A Look Back at the New York State Legislative Session

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While some of our priority bills fell short, there were some significant achievements to celebrate from the recently concluded New York State legislative session! The following CCE priority bills were passed by the state legislature (still need to be signed by the Governor):

• Expanding Stream Protections: Protects an additional 41,000 miles of streams, which will help to protect drinking water supplies and preserve important habitat for fish.

• Conserving open space: Requires the conservation of at least 30% of land in the state by 2030, helping to fight climate change, protect biodiversity, and preserve forests and farmland.

• Making Polluters Pay for Drinking Water Contamination: Ensures that polluters, not taxpayers, pay for treatment of drinking water supplies when they are responsible for contaminating it.

• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Carpets: Over 500 million pounds of carpets go to landfills and incinerators each year in NYS. Carpet EPR will help ensure that manufacturers—not taxpayers and local governments—take responsibility for managing their products throughout their entire life cycle. Not only will this save local governments money, but it will increase recycling of carpets, save energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce toxic chemicals in our homes.

 And let’s not forget the major victories from the state budget that was passed earlier in the legislative session!

• Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Bond Act: The $4.2 billion bond act will protect waterways, make our communities more resilient to climate change, and create jobs. The bond act will be considered by voters on the ballot in the upcoming November election.

• Increased Wetlands Protections: The program will protect an additional million acres of freshwater wetlands, which are critical to protecting communities from flooding, filtering pollution, fighting climate change, and providing habitat for fish and wildlife.

• Historic Funding for the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF): The EPF was funded at an all-time high of $400 million and will support programs to protect the Ocean and Great Lakes, preserve valuable open space, fight climate change, increase recycling, and so much more.

• Fixing our sewer and drinking water systems: The state provided $500 million to upgrade failing sewer systems and improve treatment of drinking water.

We were also disappointed that some of our priority bills did not pass, including extended producer responsibility for product packaging and paper (makes brand owners—not taxpayers—pay for recycling of product packaging) and a ban on unnecessary uses of bee-killing neonic pesticides. We are eager to get these bills passed in the upcoming 2023 legislative session.

Thank you for your support—we could not have achieved these accomplishments without you!

Sincerely,
Your friends at CCE

What are the Problems with Artificial Turf? You have questions, we have answers!

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Join CCE and PEER for a virtual lunch and learn presentation on the environmental and public health concerns associated with artificial turf fields

Throughout New York State, Connecticut, and 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. As schools continue to switch over to artificial turf, children who play on these surfaces are at increased risk of physical injury and exposure to toxic chemicals.

On Tuesday, June 28, Citizens Campaign for the Environment and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) are co-hosting an educational presentation to discuss the significant problems with artificial turf. Join us to hear from experts and have the opportunity to ask questions. 

Speakers:
Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, CCE
Dr. Sarah Evans, PhD, MPH, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Kyla Bennett, PhD, JD, Director of Science Policy, PEER
Monica I. Mercola, Environmental Legal Fellow, PEER

Topics:

• PFAS and other hazardous chemicals used in artificial turf

• Water contamination

• Microplastic pollution

• Climate impacts

• Increased sports injuries

• Lack of recyclability

• Increased costs to schools

Event Details:

Date: Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Where: Virtual presentation on Zoom. Register today!

This event is free and open to the public. 

Thank you for joining us!

Sincerely, 
Your friends at CCE

Highlights and Happenings: May 2022

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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.

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Highlights

Critical Bills Pass in Connecticut! 
As the CT legislative session came to an end in May, we were thrilled to see some of our priority bills get passed by the CGA: 

• Ban on the harmful pesticide chlorpyrifos on golf courses throughout CT

• Set a goal of 100% zero-carbon electricity by 2040 in CT

• Require manufacturers to take responsibility for proper disposal of gas cylinders (known as Extended Producer Responsibility)

Protecting Northport Harbor Water Quality with New Rain Gardens 
We partnered with the Northport Yacht Club and the Village of Northport to install three rain gardens in the Village of Northport on Long Island. The rain gardens will capture 15,000 gallons of storm water and remove harmful pollutants like motor oil, pesticides, and nitrogen before entering Northport Harbor and Long Island Sound! Last month was planting day. We joined a group of volunteers, including the Village of Northport Mayor, for a great day of planting and implementing this important project. It looks great – make sure you check it out if you are in the area. 

