with us to distribute 10,000 door knockers to Suffolk homes. We need Suffolk residents to turn out to vote on clean water this year, so if you live in Suffolk, remember to flip your ballot and vote YES on Prop 2! 

Time is Ticking to Save the Horseshoe Crabs! 
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 are being depleted and a major contributing factor is the commercial fishermen who catch them and chop them up for use as bait. Horseshoe crabs are an essential species in the food web. In order to save the horseshoe crab, and the species that depend upon them, the New York State Legislature passed a bill to ban harvesting of horseshoe crabs. We can’t afford to wait any longer—Governor Hochul must sign the bill into law before the end of the year. Email Governor Hochul today and urge her to sign the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act into law! 

Happenings

Developing a Statewide Platform for Clean Water in NYS 
In October, we reconvened the NY Clean Water Coalition for the 8th annual Clean Water Roundtable. At the event, the coalition received updates from the Governor’s Office, NYS Department of Health, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, and the NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation on the top clean water challenges and priorities for the state. We worked with our coalition members—environmental groups, drinking water suppliers, and wastewater treatment operators—to develop a shared priorities agenda for the coming legislative session. The continued collaboration of this diverse group of stakeholders has yielded unprecedented results for New York’s water resources (a nation-leading $5.5 billion invested in clean water in NYS since 2017, among other victories) and we will continue to work together to further our common clean water goals in the coming year. 


Transitioning to Offshore Wind 
As usual, we were busy with our work to advance offshore wind. Here’s the latest from October: 

  • Visiting South Fork Wind – We went on an incredible trip out to see South Fork Wind, NY’s first offshore wind farm located 35 miles off the coast of Montauk. The project is now supplying clean, renewable energy to 70,000 homes on the south fork of Long Island. In fact, it is generating more power than expected! Sunrise Wind, which will power 600,000 homes in Suffolk County, and Empire Wind, which will power 500,000 homes in NYC, are both under construction and will be the next two offshore wind projects that allow our transition off fossil fuels in downstate NY. 

  • 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). BESS systems store energy from renewable energy sources and deliver it when electricity demand is greatest, helping to create a more reliable grid. Here’s the latest on our work to support BESS: 

    • In October, we urged Town of Southampton to allow a small 5MW battery storage project by NineDot to move ahead, as it would provide clean power to an area where the grid needs more energy and offset the need for fossil fuel peaker plants. They are due to make the decision in the next month. 

    • In November, we expect Town of Babylon to hold a public hearing on extending their moratorium on battery storage and we will be heading to the hearing to oppose the extension. 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. 

Congressional Climate Chats 
In the next Congress, our representatives from Suffolk and Nassau will have an important role to play in ensuring protections for our coastal communities, local economy, emerging industries, and environmental resources. We joined our partners at Students for Climate Action, Renewable Energy Long Island, and Citizens Climate Lobby New York to virtually host Climate Chats 2024 last month. This event featured short, 15-minute “chats” with candidates running for Congress in NY-01, NY-02, NY-03 to answer questions on climate change, energy, and sustainability from a panel of experienced environmental leaders. Thank you to candidates Congressman Garbarino, Rob Lubin, Congressman LaLota, John Avlon, Congressman Suozzi, and Mike LiPetri for participating. You can watch Climate Chats here. 

Long Island Water Quality Summer 2024 
We joined Stony Brook University’s Dr. Christopher Gobler in October to announce the water quality results of Long Island’s surface waters this summer. The news was not good! The 2024 Assessment of Water Quality Impairments for Long Island found more toxic tides and a record-setting season for harmful algal blooms this past summer. Excessive nitrogen from sewage and septic systems has caused water quality impairments across Long Island and the problem is only going to get worse. This data highlights the need for a recurring revenue stream and significant investments to upgrade our wastewater infrastructure, making it so important for Suffolk residents to vote yes on Prop 2 for clean water this year. 

The Problems with Artificial Turf 
Across New York, artificial turf fields are replacing natural grass at parks, schools, sports fields, and in landscaping. There is growing concern and research connecting artificial turf to a variety of adverse health, safety, and environmental impacts. Exposure to toxic chemicals, water contamination, increase in injuries, PFAS pollution, and plastic pollution are all problems associated with artificial turf. We will be launching a series of educational materials and will be hosting virtual lunch and learn about the various problems associated with artificial turf—stay tuned to learn more about the growing threats from artificial turf. Check out our first educational factsheet here! 

Planting a Rain Garden in Northport 
We are working with Village of Northport on Long Island to install new rain gardens on Bluff Rd and James Street. Rain gardens prevent polluted stormwater runoff from reaching local waterways. They capture, store, and filter contaminants while protecting the shoreline and prevent pollution from entering Northport Harbor. We joined community members to plant a rain garden last month and we are very excited to see how it continues to thrive and protect Northport Harbor. We will be planting another rain garden on November 9th from 10:30am - 12:30pm and are looking for volunteers. If you live in Northport and are interested in helping with the planting, email Maureen Murphy for more details.

Highlights and Happenings: September 2024

 

Photo by Vlada Karpovich: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-walking-on-the-sidewalk-at-the-park-9968508/

Help CCE build on our success, and support our campaigns to protect public health and the environment in NY and CT. 
Make a contribution today.

 

Highlights

Celebrating our Equinox Gala 

We had a great night celebrating 39 years and our special honorees at our annual Equinox gala in September. We honored Ørsted to celebrate New York’s first offshore wind farm and Assemblyman Fred Thiele for a lifetime achievement award. Thank you to everyone that attended and helped to make this night a success. Stay tuned for more pictures and video of our fabulous event! 

Now is the time—Governor Hochul must protect horseshoe crabs! 
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 are being depleted and one contributing factor is the commercial fishermen who catch them and chop them up for use as bait. Horseshoe crabs are an essential species in the food web. In order to save the horseshoe crab, and the species that depend upon them, the New York State Legislature passed a bill to ban harvesting of horseshoe crabs. We can’t afford to wait any longer—Governor Hochul must act to sign the bill into law before the end of the year. Email Governor Hochul today and urge her to sign the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act into law! 

ACE NY Clean Energy Award! 
A heartfelt thank you to the Alliance for Clean Energy New York for awarding us the 2024 Energy Advocate Award! We are proud of our work to bolster renewable energy in NY and are grateful for the recognition. Thanks for hosting a great panel discussion last month with other key energy leaders. Let’s keep working together to transition away from dirty polluting fossil fuels to clean renewable energy! 

Happenings

Suffolk County Clean Water Ballot Referendum 
We have launched a public outreach campaign to ensure Suffolk County residents know to vote on a Clean Water Ballot Referendum this November. The initiative would 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. Now we need Suffolk residents to turn out to vote on clean water this year, so if you live in Suffolk—remember to flip your ballot and vote on Prop 2! 

We will be hosting a free community meeting on October 8th at 7:00pm at South County Ambulance in Bellport. We will be joined by Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine and Suffolk County Legislator Dominick Thorne to discuss this important program. Make sure to register today if you would like to attend and learn more about Prop 2. 


Traveling to Chicago to Collaborate on Great Lakes Protection 
As one of the state leaders in New York State for the Healing Our Waters Great Lakes Coalition, we work closely with partners from all eight Great Lakes states to collaborate on efforts to advance federal protections of our lakes. In September, we headed to Chicago for the coalition’s annual conference—developing a plan to advance restoration in 2025! At the top of our priority list is a campaign to get Congress to extend the successful Great Lakes Restoration Initiative—email your Senators and U.S. House representatives in support of this critical legislation today! 

New Long Island Drinking Water Report 
In September, we launched a drinking water report that provides a comprehensive evaluation of the presence of emerging contaminants 1,4-dioxane and PFAS chemicals in drinking water across Long Island. We reviewed existing data from 2024 Annual Water Quality Reports from Long Island public water suppliers. These reports provide a summary of data from 2023. We also created interactive online maps that depict the maximum level detected of 1,4-dioxane and PFAS contamination in each water district. You can check out the new report and interactive maps of 1,4-dioxane and PFAS here. 


Transitioning to Offshore Wind 
Here’s what was happening with offshore wind in NY in September: 

  • NYSERDA Offshore Wind Solicitation – New York is currently in its fifth solicitation for offshore wind projects. Companies recently submitted their projects for consideration, which will allow New York to pick the next round of offshore wind farms. Continuing to move forward with project selections is crucial to achieving our climate mandates and replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy. Stay tuned for information on the next round of offshore wind projects. 

  • 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 August, we urged the Town of North Hempstead Town Board not to approve a 12-month moratorium on battery storage systems. Fortunately, the moratorium did not pass at the August meeting, but the fight is not over as the Board may still pass it in October. The Town of Babylon will also be holding a public hearing on extending their moratorium on battery storage on October 8th and we will be heading to the hearing to oppose the extension. 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.

Environmental Roundtable with NYS Senators 
Thanks to Senator Pete Harckham and Senator Monica Martinez for joining us last month for our environmental roundtable. We had a robust discussion on what our leaders in the Senate can do during the next legislative session to protect Long Island’s water for future generations. Thanks to all who participated and thanks again to the Senators for being environmental champions! 

Upcoming: Congressional Climate Chats 
In the next Congress, our representatives from Suffolk and Nassau will have an important role to play in ensuring protections for our coastal communities, local economy, emerging industries, and environmental resources. We’ll be joining our partners at Students for Climate Action, Renewable Energy Long Island, and Citizens Climate Lobby New York to virtually host Climate Chats 2024 on October 17th at 7:00pm. This event will feature short, 15-minute “chats” with candidates running for Congress in NY-01, NY-02, NY-03, and NY-04 to answer questions on climate change, energy, and sustainability from a panel of experienced environmental leaders. Register here for the zoom link. 

Highlights and Happenings: August 2024

 

Help CCE build on our success, and support our campaigns to protect public health and the environment in NY and CT. 
Make a contribution today.

 

Highlights

Calling on Governor Hochul to Protect Horseshoe Crabs 
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 are being depleted and one contributing factor is the commercial fishermen who catch them and chop them up for use as bait. Horseshoe crabs are an essential species in the food web. In order to save the horseshoe crab, and the species that depend upon them, the New York State Legislature passed a bill to ban harvesting of horseshoe crabs. We can’t afford to wait any longer—Governor Hochul must act now. Email Governor Hochul today and urge her to sign the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act into law! 

Suffolk County Residents to Vote on Clean Water (Prop 2) this November! 
We have launched a public outreach campaign to ensure Suffolk County residents know to vote on a Clean Water ballot referendum this November. The initiative would 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—if you live in Suffolk remember to flip your ballot and vote on Prop 2!

Victory! Clean Water for Calverton on Long Island 
There were 128 homes in Calverton drinking from private wells, some with confirmed toxic levels of PFAS and others with a high probability of being contaminated with toxic chemicals—possibly from a local Navy Grumman toxic plume. In 2019, we joined community members to seek support for hooking up these homes to public water. We brought together town, county, state, and federal officials to craft a plan to extend water mains to these homes and to seek funding for the project. The funding came through and the first 64 homes were connected last year. Now construction begins for the final 64 homes to be connected to public water. Congrats to all the community members on this hard-won victory for clean water! 

Happenings

Pushing to Continue Successful Efforts to Restore the Great Lakes 
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), which started back in 2010, has been a resounding success. Congress has provided billions of dollars to support thousands of restoration projects through the GLRI—including efforts to clean up toxic hot spots in the Buffalo River, Rochester Embayment, and the Niagara River in NYS. While progress has been made, we have much more work to do to protect and restore our lakes. Congress is considering legislation to extend this successful GLRI program through 2031—please take a moment to urge your federal representatives to pass this critical legislation well before the GLRI program expires.   


New York’s Transition to Offshore Wind 
Here’s a look at the biggest developments with offshore wind from August: 

  • NYSERDA Offshore Wind Solicitation – New York is currently in its fifth solicitation for offshore wind projects, with companies submitting their projects for consideration this month. This will allow New York to pick the next round of offshore wind farms, which will then go through robust environmental review. Continuing to move forward with project selections is crucial to achieving our climate mandates and replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy. 

  • Community Education on Offshore Wind – This summer we had five fantastic interns who went to parks, beaches, events and festivals and spoke to thousands of Long Islanders on the importance of offshore wind. They got thousands of petition signatures and answered countless questions about offshore wind and the emerging “wind-ustry”. If you haven’t already, be sure to sign our petition to grow offshore wind today! One great event in August was the Offshore Wind Industry Open House and Union Apprenticeship Awareness Day at Stony Brook, which offered a unique opportunity to learn about career prospects in this growing field. It was great to talk to high school and college students about our renewable energy future. 

  • 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 August, we went to Town of North Hempstead to urge the Town Board not to approve a 12-month moratorium on battery storage systems. We pushed the town to update zoning codes to properly site projects without a moratorium. Fortunately, the moratorium did not pass at the August meeting, but the fight may not be over. 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. 


The Problems with Artificial Turf 
Across New York, Connecticut, and the nation artificial turf fields are replacing natural grass at parks, schools, sports fields, and in landscaping. There is growing concern and research connecting artificial turf to a variety of adverse health, safety, and environmental impacts. Exposure to toxic chemicals, water contamination, increase in injuries, PFAS pollution, and plastic pollution are all problems associated with artificial turf. We will be launching a series of educational materials and will be hosting virtual lunch and learn about the various problems associated with artificial turf—stay tuned to learn more about the growing threats from artificial turf. Check out our first educational factsheet here! 

Restoring the Western Bays on Long Island 
We have been working with our partners at The Nature Conservancy & Operation SPLASH for the last decade to restore water quality in the Western Bays of the South Shore Estuary Reserve. Environmentalists fought long and hard for significant upgrades to the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant to reduce excessive, polluting nitrogen in the Western Bays and it’s working. We took a tour of the Bay Park plant in August and are very excited to see all this great progress. Upgrades to the Bay Park Treatment plant resulted in a yearly average reduction of 63% in nitrogen discharge (and 75% in the summer months). The Bay Park Conveyance Project is also underway, which will redirect treated effluent to the Cedar Creek Sewage Treatment Plant’s Ocean outfall pipe, moving the effluent out of the Western Bays. 

Upcoming: Our Annual Equinox Gala 
On September 26th we will be celebrating 39 years of grassroots accomplishments with our partners, supporters, and friends at our annual Equinox Gala. This year we will be honoring Ørsted to celebrate New York’s first offshore wind farm and Assemblyman Fred Thiele for a lifetime achievement award. It will be an incredible night, so make sure to secure your tickets and/or sponsorships if you haven’t yet. 

Highlights and Happenings: July 2024

 

Image by Heiko Stein from Pixabay

Help CCE build on our success, and support our campaigns to protect public health and the environment in NY and CT. 
Make a contribution today.

 

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! 

Highlights and Happenings: June 2024

 

Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay

Help CCE build on our success, and support our campaigns to protect public health and the environment in NY and CT. 
Make a contribution today.

 

Highlights

2024 NY Legislative Session Wraps Up 
In June we celebrated major victories. Thanks to your support, we led successful efforts to protect clean water, safeguard the public from toxic chemicals, save vulnerable species, fight climate change, save taxpayers money, and more. Bills that passed the legislature include (most still need a signature from the Governor to become law): 

  • Horseshoe Crab Protection Act: While horseshoe crabs have been around for over 350 million years, having survived the extinction of the dinosaurs, their numbers are now dwindling in New York State due to overharvesting. We led efforts to get legislation passed that will ban harvesting of these crabs for commercial and biomedical purposes. Now, we need to urge Governor Hochul to sign this bill into law! 

  • Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Act, which will allow a Suffolk County ballot referendum to allow the creation of a fund to upgrade sewers and septic systems to protect clean water, is a priority bill that passed and was already signed into law by the Governor. 

  • Climate Superfund Act: Holds corporations accountable by requiring fossil fuel companies to pay into a fund that will help New York adapt to climate change. It would generate about $3 billion annually to fund projects to keep communities safe from flooding, protect vulnerable infrastructure, pay for damage from extreme weather, and much more. This bill still needs to be signed by the Governor. 

  • Ban on Fracking with CO2: While we fought to ban dangerous fracking that uses water to extract gas (hydraulic fracking) years ago, there was interest in circumventing the ban by extracting gas using carbon dioxide instead. Since this would be just as dirty and dangerous as hydraulic fracking, we supported legislation to ban CO2 fracking. This bill still needs to be signed by the Governor. 

After major campaigns with our coalition partners, bills banning PFAS in household chemicals and the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act passed overwhelmingly in the NYS Senate. While we secured more than enough votes to pass the bills in the Assembly, Assembly leadership failed to allow the bills to come up for a vote. We’ll work to get these bills passed as soon as possible:

Victory! Suffolk County Approves Clean Water Ballot Referendum 
The Suffolk County Legislature passed critical legislation that will allow Suffolk County residents to vote on a Clean Water ballot referendum this November. 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! As Newsday editorial board stated, “The stars finally are aligning for clean water in Suffolk.” 

Welcome CCE’s Summer Interns
Summer is finally here! We were very excited to welcome Damaris, Jordan, Jacob, Kathleen, Omi, and Tenley, who will be interning with us this summer. In June, they headed out to several Long Island beaches and street festivals to conduct education on offshore wind. Stop by our tent for environmental updates, plus fun games and prizes all summer! See you in the sun! 

Happenings

Transitioning to Offshore Wind 
These were some of the big developments in June related to offshore wind development: 

  • South Brooklyn Marine Terminal Groundbreaking – We joined NYSERDA, NYC Mayor Eric Adams, and many of our Wind Works NY partners for the ground breaking on Equinor‘s South Brooklyn Marine Terminal Offshore Wind Port. This is a historic milestone for the future of renewable energy in New York City. This 73-acre project will allow us to bring offshore wind energy to the NYC grid. It will provide energy to 500,000 homes and create a thousand green jobs for New Yorkers. 

  • Learning More About 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. We joined our partners for a community meeting in Babylon, on Long Isand, to discuss how battery storage works and the role it plays in our renewable energy transition. We plan on having more community meetings on Long Island, so stay tuned for more info. 

  • Global Wind Day – For Global Wind Day on June 18th, we headed down to the Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center for an educational open house on offshore wind. It was great to see many of our Wind Works NY partners and energy experts to answer the public’s questions on NY’s offshore wind projects and the benefits of offshore wind for our communities.

Sewage Solutions for Fire Island 
Our Executive Director, Adrienne Esposito, presented with Cameron Engineering to the Suffolk County Legislature last month on the new Fire Island Sewage Solutions Plan. This is the first comprehensive, community-led plan that brought together federal, state, and local leaders and stakeholder organizations. We worked for the past 6 years to assess the wastewater management needs of Fire Island. Thank you to Steve Flotteron for sponsoring the project and to Suzy Lawrence Goldhirsch and the Fire Island Association for all their input, time, and expertise to create this holistic plan.