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Happenings

Combatting Ocean Acidification with Kelp 
We joined Dr. Chris Gobler from Stony Brook University and Mike Doall, Associate Director of Shellfish Restoration and Aquaculture, to announce the results of an important study on the impacts of kelp harvesting. A Stony Brook-led study found that locally grown kelp can help combat ocean acidification and reduce nitrogen pollution in local waterways while benefiting local shellfish farmers. This is a finding of global significance that can help improve water quality, combat the worst climate change impacts in targeted water bodies, and support shellfish farming locally. It was a great event –check out the press conference here. 

Sharing CCE’s Experience with Visitors from Kazakhstan 
Through the International Institute of Buffalo, we met with a group of journalists and non-profit representatives from Kazakhstan. CCE’s Brian Smith shared information about how CCE advances policies to protect our environment and public health in NY and the nation, which the group can learn from and bring back to their country. We learned a lot too and were grateful for the experience! 

Check out our recently released Offshore Wind Roundtable Discussions 
Long Island is on the front lines of climate change and we are already experiencing impacts of rising sea levels, extreme weather events, ocean acidification and more. The good news is that we are also in the midst of a massive shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy, especially offshore wind. We worked with our partners in labor and leading environmental experts to film two roundtable discussions to clarify the benefits of offshore wind for Long Island. Learn more and check out the videos here. If you are on Long Island, you can also check out these videos on Altice public access channel 115 on Fridays from 5pm-6pm. 

Long Island Sound High School Summit 
In May, we were excited to hold our first in-person Long Island Sound High School Summit. We had a great event with 8 schools, 100 students, and 30 unique Long Island Sound protection projects. It was fantastic to see the depth and diversity of the student’s work and we are proud of these future Long Island Sound protection leaders. Thank you to all the teachers and students for their hard work and to our partners at the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society and Friends of the Bay. 

Be on the Watch for Harmful Algal Blooms 
As the weather begins to get warmer, and we start spending more time outside and lakeside, 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. 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! 

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Upcoming: Protecting Long Island Sound 
We are working with our partners at The Nature Conservancy and Save the Sound to host a 3-part webinar series “Long Island Sound: Driving Local Actions to Tackle Water Pollution” to discuss, convene, and share solutions to marine debris, nitrogen, and fecal bacteria pollution. Last month we co-hosted the second webinar on combatting nitrogen pollution. The June 16th webinar will include presentations and a panel of experts discussing ways to tackle fecal bacteria pollution in the Sound. Each webinar will allow time for a question-and-answer session with the panelists and technical break-out groups for those that want to take a deeper dive into pollution issues. Register now! 

Preserve Plum Island

“Plum Island, aerial photograph”, by adrian, acediscovery, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Help to ensure this ecological gem located in Long Island Sound is permanently protected! 

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. Plum Island is home to over 111 species of conservation concern, contains one of the most significant seal haul-out sites in southern New England, and is home to 228 bird species that use the island for breeding or migratory purposes.

Plum Island has long been the home of USDA’s animal disease research facility, blocking it from public access. The facility is now being relocated to the Midwest, providing a unique opportunity for a new vision for Plum Island.

For over a decade, a broad, diverse coalition, which includes elected officials, environmental groups, businesses, and Indigenous nations, has worked together to save Plum Island from large-scale private development. We have been working for permanent protection and preservation, and now is the time to get it done! We are urging the Biden administration to designate Plum Island as a National Monument, ensuring that wildlife is protected, cultural and historical values are maintained, and people are able to enjoy this unique ecosystem for generations to come.

Email President Biden today. Urge him to designate Plum Island as a National Monument and ensure that this Island will be preserved for future generations.

Thank you for taking action,
Sincerely,
Your friends at CCE

Reduce Waste and Increase Recycling in New York

Hold manufacturers—not taxpayers—responsible for their waste!

With only a couple weeks left in the New York State legislative session, it is critical that the Senate and Assembly come together and pass strong, unified legislation to tackle the state’s solid waste and recycling crisis before time runs out!

New York State is indeed suffering from a solid waste and recycling crisis—recycling costs for municipalities and taxpayers have skyrocketed, recycling rates have declined, and our environment and health are suffering from pollution caused by excessive plastic packaging. Currently, corporate brand owners bear no responsibility in managing the product packaging waste they have created.  

Bills have been introduced in both the NYS Senate and Assembly to help fix our solid waste crisis. The policy, known as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), would require product manufacturers—not taxpayers—to be responsible for the cost of collecting and recycling the packaging and paper they create. 

A strong EPR policy will help:

• Reduce waste: EPR incentivizes producers to produce less plastic waste and packaging in the first place!

• Increase recycling: New York’s recycling rate is approximately 18%, while countries that have adopted an EPR policy have rates over 70%.

• Eliminate toxic chemicals: Prohibit the harmful “forever chemical” PFAS and other toxic chemicals often used in packaging.

• Reduce plastic pollution in our waterways: Lake Erie is polluted with 381 metric tons of plastic while Long Island Sound has an estimated 165 million plastic particles floating in the water at any given time.

• Save taxpayers money: Local governments (outside of NYC) pay $80 million annually to keep recycling programs going.

• Fight climate change: EPR can lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by over 2.3 million metric tons — the equivalent of taking half a million cars off the road or reducing the state’s GHG emissions from waste by 18%

Tell elected leaders in the NYS Assembly and Senate to support passage of a strong EPR bill this session! Act today, the legislative session is scheduled to conclude in early June.

Thank you for taking action. Together we make a difference!

Sincerely,
Your friends at CCE

Protect Our Pollinators!

Image by Hans Benn from Pixabay

Ban Dangerous and Unnecessary Uses of Toxic Neonic Pesticides in New York!

The New York State Assembly recently passed the Birds and Bees Protection Act, which would ban the most dangerous and unnecessary uses of toxic neonic pesticides! Neonic pesticides decimate bee and pollinator populations, contaminate New York’s water resources, and threaten food security and human health. 

There are only a handful of days left in New York State’s legislative session. We need the New York State Senate to follow the Assembly and pass this important legislation before it’s too late. Email your NYS Senator and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins today and urge the NYS Senate to pass the Birds and Bees Protection Act this session!

Background

Pollinators, such as honeybees, beetles, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds, are essential components of our food web. Massive bee die-off events and colony collapse disorder are putting our ecosystem and food production at risk. This rise in bee deaths has been largely linked to the explosive growth in the use of neonicotinoids and other harmful pesticides. Neonicotinoids (A.K.A. “neonics”) are pesticides that attack the nervous system of insects. These pesticides are largely added as a seed coating to plants, such as corn, wheat, and soybeans and are used as a spray for ornamental plants and turf. As a seed coating these chemicals persist and spread as the plant grows, making the entire plant toxic to bees and other pollinators. 

Neonics are also threatening New York’s waters. A 2018 U.S. Fish and Wildlife study found neonics in New York’s streams “in excess of toxicity and regulatory thresholds. Additionally, extensive testing of New York’s surface waters by the USGS in 2016, found the neonic imidacloprid in nearly 40% of samples. Neonics are persistent in our water and environment, posing a serious threat to health and pollinators.

Corn, soy, and wheat treated seeds account for an estimated 73% of all neonics used in New York, while lawn and garden (aka cosmetic) uses make up an additional 15%. A 2020 report by Cornell University found that neonic treated corn, soy, and wheat seeds provide "no overall net income benefits" to farmers yet pose significant risk to bees and other pollinators. Likewise, cosmetic uses posed some of the highest risk to pollinators but are easily replaced with safer alternatives. The Birds and Bees Protection Act (S.699C/A.7429A) would ban neonic treated seeds and the use of neonics on lawns, gardens, and ornamental plants.

Thank you! Together we can make a difference.
All of Us at CCE