PFAS in Everyday Products 
Last month we presented at the Association of Educational Safety & Health Professionals Conference on the threats of PFAS in everyday products and drinking water. PFAS is unnecessarily present in common products such as cookware, dental floss, children’s products, personal care products, ski wax and so much more. The ubiquitous use of these toxic chemicals has led to a variety of adverse human health impacts and drinking water contamination. We work to educate the public about the threats of PFAS exposure and continue to fight to ban these chemicals from the products we use every day. This remains one of our top legislative priorities. 

Paying the Price: Long Island’s Stormy Future 
In June, Newsday hosted “Paying the Price: Long Island’s Stormy Future” — a conversation about the status of Long Island’s shorelines and the challenges we face as a result of climate change and sea level rise. Adrienne Esposito was among the four speakers in this discussion, along with Dr Chris Gobler, Supervisor Dan Panico and Robert Larocca. Stay tuned for when the show is posted and click here for more information. 

Conserving Water in the Summer Heat Wave 
While facing record high temperatures around New York this June, we joined the Long Island Commission for Aquifer Protection for an event on how to conserve water to protect Long Island’s sole source aquifer and protect public health. It’s likely to be a hot summer, so check out the video to learn more. 

Upcoming: Tackling Plastic Pollution for Plastic-Free July 
The Long Island Sound Coastal Watershed network will be hosting our webinar “Tackling Long Island Sound Plastic Pollution: Plastic Free July”. Join us on July 16th from 12:30p.m-1:30p.m as we hear from expert Rachael Miller as she tells us more about Microplastics in the Sound. Smithtown High School Students Nicole Gullason and Natasha Mishra will discuss their research findings on Microplastics and Algal Blooms in Long Island Sound and Adrienne Esposito will discuss solutions to the plastic crisis. Register now. 

Highlights and Happenings: May 2024

 

Image by Ulrich Hummel from Pixabay

Help CCE build on our success, and support our campaigns to protect public health and the environment in NY and CT. 
Make a contribution today.

 

Highlights

Victory! Governor Hochul Signs Suffolk County Clean Water Bill 
We were excited to join Governor Kathy Hochul as she signed the Suffolk County Clean Water Referendum Bill. This bill would allow Suffolk County residents to vote on a ballot referendum this November. 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. The next step is passing it through the Suffolk County Legislature, which is holding a public hearing on the bill on June 4th. As Newsday editorial board stated, “The stars finally are aligning for clean water in Suffolk.” 

Fighting to hold manufacturers—not taxpayers—responsible for their waste 
We have been spending lots of time in Albany working to pass one of our top NYS priorities, the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act. We have been fighting for a strong policy that will reduce product packaging, eliminate toxins in packaging, increase packaging recyclability, prevent plastic pollution, and save taxpayers money—it is estimated the policy would save local governments across the state $420 million annually! We will continue to fight to pass this critical legislation this year, but with just a few session days left we need your help in urging the NYS Legislature to pass the bill. Please send an email urging your representatives to support this bill. 

Turn Off the Tap to Dangerous PFAS Chemicals Now!
Toxic PFAS chemicals can be found in many of the products that we use every day. As a result, drinking water sources across NYS have been contaminated by these chemicals. PFAS are referred to as “forever chemicals” because they are very persistent, meaning they build up in our bodies and don’t break down in the environment. New science indicates that there is no safe level of exposure to PFAS in our drinking water and we must do more to protect public health from this growing threat. In May, we joined our partners in Albany for a press conference and lobby day in support of legislation that will ban the use of PFAS chemicals in a host of everyday products. Take action today and urge your elected representatives to support passage of this critical legislation today! 

Happenings

Weighing in on the Future of Great Lakes Restoration 
EPA recently released a draft five-year plan (2025-2029) to oversee federal investments to restore and protect the Great Lakes. In comments submitted to the EPA with our partners at the Healing Our Waters Coalition, we applauded the agency for the plan’s focus on community health and ecological health; commitment to community engagement; solutions that confront climate impacts; importance of local workforce development and economic revitalization; actions to benefit communities hardest hit by pollution and environmental harm; and equitable access to restoration benefits. The plan is expected to be finalized by the start of the federal government’s next fiscal year, which begins October 1. 

Long Island Sound High School Summit 
At the 2024 Long Island Sound High School Summit, which was held in May, high school students from around Long Island showcased their projects and research focused on protecting Long Island Sound. The topics the students covered include stormwater runoff, water quality, marine life, and plastic pollution. It was great seeing the next generation of Long Island Sound stewards come together to share their research and discuss solutions. We were impressed! Thanks to our partners at the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society and Friends of the Bay for co-hosting for the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation for hosting us and giving us a tour of their fish lab. 

Transitioning to Offshore Wind 
As always, lots going with offshore wind in NY. Here’s what was happening in May: 

  • Building Support for Offshore Wind—Sign the 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!

  • What’s Brewin’ Offshore – We joined the NY League of Conservation Voters, Climate Jobs NY, and Community Offshore Wind for the latest installment of “What’s Brewin’ Offshore” to discuss the importance of offshore wind and transitioning off fossil fuels. We had a fun educational evening networking and discussion at Strong Rope Brewery in Red Hook, Brooklyn. 

  • Vineyard Wind Open House – We headed to Long Beach for an open house by Vineyard Wind last month, who is proposing an offshore wind project approximately 24 miles off the coast of Long Island. We had some great discussions on the potential project, thanks to all who joined. 

  • Oyster Shore Energy Storage Open House – As part of our transition off of fossil fuels, we will need renewable energy including offshore wind, solar, and hydropower—as well as battery storage. Battery storage will allow these renewable technologies to deliver clean, renewable energy when it is needed most, especially in high energy demand areas like New York City and Long Island. Last month we attended an open house for the proposed Oyster Shore Energy Storage project in Glenwood Landing on the north shore of Long Island, which will convert and remediate a former petroleum terminal to a battery storage facility. To learn more about battery energy storage and the role it plays in transitioning NY to renewable energy, check out our webinar here. 

Clean Water Symposium: Global Challenges and Local Solutions.
We joined the North Shore Land Alliance and The Nature Conservancy to co-host a conference bringing together leaders in the field of water science in May. Leading experts updated attendees about the condition of local water, including surface water and drinking water. There was also robust panel discussion focused on solutions that both municipalities and homeowners can use to address the protection of Long Island’s critical natural resources. The event was a huge success, thanks to all who came out. 


Skip the Stuff in Suffolk County 
Last year New York City’s Skip the Stuff law successfully went into effect, which requires restaurants to provide plastic utensils, condiments, napkins and other single-use foodware to take-out and delivery customers upon request. Suffolk County is now considering similar legislation to reduce plastic pollution in our waterways and reduce solid waste on Long Island. Last month, we testified in support of the bill with many of our environmental partners. We are fighting to get this common-sense legislation to combat single-use plastics passed in Suffolk this summer. 


Understanding the Health Risks of 1,4-Dioxane on Long Island 
Yale Superfund Research Center has crafted a study to better understand the impact of 1,4-dioxane exposure on Long Island residents. Last year, we launched our partnership with Yale to provide education and outreach to inform Long Islanders about this new, exciting program. If you live on Long Island and are interested in participating and finding out if you have been exposed to 1,4-dioxane, you can find out more here. The Yale Superfund Center will be contacting potential participants in the next few weeks to participate in the study over the summer, so stay tuned. 

Highlights and Happenings: March 2024

 

Image by Joshua Choate via Pixabay

Help CCE build on our success, and support our campaigns to protect public health and the environment in NY and CT. 
Make a contribution today.

 

Highlights

Fighting for Clean Water Infrastructure 
Since 2017, New York has invested $5 billion in the Clean Water Infrastructure Act, and this funding has produced significant results for clean water from the Great Lakes to Long Island Sound. But there is still work to be done to address New York’s $80 billion drinking water and wastewater infrastructure needs. In her Executive Budget, Governor Hochul proposed to slash this critical funding in half. We are calling for $600 million for the Clean Water Infrastructure Act in the SFY 2024-25 budget. Last month, we joined Assemblymembers Michaelle Solages and Keith Brown for a bi-partisan press conference highlighting the need for this funding. The good news is that both the Assembly and Senate have restored the funding in their one-house budgets, but the fight continues to make sure clean water funding makes it into the final budget. Now is not the time to turn off the tap for clean water infrastructure funding, we need to increase state investments in the Clean Water Infrastructure Act. If you haven’t yet, take action today!

Victory! Construction of NY’s First Offshore Wind Farm is Complete 
We were thrilled to join Governor Kathy Hochul and U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to flip the switch on South Fork Wind. This is NY’s first offshore wind farm, with 12 turbines now powering 70,000 homes on the south fork of Long Island. New York is officially receiving clean renewable energy from offshore wind power. Thank you to all the leaders, civics, environmentalists, and labor organizations working together to forge a clean energy path! 

Happenings

Fighting for the Great Lakes in Washington, D.C. 
We led a team of Great Lakes advocates—students, business leaders, and environmental advocates—to meet with New York’s Congressional delegation in D.C. on Great Lakes Day. Our group shared stories of successful restoration projects from Buffalo to the eastern shore of Lake Ontario and called for continued investment in Great Lakes protection. Specifically, we are calling on Congress to reauthorize the successful Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which would provide the program with $500 million annually over 5 years to continue cleaning up toxic hot spots, restoring habitat, protecting drinking water, and more!

Advocating for our Ocean, Estuaries and Great Lakes in Albany 
New York’s environment, economy, and public health are dependent upon the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). From Buffalo to Long Island, all New Yorkers benefit from the numerous programs and projects in the EPF. One important line item in the EPF is the state’s primary source of funding to initiate projects to protect and restore our Ocean, Estuaries, and Great Lakes. We joined advocates from across the state fighting to support $25 million for crucial work to protect and restore our ocean, estuaries, and Great Lakes, within a $400 million EPF. 

Charging Ahead with Route Zero 
In March, we were proud to stand with New York League of Conservation Voters, Assemblywoman Michaelle C. Solages, Assemblymember Charles Lavine, and Nurses Alliance for Healthy Environments to urge the EPA and the Biden Administration to move forward with Route Zero vehicle pollution standards. These standards would reduce emissions from heavy trucks and buses, which will provide significant environmental and public health benefits to our communities!

Talking Waste at UBS Arena 
Last month, we had a great time participating in the first ever Sustainability Conference at UBS Arena on Long Island. We participated in the waste panel to talk about Long Island’s recycling crisis, how we can reduce waste and improve recycling locally, and how the NY Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act will ensure manufacturers, not municipalities, are responsible for dealing with the waste they produce. Thanks to UBS Arena for inviting us and for a lively event. 

Transitioning to Offshore Wind 
In addition to the major announcement on the completion of the South Fork Wind Farm, there are other important announcements on offshore wind: 

  • 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! 

  • BOEM approves Sunrise Wind - The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has issued a Record of Decision approving Sunrise Wind. This project will be built off the coast of Montauk and provide 924MW of renewable energy to Long Island homes via a cable connection to the Holbrook substation. Sunrise Wind is now the next offshore wind project moving forward for NY and gets us closer to meeting our climate mandates, including 9,000 MW of offshore wind by 2035. The project developers, Orsted and Eversource, have also taken a Final Investment Decision on Sunrise Wind. This is another huge step forward for offshore wind in NY. 

  • Lunch and Learn: Battery Storage Basics - As part of our transition to 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. They will also help stabilize the energy grid as we move towards achieving our state energy mandates, powering thousands of homes and bringing significant economic benefits to our region. In March we hosted a virtual event with our partners at the NY League of Conservation Voters. Check it out here. 

  • Upcoming Lunch and Learn: Propel NY - We will join our partners at the New York League of Conservation Voters for a webinar on Propel NY Energy. The Propel team will be giving updates on their proposed project to bolster the electric transmission network through parts of Long Island, New York City and Westchester County and create clean energy pathways to deliver clean energy, including offshore wind. Wind - developed by RWE Offshore Renewables and National Grid Ventures. Join us on April 9th at noon, register today. 

Upcoming; Earth Day Advocacy Day 
Join us and our environmental partners in Albany on April 16th to make your voice heard in support of key bills to protect New Yorkers and our environment. Urge legislators to pass bills that protect drinking water quality, reduce solid waste, prevent lead poisoning, promote clean energy and environmental justice, and much more! Register today and we will see you in Albany! 

Upcoming: Clean Water Symposium: Global Challenges and Local Solutions.
We are joining North Shore Land Alliance to co-host a conference that will bring together leaders in the field of water science. Leading experts will update attendees about the condition of local water, including surface water and drinking water. There will also be a robust panel discussion that will focus on solutions that both municipalities and homeowners can use to address the protection of Long Island’s critical natural resources. The symposium will be held on Thursday, May 16th, 2:30 pm – 5:30 pm at the Gold Coast Cinema at the LIU Campus in Brookville. Register here. 


Upcoming: Protecting Northport Harbor 
We are working with Village of Northport, LI to install 2 new rain gardens on Bluff Rd and James Street. Rain gardens prevent polluted stormwater runoff from reaching local waterways. They capture, store, and filter contaminants while protecting the shoreline and harbor. Join us April 10th at 7pm at Northport Village Hall for a presentation and to offer your feedback on this beneficial new project and learn more about the importance of protecting Northport Harbor from polluted runoff. Register here. 


Understanding the Health Risks of 1,4-Dioxane on Long Island 
Yale Superfund Research Center has crafted a study to better understand the impact of 1,4-dioxane exposure on Long Island residents. Last year, we launched our partnership with Yale to provide education and outreach to inform Long Islanders about this new, exciting program. If you live on Long Island and are interested in participating and finding out if you have been exposed to 1,4-dioxane, you can find out more here. Later this month, we will hosting a free community forum at the Hicksville Library so residents can learn more about this groundbreaking study and how they can participate. Join us on April 22nd from 7:00-8:30pm. Register today. 

Highlights and Happenings: February 2024

 

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Highlights

Fighting Back Against a Major Funding Cut for Clean Water 
Since 2017, New York has invested $5 billion in the Clean Water Infrastructure Act. From the Great Lakes to Long Island, this funding has helped to reduce sewage overflows, remove emerging contaminants from drinking water, replace lead pipes, and more. But there is still work to be done to address New York’s $80 billion drinking water and wastewater infrastructure needs. This year, Governor Hochul proposed to slash this critical funding by 50%, but we are fighting back. We are calling for $600 million for the Clean Water Infrastructure Act in the SFY 2024-25 budget. Now is not the time to turn off the tap for clean water infrastructure funding; we need to increase state investments in the Clean Water Infrastructure Act. If you haven’t yet, please take action today! 

Great News: NY’s 1,4-Dioxane Law is Working! 
NY’s law, which limits the carcinogen 1,4-dioxane in products, went into full effect at the beginning of this year. Last month, we released a report that included independent testing of laundry detergents—revealing that companies are complying with the law and members of the public are being exposed to significantly less 1,4-dioxane than they were just a few short years ago. We were delighted to learn that not only are New Yorkers benefiting, but products, including all those made by Proctor & Gamble, have reformulated and significantly reduced 1,4-dioxane for all of North America. You can find out more by watching our press conference revealing the testing results or reading the new report. This is a huge win for our drinking water and our health!

Happenings

Supporting a Fully Funded Environmental Protection Fund 
New York’s environment, economy, and public health are dependent upon the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). From Buffalo to Long Island, all New Yorkers benefit from the numerous programs and projects in the EPF. EPF projects improve water quality, protect clean air, conserve open space, save family farms, bolster recycling programs, revitalize waterfronts, build community parks, and support zoos, aquariums, and botanical gardens. We joined advocates from across the state to maintain the $400 million EPF and prevent those funds from being raided for agency staff costs! Offloading agency staff costs into the EPF would limit communities’ ability to protect and restore our precious environment in every region of the state. 

Transitioning to Offshore Wind 
There were a lot of big developments on offshore wind in February; here’s a rundown: 

  • Offshore Wind Petition Launched – Take action today to show your support for offshore wind! As New York’s offshore wind 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! 

  • Empire and Sunrise Wind Rebid – Both the Sunrise Wind Farm, which will power 600,000 Long Island homes via a connection in Holbrook, and Empire Wind 1, which will power 500,000 NYC homes via a connection in Brooklyn, submitted rebids with NYS for their projects to continue to move forward. Great news: In February, these projects were both selected and are now continuing along towards final approval and construction. They are expected to be completed in 2026! 

  • Why Wind Works: NY’s New Offshore Wind Projects – We joined our partners at the New York League of Conservation Voters for a webinar on the new offshore wind projects coming to New York. These three projects will power over 2 million homes. Check out the webinar to find out more about Attentive Energy (developed by TotalEnergies), Rise Light & Power, Corio Generation, and Excelsior Wind (developed by Vineyard Offshore), and Community Offshore Wind (developed by RWE Offshore Renewables and National Grid Ventures). 

  • Projects in the NY Bight – The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has released a draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the offshore wind leases in the NY Bight (the area available for offshore wind between NY and NJ). Three projects—Community Wind, Excelsior Wind, and Attentive Energy—have already been selected by NY and will power millions of homes with clean power. This PEIS will help streamline the review process for offshore wind projects in this area, ensuring that projects are not repeating the same studies and moving us one step closer to a transition off fossil fuels. We testified in support and submitted comments last month. 

Long Island Lobby Coalition Goes to Albany 
Last month we headed up to Albany for our annual Long Island Lobby Day. We had great meetings with our Senators and Assemblymembers about funding for clean water, sewers, transportation, social services, renewables, waste reduction and more. Our 100+ member coalition is fighting to make sure this year's budget includes funding for critical programs to protect LI's water, health, and quality of life. Thanks to all who joined us for a very productive trip. 

Suffolk County Clean Water Referendum 
Nitrogen pollution impacts every waterway in Suffolk County. We are fighting for state legislation that would allow residents to vote on a clean water ballot initiative this November and need the Suffolk County Legislature to put the issue on the ballot and let the public decide if an increase of 1/8 cent in the county sales tax should be dedicated to protecting water resources by fixing sewer and septic infrastructure. Last month, we were thrilled to join Suffolk County Executive Romaine, Suffolk legislators, organized labor, and environmentalists for a good news announcement about the clean water referendum. We are extremely encouraged that a referendum for clean water funding can be on the ballot this November in Suffolk County. 

Understanding the Health Risks of 1,4-Dioxane on Long Island 
Yale Superfund Research Center has crafted a study to better understand the impact of 1,4-dioxane exposure on Long Island residents. Last year, we launched our partnership with Yale to provide education and outreach to inform Long Islanders about this new, exciting program. If you live on Long Island and are interested in participating and finding out if you have been exposed to 1,4-dioxane, you can find out more here. 

Climate Reality Project 
CCE’s Francine Gordon has been accepted to attend Climate Reality Leadership Training in NYC this Spring! The event will feature former Vice President Al Gore and an all-star lineup of thought leaders, climate experts, and organizers for a training that explores the climate crisis today and the road to a sustainable tomorrow. Congratulations to Francine on being selected for this great opportunity! 

Save the Date: Western Bays Community Meeting 
We’ll be joining our friends at Operation SPLASH to host a community meeting on restoring our Western Bays on the south shore of Long Island. The forum will review the importance of diverting sewage from the Western Bays, update residents on the proposal to connect the South Shore Water Reclamation Facility and Long Beach Sewage Treatment Plant to an existing ocean outfall pipe at the Cedar Creek Sewage Treatment Plant, and provide an overview of upgrades that have been made so far. Join us April 2nd at 7:30pm at Operation SPLASH, 202 Woodcleft Ave, Freeport. 

Save the Date: Clean Water Symposium: Global Challenges and Local Solutions. 
We are joining North Shore Land Alliance to co-host a conference that will bring together leaders in the field of water science. Leading experts will update attendees about the condition of local water, including surface water and drinking water. There will also be a robust panel discussion that will focus on solutions that both municipalities and homeowners can use to address the protection of Long Island’s critical natural resources. The symposium will be held on Thursday, May 16th, 2:30 pm – 5:30 pm at the Gold Coast Cinema at the LIU Campus in Brookville. Register here. 

Save the Date: Protecting Northport Harbor 
We are working with Village of Northport, LI to install 2 new rain gardens on Bluff Rd and James Street. Rain gardens prevent polluted stormwater runoff from reaching local waterways. They capture, store, and filter contaminants while protecting the shoreline and harbor. Join us April 10th at 7pm at Northport Village Hall for a presentation and to offer your feedback on this beneficial new project and learn more about the importance of protecting Northport Harbor from polluted runoff. Register here. 

Highlights and Happenings: December 2023

 

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Highlights

Victory! Governor Hochul Signs Birds and Bees Protection Act!
Bees are one of the most important species on the planet. Unfortunately, they are dying at an alarming rate. This loss of our bees and other pollinators has been largely linked to the excessive use of neonic pesticides. The Birds and Bees Protection Act was resoundingly passed by the NYS Legislature in June and was signed into law by the Governor in December. This critical law bans the most harmful and unnecessary use of toxic neonic pesticides. This is a huge victory for our pollinators, environment, and public health. Thank you to all our partners and everyone who urged the Governor to sign this crucial bill into law. And thank you to Governor Hochul for signing this landmark legislation into law!

Victory! Clean Water for New Yorkers
New York communities received a gift for the holidays this December—clean water! We joined Governor Hochul as she announced $479 million for clean water projects across the state. These projects included treatment technology to remove toxic PFAS and 1,4 dioxane from drinking water, funding to replace antiquated polluting septic systems, and funding to fix sewage infrastructure. Thank you to Governor Hochul for investing in clean water on Long Island and throughout NYS.

Happenings

Transitioning to Offshore Wind
There were some big developments on offshore wind in December:

  • Victory! NY’s First Offshore Wind Turbine is Generating Power South Fork Wind, NY’s first offshore wind farm, will soon power 70,000 homes on the east end of Long Island. Last month, we traveled 35 miles offshore to witness the construction of South Fork Wind, where two of the turbines are completed and one is already generating power. It was an incredible experience to see our clean renewable energy future up close. We also joined our partners for a press conference and celebration in East Hampton, where the cable connection will bring power onshore to the local substation. This is a major step forward for offshore wind in NY and the US!

  • Offshore Wind Legislative Breakfast We joined NY League of Conservation Voters and our offshore wind partners to host Our Offshore Wind Future: An Offshore Wind Legislative Breakfast in West Saville, Long Island. We were joined by elected officials from the local, state and federal level to talk about offshore wind. We heard updates from Orsted and Equinor, who are currently building the first offshore wind projects in NY. We also got presentations from Vineyard Offshore, Community Offshore Wind, and Attentive Energies about their offshore wind projects, which were selected by New York this fall and will generate over 4,000MW of power. It was a very informative event. Thanks to all who attended and to our great presenters.

  • Upcoming: NYSERDA Open Houses Throughout January, the NY State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is hosting offshore wind educational open houses in several locations. Join NYSERDA, New York State agencies, offshore wind project developers, and other industry partners to learn about the state’s work to responsibly develop offshore wind to advance the critical clean energy targets of New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. You can find more information on the open houses here.


Protecting Long Island Sound
Last month, we were awarded grant funding from the Long Island Sound Futures Fund to continue our collaboration with the Village of Northport to install two new rain gardens. These new rain gardens will enhance access to the Long Island Sound and filter harmful pollutants out of stormwater to protect water quality in the harbor. The project will prevent 75.2 lbs. of nitrogen, 15.9 lbs. of phosphorus and 4,456 lbs. of suspended solids flowing annually into Northport Harbor and Long Island Sound. Thanks to the LIS Futures Fund for their continued support.


Understanding the Health Risks of 1,4-Dioxane on Long Island
Yale Superfund Research Center has crafted a study to better understand the impact of 1,4-dioxane exposure on Long Island residents. This spring, we launched our partnership with Yale to provide education and outreach to inform Long Islanders about this new, exciting program. We will also be hosting an in-person meeting with Assemblywoman Taylor Darling in Hempstead Village on January 25th, so stay tuned for more info. If you live on Long Island and are interested in participating and finding out if you have been exposed to 1,4-dioxane, you can find out more here.

Highlights and Happenings: November 2023

 

Image by Tracey O'Brien from Pixabay

Help CCE build on our success, and support our campaigns to protect public health and the environment in NY and CT. 
Make a contribution today.

 

Highlights

Telling Governor Hochul to Save the Bees!
Bees are one of the most important species on the planet. Unfortunately, they are dying at an alarming rate. This loss of our bees and other pollinators has been largely linked to the excessive use of neonic pesticides. The Birds and Bees Protection Act was resoundingly passed by the NYS Legislature and is now waiting to be signed by Governor Hochul. This bill would ban the most harmful and unnecessary uses of toxic neonic pesticides. In November, we held a press conference on Long Island with our partners urging the Governor to sign this crucial bill into law, which you can watch here. Several of our partner groups also held a big rally in NYC. There was also a great op-ed in Newsday, check it out if you missed it. Help us fight the pesticide industry and protect our pollinators by sending an email to Governor Hochul and tell her it is time to save the bees and to sign the Birds and Bees Protection Act!

Happenings

Transitioning to Offshore Wind. There were a lot of big developments for offshore wind in November:

  • NY Announces New Bidding for Offshore Wind Projects. Due to the pandemic, supply chain issues and inflation, the offshore wind developers for the projects already selected in NY (Sunrise, Empire, & Beacon Wind) requested subsidies from NYS to ensure they could viably move forward with their projects. In October, their request was rejected. We joined many of our Wind Works NY partners in supporting the subsidies and have been pushing for an expedited rebidding process so that projects can move forward to meet our climate change mandate of 70% renewables by 2030. In November, New York State announced they will be holding the rebidding process with a very quick turnaround timeline (bids due in January, selection of winners in February) and that the existing contracts will not be canceled. This will allow early projects, if re-selected, to move forward on a reasonable timeline. This is very good news!

    New York State also announced plans to hold a fourth solicitation for additional offshore wind projects. Last month, we joined Governor Hochul as she announced three projects (Excelsior Wind, Community Offshore Wind, and Attentive) that will power over two million homes as a result of the third offshore wind solicitation. Another round of projects, in addition to the re-bidding process, is a huge step in moving offshore wind forward and achieving 9,000 mw of offshore wind by 2035.

  • BOEM NY & NJ Environmental Justice Forum. We attended an excellent NY and NJ Environmental Justice Forum at UPROSE in Brooklyn last month. We toured Equinor’s facility at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, a large offshore wind port that will house operations and maintenance for several large offshore wind farms. It was a great discussion and was very exciting to tour the facility and see that an abandoned industrial facility will be transformed into a productive offshore wind terminal.

  • Lunch and Learn: Why Wind Works. We joined our partners at the NY League of Conservation Voters to host a virtual presentation on Why Wind Works last month, featuring expert panelists from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, NYS Energy Research and Development Authority, and US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. We want to provide the facts on why offshore wind works, why it is needed in our state, and what benefits it brings to several regions throughout New York. Thanks to the almost 200 people who joined. If you missed it, check it out here.

Fighting to protect the Great Lakes in Washington
We joined with NY partners from the Healing our Waters Great Lakes Coalition for a trip to Washington DC last month. We had very productive meetings with our US Senators and Representatives from NYS—calling for continued investment in the successful Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and programs to upgrade our drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. We need Congress to support clean water in the final 2024 budget!

South Shore Estuary Reserve Stewardship Awards
We joined Deputy Secretary of State Kisha Santiago-Martinez to host the South Shore Estuary Reserve 2023 Stewardship Awards. The SSER Stewardship Award program is designed to recognize citizens and organizations that have made significant contributions to the improvement of the estuary. Congratulations to Richard Groh, Chief Environmental Analyst at the Town of Babylon and Dr. Artie Kopelman, President of the Coastal Research & Education Society of Long Island (CRESLI), who won awards for their dedication in protecting and restoring the Reserve!

Understanding the Health Risks of 1,4-Dioxane on Long Island
Yale Superfund Research Center has crafted a study to better understand the impact of 1,4-dioxane exposure on Long Island residents. This spring, we launched our partnership with Yale to provide education and outreach to inform Long Islanders about this new, exciting program. If you live on Long Island and are interested in participating and finding out if you have been exposed to 1,4-dioxane, you can find out more here.

UBS Arena Sustainability
We joined UBS Arena for their launch of new sustainability goals—100% renewable energy and zero waste! UBS Arena, located in Belmont, Long Island, is a certified LEED building and is now going further with their sustainability goals. The venue will make its own renewable energy and meet a zero waste goal, which includes donating and composting excess food. We applaud these efforts by UBS Arena and thank you for a terrific event.

Talking Pollinators at REI
REI held a grand opening for the new location in Huntington Station, Long Island, and we were there to talk about bees! We spent the day at the store opening, educating shoppers about the Birds & Bees Protection Act and the importance of banning neonic pesticides. Shoppers were eager to sign on and urge Gov Hochul to sign the Birds & Bees Protection Act!

Celebrating Board Member Richard Olsen-Harbich
We were honored to attend the book signing of our longtime board member Richard Olsen-Harbich at Bedell Cellars. Check out his great book, “Sun, Sea, Soil, Wine” available for purchase here. Congrats Rich!

Highlights and Happenings: October 2023

 

Help CCE build on our success, and support our campaigns to protect public health and the environment in NY and CT. 
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Highlights

Tell Governor Hochul to Save the Bees! 
Bees are one of the most important species on the planet. Unfortunately, they are dying at an alarming rate. This loss of our bees and other pollinators has been largely linked to the excessive use of neonic pesticides. The Birds and Bees Protection Act was resoundingly passed by the NYS Legislature and is now waiting to be signed by Governor Hochul. This bill would ban the most harmful and unnecessary uses of toxic neonic pesticides. Help us fight the pesticide industry and protect our pollinators by sending an email to Governor Hochul and tell her it is time to save the bees and to sign the Birds and Bees Protection Act! Then, join us and our partners on November 15th for a rally in front of Governor Hochul’s NYC office to call on her to sign the Birds and Bees Protection Act into law. We will be hosting a press event on Long Island too, so stay tuned for more news! 

NY Selects 4,000MW of Offshore Wind!
Despite some setbacks for offshore wind last month, there was one HUGE step forward. We joined Governor Kathy Hochul and many of our Wind Works partners as she announced the state’s largest ever investment in renewable energy. The state has selected three offshore wind projects, plus 22 land-based renewable energy projects, which will power a total of 2.6 million homes. This is a massive investment in offshore wind, with these three projects making nearly half of the state’s offshore wind goal of 9,000 megawatts (MW) by 2035. Congratulations to the awarded projects: Attentive Energy, Community Offshore Wind, and Excelsior Wind! 

Happenings

Testifying in Support of Waste Reduction in Albany 
One of our priority bills in NY is the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act, which would hold manufacturers—not taxpayers—responsible for their waste. We were in Albany last month to testify to the Senate and Assembly in support of this bill to reduce plastic packaging, improve recycling, and save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars annually! Many thanks to Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Deborah Glick for their leadership on this issue. NY must get the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure act passed in 2024! 

Heading to D.C. to Protect Long Island Sound 
Our annual Long Island Sound Study Education Day was an absolute success! We met with our NY and CT Representatives to update them on all the progress the coalition made over the last year to restore Long Island Sound, and to push for increased federal funding to further these LIS protection programs. Thank you to all our coalition partners who joined us on the trip, and thanks to all our Representatives and Senators who met with us and who continue to be champions for protecting Long Island Sound. 

The Problems with Artificial Turf 
Throughout the nation, natural grass playgrounds and athletic fields are being replaced with “artificial” or “synthetic” turf. The use of artificial turf raises significant environmental, health, and safety concerns that parents, schools, and policymakers must be made aware of. Last month, we joined the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) to co-host a virtual educational presentation to discuss the significant problems associated with artificial turf, including water quality impacts, PFAS contamination, microplastic pollution, and more. If you missed it, check it out here. 

Transitioning to Offshore Wind 
New York is poised to be a national leader in offshore wind, with a mandate of 9,000MW of offshore wind by 2035. In addition to the announcement on 4,000 MW of offshore wind mentioned above, there were other important developments in October: 

  • Empire Wind 2 Public Hearings and Wind Rally 
    In October, the NY Public Service Commission held public hearings in Long Beach on the Empire 2 project, which would power 600,000 Long Island homes via a cable connection through Long Beach to a substation in Island Park. We had a huge rally ahead of the hearing in support of offshore wind, particularly about the need to move forward with the existing projects and grant needed subsidies for offshore wind so we can hit our Climate Law targets. It was a fantastic rally with our environmental and labor partners. 

    At the hearings, hundreds of people were in attendance and City Hall was packed. One thing is clear – NYS must move the cable route instead of taking their planned route through Long Beach. The Governor recently vetoed a bill alienating parkland to allow for the planned Long Beach cable route, so stay tuned for updates on what is happening Empire Wind 2 and the cable connection! 

  • NY Denies Subsidies for Offshore Wind 
    Due to Covid, supply chain issues and inflation, the offshore wind developers for the projects already selected in NY (Sunrise, Empire, & Beacon Wind) requested subsidies from New York State to ensure they could viably move forward with their projects. In October, their request was rejected. We had joined many of our Wind Works NY partners in supporting the subsidies, without which we could see years-long delays in bringing these projects online, particularly for the early projects that are nearly through the approval process and have already made massive financial investments in the community. This was a major setback to our ability to reach our climate change mandate of 70% renewables by 2030. We are now urging New York to move forward quickly with a rebidding process to keep these early projects on track and ensure we do not lose four years of work! 

  • Our Offshore Wind Future, Part 2.
    Back in July, we placed an 8-page educational piece, “Our Offshore Wind Future”, in the Long Island Herald. It was a big hit, so we’ve created another piece with even more great educational info about offshore wind. It just ran in local papers all along the south shore. Check out the new factsheet here.

Long Island Water Quality Summer 2023 
We joined Stony Brook University’s Dr. Christopher Gobler in October to announce the water quality results for Long Island’s surface waters this summer. The news was not good! The 2023 Assessment of Water Quality Impairments for Long Island found more dead zones, toxic tides, fish kills, and a record-setting season for harmful algal blooms this past summer. Excessive nitrogen from sewage and septic systems has caused water quality impairments across Long Island and the problem is only going to get worse. This data highlights the need for a recurring revenue stream and significant investments to upgrade our wastewater infrastructure. 

Fighting Contamination at the Brookhaven Landfill 
Last month, a Newsday investigation found that Brookhaven Town had ignored whistleblower concerns about contaminated and improperly handled ash from local waste incinerators that was sent to the Brookhaven Landfill for disposal. This went on for years, and the Town sided with incinerator despite potential health risks to the local community. We joined the NAACP, Brookhaven Chapter for a press conference to call for an independent investigation into the dumping of potentially hazardous waste at the Brookhaven Landfill. This is just the latest in a long history of health concerns and environmental hazards associated with the Brookhaven Landfill. The community deserves better! 


Working Together to Protect and Restore our Great Lakes 
In October, we headed to Cleveland for the annual Healing Our Waters (HOW) Great Lakes Coalition Conference. The conference brings together advocates from all eight Great Lakes states to share information, visit successful restoration projects in Cleveland, and develop joint strategies to advance Great Lakes restoration. CCE serves as a state lead for the HOW coalition in New York State, and will continue working with our partners to advance Great Lakes restoration priorities in 2024, including addressing the impacts of climate change, fighting for environmental justice in Great Lakes communities, and more! 


Understanding the Health Risks of 1,4-Dioxane on Long Island 
Yale Superfund Research Center has crafted a study to better understand the impact of 1,4-dioxane exposure on Long Island residents. This spring, we launched our partnership with Yale to provide education and outreach to inform Long Islanders about this new, exciting program. If you live on Long Island and are interested in participating and finding out if you have been exposed to 1,4-dioxane, you can find out more here. 

Highlights and Happenings: August 2023

 

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Help CCE build on our success, and support our campaigns to protect public health and the environment in NY and CT. 
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Highlights

Governor Hochul: It’s Time to Save the Bees! 
In August, we joined NYS Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, environmental advocates, and farmers for a virtual press conference calling on Governor Hochul to sign the Birds and Bees Protection Act into law! This bill would ban the most harmful and unnecessary uses of toxic neonic pesticides that have been decimating bee and pollinator populations, contaminating water resources, and threatening public health. Neonics are likely the most ecologically destructive pesticides since DDT. Help us fight the pesticide industry and protect our pollinators by sending an email to Governor Hochul and tell her it is time to save the bees! You can also watch a recording of the press conference here. 

Taking a Major Step Forward in Protecting Long Island’s Water from Forever Chemicals! 
Unfortunately, carcinogenic 1,4-dioxane and PFAS “forever chemicals” have been detected in wells throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties. In August, we attended the site for a new Suffolk County Water Authority AOP System that will remove PFAS and 1,4-dioxane from our drinking water. Our work fighting for state clean water funding is paying off! We got a great tour of the facility and had a press conference celebrating the eight new AOP systems in total that will ensure Suffolk’s water meets state drinking water standards for these toxic chemicals. Thank you to Suffolk County Water Authority, Senator Mario R. Mattera, and Assemblyman Steve Stern for your work to provide clean water to Suffolk residents.

Happenings

Weighing in on NY’s Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Bond Act 
The $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Bond Act was approved overwhelming by New York State voters last November. This funding will allow our state to undertake urgently needed environmental improvement projects that are vital to New York’s future and provide necessary and overdue investments to solve pressing public health and environmental problems. Throughout July and August state agencies hosted listening sessions across NY to get ideas for projects from local communities. We attended listening sessions from Buffalo to Long Island and will be submitting a list of potential projects to improve water quality, fight climate change, preserve open space, and create green jobs. You can submit your ideas as well! 

Fighting to Preserve Plum Island 
We had a fantastic trip to Orient Point, overlooking Plum Island, with the Preserve Plum Island Coalition and Congressman Nick LaLota in August. Plum Island is an 840- acre island located 10 miles from Connecticut in the heart of Long Island Sound. Approximately 90% of the island is undeveloped, allowing pristine wetlands and grassland areas to flourish and giving the island tremendous ecological value. We are fighting to preserve Plum Island for future generations. 


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. August saw some more big milestones for offshore wind: 

  • Sunrise Wind Virtual Open House: We joined a virtual open house to hear about progress on the onshore construction work for Sunrise Wind. The Sunrise Wind Farm will be located off the coast of Montauk and will power 600,000 Long Island homes via a cable connection in Town of Brookhaven. The first phase of onshore construction activities is under way, with additional phases occurring later this year and into next year. If you missed the open house, you can check out the info here. 

  • South Fork Wind: The South Fork Wind Farm will be NY’s first offshore wind, powering 70,000 homes on the east end of Long Island. The construction is under way and the project is expected to be online at the end of the year. As of last month, the foundations are now installed – Next step is installing the turbines! 

Understanding the Health Risks of 1,4-Dioxane on Long Island 
Yale Superfund Research Center has crafted a study to better understand the impact of 1,4-dioxane exposure on Long Island residents. This spring, we launched our partnership with Yale to provide education and outreach to inform Long Islanders about this new, exciting program. If you live on Long Island and are interested in participating and finding out if you have been exposed to 1,4-dioxane, you can find out more here. Last month we had a great meeting with NYS Senator Anthony Palumbo and Yale Superfund Research Center in Riverhead to spread the word and educate the public about this 1,4-dioxane health study. 

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! 

Highlights and Happenings: July 2023

 

Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay

Help CCE build on our success, and support our campaigns to protect public health and the environment in NY and CT. 
Make a contribution today.

 

Highlights

Tell Governor Hochul to Save the Bees! 
After years of hard work and advocacy, the NYS Legislature recently passed the Birds and Bees Protection Act! If signed into law, it would ban the most harmful and unnecessary uses of toxic neonicotinoid (“neonic”) pesticides. Neonic pesticides not only kill bees at an alarming rate, but they also pollute our water, kill wildlife, and threaten public health. Our Executive Director released this brief statement in support of the bill. Now we need YOUR help to urge Governor Hochul to sign this monumental legislation into law! Join us in calling on the Governor to sign the bill by sending an email today! 

Weighing in on the Future of the Great Lakes  
The EPA is currently developing a plan to guide Great Lakes restoration efforts over the next five years—helping determine how billions of dollars in federal investments will be allocated. At an engagement session held in Rochester in July, we urged the EPA to continue progress on existing priorities (cleaning up toxic hot spots, restoring habitat, and more) while also focusing on protecting coastal communities from climate change and supporting restoration projects in underserved communities. Please take a moment and use our template to submit a comment to the EPA via email! 

Happenings

Pushing for Stronger PFAS Standards 
Last year, the EPA proposed new federal drinking water standards of 4 parts per trillion (ppt) for the toxic “forever chemicals” PFOA and PFOS, which is significantly stronger than the NYS standard of 10 ppt. EPA has found that there is virtually no safe level of PFAS exposure, making stronger standards essential. While these standards are a necessary step to tackle existing water contamination, we must also prevent additional PFAS chemicals from entering our waterways. In July, we joined U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand to call for passage of the Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act of 2023, which would prevent manufacturing facilities from discharging PFAS chemicals into our waterways in the first place. 

Fighting for Clean Water in Suffolk County 
Nitrogen pollution impacts every waterway in Suffolk County. We fought for state legislation that would allow Suffolk residents to vote on a clean water ballot initiative this November. We needed the Suffolk County Legislature to put the issue on the ballot and let the public decide if an increase of 1/8 cent in the county sales tax should be dedicated to protecting water resources by fixing sewer and septic infrastructure. Despite years of work to get here and a large coalition of environmentalists, labor unions, chambers of commerce, civic organizations, and local businesses coming together in support, the Suffolk Majority voted no in July. The public was denied the right to vote on clean water this year. This was a huge disappointment, but we’re never done fighting for clean water. 

LI Water Quality at an All-Time Low 
Bad news for water quality on Long Island. We joined Dr. Gobler from Stony Brook University and The Nature Conservancy to unveil new data showing that the summer of 2023 is tracking as the worst water quality on record for Long Island. Excessive nitrogen from sewage is the main culprit—causing declining water quality, toxic algal blooms, fish kills, and turtle kills. Some of our harmful algal blooms are not only the worst in Long Island’s history but some of the most intense on record in the world. If you missed it, you can watch the press conference here. Suffolk’s clean water referendum would have helped leverage state and federal funding and solve some of our nitrogen pollution issues, which is why we and our partners are continuing to fight for funding to upgrade our sewage and septic systems. 

Restoration Project Spotlight: Using Rain Gardens to Protect Lake Erie 
Rain gardens play an important role in capturing polluted runoff, reducing flooding, preventing sewage overflows, and supporting biodiversity. In July, we joined with the Erie County Water Quality Committee to tour rain gardens in the Town of Evans, NY. These rain gardens in Evans Town Park not only look beautiful and support numerous pollinators, but they also prevent contaminated water from urban and rural roadway runoff from reaching Lake Erie (located just across the street)! 


Suffolk County Executive Candidate Forum 
Last month, we co-hosted the Suffolk County Executive Environmental Candidate Forum with the NY League of Conservation Voters Environmental Fund at Stony Brook University. There were hundreds of people in attendance to hear from candidates Ed Romaine (R) and Dave Calone (D) about their plan to protect our environment, public health, and our communities if they are elected. Thanks to NYLCV for organizing this important and very informative event. 

Celebrating Solar Energy 
The Calverton Solar Energy Center on Long Island celebrated its one-year anniversary in July. The 23 megawatt facility is currently providing clean, renewable solar energy to 4,000 homes. We joined National Grid US Ventures, the Long Island Power Authority, and NextEra Energy for a press conference and visit to the solar farm, which is helping NY meet its ambitious climate goals and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Suffolk County.

Understanding the Health Risks of 1,4-Dioxane on Long Island 
Yale Superfund Research Center has crafted a study to better understand the impact of 1,4-dioxane exposure on Long Island residents. This spring, we launched our partnership with Yale to provide education and outreach to inform Long Islanders about this new, exciting program. If you live on Long Island and are interested in participating and finding out if you have been exposed to 1,4-dioxane, you can find out more here. We will also be joining Senator Palumbo on August 9th at Riverhead Library for a community meeting to discuss the impacts of 1,4-dioxane on Long Island and this important health study. Register for the meeting here. 

Sea Turtle Release 
In July our team attended the sea turtle release of eight turtles that were being taken care of by the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society. It was an exciting evening as we watched these creatures return to their ocean homes. We had the pleasure of releasing one of the eight sea turtles. Thanks to AMSEAS for this incredible experience! Watch a video of the turtle release here. 

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. In July, we continued our work to support offshore wind: 

  • What’s Brewin’ Offshore. We had a fun educational evening networking and discussing offshore wind at Six Harbors Brewing Company in Huntington, LI with New York League of Conservation Voters, Climate Jobs NY, the Long Island Association and many of our Wind Works LI partners. Thanks to Anabaric for sponsoring the event! 

  • Our Offshore Wind Future, LI Herald. In July we continued to educate the public on the south shore of Nassau County, where the Empire Wind 2 cable connection will be powering 600,000 homes. We placed an 8-page educational piece, “Our Offshore Wind Future,” in the Long Island Herald – if you missed it you can check out the piece here.

Highlights and Happenings: June 2023

 

Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay

Help CCE build on our success, and support our campaigns to protect public health and the environment in NY and CT. 
Make a contribution today.

 

Highlights

New York Legislative Session Wrap Up 
The NY legislative session wrapped up in June, and there are some significant achievements to celebrate! We want to congratulate and thank the new Chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, Senator Harckham, and the new Chair of the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee, Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, for their hard work! Thank you also to our coalition partners and everyone who contacted their legislators to get these crucial bills passed this session. Some of our priority bills passed by the state legislature (still need to be signed by the Governor): 

  • Birds and Bees Protection Act: Bans the most harmful and unnecessary uses of neonic pesticides, eliminating 85%-90% of all neonics used in NY. This will protect our pollinators, water quality and human health. Now we need Governor Hochul to sign the bill into law! 

  • Expanding Stream Protections: Protects an additional 41,000 miles of streams across the state, which will help protect drinking water quality and habitat for fish and wildlife. 

  • Lead Pipes Right to Know: Creates an inventory of lead pipes throughout the state and makes this information public, giving residents the right to know if they are drinking water that may be contaminated with lead. 

  • Offshore Wind Transmission: Requires NYSERDA to lead a transmission planning process for offshore wind and authorizes temporary parkland alienation in City of Long Beach for the offshore wind cable connection for Empire Wind 2, which will power 600,000 homes on Long Island.

Let’s not forget the major victories from the state budget that was passed earlier in the session, including matching an all-time high of $400 million for the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and $500 million to upgrade sewer and drinking water infrastructure. Unfortunately, one of our big priority bills, the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act, which would reduce plastic packaging pollution and save local governments hundreds of millions of dollars annually, didn’t pass this session. We’re already gearing up for the fight next year to pass this necessary legislation. 

South Shore Estuary Reserve Program Celebrates 30th Anniversary! 
We partnered with the New York Department of State to host the first South Shore Estuary Reserve (SSER) Conference. The conference celebrated 30 years of progress to restore this estuary and assessed restoration needs still needed in the future. Speakers included New York Secretary of State Robert Rodriguez and Dr. Chris Gobler from Stony Brook University. Thank you to all our great speakers and everyone who joined—it was a fantastic event! 

Happenings

Pushing for Stronger PFAS Drinking Water Standards 
New York had been a leader in its efforts to protect public health from PFAS “forever chemicals” in drinking water, having adopted some of the nation’s strictest drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS in 2020. Last year, the EPA proposed new federal drinking water standards of 4 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA and PFOS, which is significantly stronger than the NYS standard of 10 ppt. However, New York is pushing back against this new low standard and is rebuking the Biden Administration on several aspects of its proposed regulations. We attended the NYS Drinking Water Quality Council meeting in June to demand NY remain a leader in the fight to protect public health and ensure our state’s drinking water standards are reflective of the latest science, which indicates that there is no safe level of exposure to PFAS in drinking water. Reducing the standards from 10ppt to 4ppt would protect millions more New Yorkers from harmful PFAS. 

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. We kept up our work on advancing offshore wind in June: 

  • Talking Offshore Wind with Uniondale High School. In June, we officially concluded our “Transitioning to Renewable Energy” series with Uniondale High School and Community Wind for this school year. CCE staff gave climate change and offshore presentations to 45 classes with over 1100 students! We had an amazing time bringing the students to the Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center—the students learned about renewable energy, participated in taking wind readings, and saw a real wind turbine blade. 

  • Open House on Empire Wind 2. Equinor hosted meetings this spring on Empire Wind 2, which will power over 600,000 homes in Nassau County via a cable connection to Island Park. We attended a productive June meeting in Long Beach—thanks to everyone who came out to talk about wind.   

Fighting for Clean Water in Suffolk County 
Nitrogen pollution impacts every waterway in Suffolk County. We successfully fought for state legislation that would allow Suffolk residents to vote on a clean water ballot initiative this November. Next, we needed the Suffolk County Legislature to put the issue on the ballot and let the public decide if an increase of 1/8 cent in the county sales tax should be dedicated to protecting water resources by fixing sewer and septic infrastructure. Despite years of work to get here and a large coalition of environmentalists, labor, chambers of commerce, civic organizations, and local businesses coming together in support, the Suffolk Majority voted no. This was a huge step backwards, but we’re not done fighting for clean water in Suffolk. 


Understanding the Health Risks of 1,4-Dioxane on Long Island 
Yale Superfund Research Center has crafted a study to better understand the impact of 1,4-dioxane exposure on Long Island residents. This spring, we launched our partnership with Yale to provide education and outreach to inform Long Islanders about this new, exciting program. If you live on Long Island and are interested in participating and finding out if you have been exposed to 1,4-dioxane, you can find out more here. 

Welcome to our Summer Interns! 
We’re excited to welcome our summer interns! Belen Gonzalez and Malvika Shrimali are part of the Yale Conservation Scholars Program. Belen attends Fordham University and Malvika attends College of William and Mary. Adrianna Gardocki is also joining our team for the summer—Adrianna is entering her senior year studying Environmental Economics at Binghamton University. 


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! 

Announcing our New Board Member 
CCE would like to introduce our newest board member, Lauren Sternberg. Lauren is the Communications Manager with Veolia North America. We have worked with Lauren for years to protect Long Island’s water quality and we’re excited to continue working with you as the newest members of our Board! 

Upcoming: Suffolk County Executive Candidate Forum 
We’ll be co-hosting the Suffolk County Executive Environmental Candidate Forum with the NY League of Conservation Voters Environmental Fund on July 17th at 6pm at Stony Brook University. Find out what candidates Ed Romaine (R) and Dave Calone (D) plan to do to protect our environment, public health, and our communities if they are elected. This is a free event but space is limited, so make sure to RSVP early! 

Highlights and Happenings: April 2023

 

Photo by Xavi Cabrera on Unsplash

Help CCE build on our success, and support our campaigns to protect public health and the environment in NY and CT. 
Make a contribution today.

 

Highlights

Victory! NYS Final Budget has Big Gains for the Environment
The final NYS budget includes funding for critical programs to restore our waterways, fight climate change, and protect public health. A huge thank you to Governor Kathy Hochul and our Senate and Assembly champions for fighting for crucial environmental victories this year. Highlights include:

  • $500 million for clean water infrastructure, which helps to stop sewage overflows, remove emerging contaminants from drinking water, and more;

  • $400 million Environmental Protection Fund, which supports environmental programs to protect our land, air, and water in every community across the state;

  • $22.5 million to protect and restore our Ocean, Estuaries, and Great Lakes;

  • A record $2 million to support restoration of the South Shore Estuary Reserve; and

  • Authorization for Suffolk County to create a unified water district and hold a clean water ballot referendum this November.

NYS Assembly Passes Birds and Bees Protection Act!
One of our key priorities in Albany this year 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. In April, the NYS Assembly passed this legislation to ban the sale of neonic treated corn, soybean, and wheat seeds; and cosmetic uses on lawns, gardens, and golf courses. By banning just these few uses, we could eliminate 85-90% of all neonics used in NY. A big thank you to Assemblywoman Glick for your leadership! Now, we are working to ensure the NYS Senate also passes this crucial bill this year.

Victory! Manorville Residents Will Get Clean Water
We were thrilled to join Manorville residents on Long Island for a celebration last month to announce there is now full funding to connect 64 homes to public water. These residents are drinking from private wells contaminated with toxic PFAS chemicals and VOCs and have been demanding #cleanwaternow for the last four years. Thank you to our local, state, and federal policy makers who got this critical funding, and most of all, thank you to the residents who never stopped fighting!

Happenings

Celebrating Earth Day 2023
To celebrate Earth Day, we joined advocates from across New York to voice our support for a comprehensive legislative agenda to protect our water, land, and pollinators; improve recycling, reduce toxins, and fight climate change. We had a very productive time in Albany and were successful in passing several important bills through the Assembly and Senate, which protect pollinators, reduce PFAS pollution, reduce food waste, and much more. A huge thank you to everyone involved in a great Earth Day Advocacy Day.

Fighting to hold manufacturers—not taxpayers—responsible for their waste
One of our top NYS priorities this year is working to pass the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Act, which will hold producers, not taxpayers, responsible for their waste. We have been fighting for a strong policy that will reduce product packaging, eliminate toxins in packaging, increase packaging recyclability, prevent plastic pollution, and save taxpayers money—it is estimated the policy would save local governments across the state $420 million annually! We will continue to fight to pass this critical legislation this year and urge you to take action in support.

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 9,000 MW 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. Recent updates on our offshore wind work:

  • Open Houses on Empire Wind 2. Equinor is hosting meetings on Empire Wind 2, which will power over 600,000 homes in Nassau County via a cable connection to Island Park. We just attended the meeting in Island Park but there will be another in Long Beach on June 8, we’d love to see you there. Find more information and register here.

  • Talking Offshore Wind with Uniondale High School. We recently kicked off our partnership with Community Offshore Wind and Uniondale High School, with more than 800 students slated to participate. We will be in classrooms for several days talking with students about “Transitioning to Renewable Energy” - an educational program designed to inform and engage the next generation of Long Islanders on the clean energy future.

Understanding the Health Risks of 1,4-Dioxane on Long Island
Yale Superfund Research Center has crafted a study to better understand the impact of 1,4-dioxane exposure on Long Island residents. This spring, we launched our partnership with Yale to provide education and outreach to inform Long Islanders about this new, exciting program. In April, we hosted a Lunch and Learn with Yale to talk about:

  • The latest science on drinking water and health impacts of 1,4-dioxane

  • More information on the large quantities of 1,4-dioxane in popular products

  • The new partnership between Yale and CCE and the health study to begin this year for Long Islanders.

If you live on Long Island and are interested in participating in the study and finding out if you or the drinking water in your home have been exposed to 1,4-dioxane, you can find out more here.

Whale Tales and Whale Facts
We had a great Lunch and Learn virtual webinar on the recent whale deaths off NY’s coast and discussed what we can do to protect whales. There has been concern that these whale deaths are the result of offshore wind development, despite evidence to the contrary. The truth is that offshore wind is crucial to fighting climate change and protecting marine species. We heard great presentations from the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation, and Atlantic Marine Conservation Society about the real threats to whales off our coast. Thank you to the almost 400 people who joined and all who participated in the Q&A. If you missed it, check it out here.

Highlights and Happenings: March 2023

 

Image by Rebecca Matthews from Pixabay

Help CCE build on our success, and support our campaigns to protect public health and the environment in NY and CT. 
Make a contribution today.

 

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!

COMING UP ON OUR CALENDAR

 
Featured
Long Island Climate Change Symposium
Apr 10
Long Island Climate Change Symposium
Earth Day Advocacy Day in Albany
Apr 29
Earth Day Advocacy Day in Albany