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! 

HELP PROTECT AND RESTORE SUFFOLK COUNTY’S DRINKING WATER, BEACHES, BAYS, LAKES AND ESTUARIES

Tell the Suffolk County Legislature to let the public vote on a critical clean water ballot referendum this November

Nitrogen pollution from sewage is responsible for massive fish kills, turtle die offs, toxic algal blooms, and beach closings across Suffolk County. Long Island's clean waters create jobs and generate millions of dollars every year for our regional economy and tourism industry. Nitrogen pollution is adversely impacting our environment, health, economy, and quality of life. The science is clear; the majority of nitrogen pollution in our local waterways comes from outdated sewage and septic systems. We need to upgrade our sewage infrastructure to restore the health of Suffolk County’s waterways and that costs money!

This year’s New York State budget included language allowing Suffolk County to advance a ballot referendum that will allow residents to vote on clean water funding. If the Suffolk County Legislature votes to put this issue on the ballot, residents will be able to decide this November if an increase of 1/8 cent in the county sales tax should be dedicated to protecting water resources by expanding and upgrading sewers and installing upgraded nitrogen-removing septic systems to replace antiquated cesspools and septic systems. We need the Suffolk County Legislature to pass legislation that will let the voters decide on clean water this November.

We need you! Please join us at the Suffolk Legislature to show up, stand up, and speak up in favor of I.R. 1512-2023 and I.R. 1573-2023 to create a unified wastewater management district and to let the public vote on a clean water referendum.

Date:    
Wednesday, June 21, 2023

Time:    
Rally for Clean Water at 3:30pm; Public Hearing at 6:30pm

Where:  
Suffolk County Legislature
Evans K. Griffing Building
300 Center Drive, Riverhead, NY

If you cannot attend the meeting, you can still make your voice heard. Email your Suffolk County Legislator today. Urge them to support 1512-2023 and 1573-2023. Let the public vote on clean water this November.

Background

Suffolk is 74% unsewered, with 360,000 homes relying on antiquated septic and cesspool technology to treat wastewater. The impacts of nitrogen pollution from inadequately treated sewage are appearing in virtually every bay, harbor, freshwater lake, and pond in the county.

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) cites algal blooms and nitrogen from sewage as the primary reasons many LI water bodies are impaired. The numerous fish and turtle die-offs in our estuaries over the last decade were found to be caused mainly by nitrogen pollution from sewage. Moreover, some toxic algal blooms constitute a serious threat to human health, such as Blue-Green Algae in lakes and ponds and Red Tide in several harbors. Long Island has the greatest frequency of Blue-Green Algae in the entire state.

After years of study, Suffolk County released a plan which details the sources of nitrogen pollution entering all 191 sub-watersheds in the county and provides a pathway to restoring our waterways to a healthy condition. The study found the primary cause of nitrogen pollution in our waterways to be sewage from antiquated sewers and septic systems. The Sub watersheds Plan provides a pathway to replace outdated cesspools and septic systems with advanced on-site systems and, where appropriate, improving and expanding sewer systems.  The longer we wait to implement these changes, the more expensive and difficult our water quality problems will be to fix.

To fully implement this plan, we will need a unified wastewater management district and dedicated funding stream to implement these clean water projects.

Thank you for taking action!

Sincerely,
Your friends at CCE

After Years of Effort by Environmentalists New York State Legislature Bans Unnecessary Uses of Toxic Bee Killing Neonic Pesticides

Advocates are BUZZING and Neonics will feel the STING

For immediate release: June 9, 2023

Albany, NY – The NYS Senate and Assembly resoundingly passed the Birds and Bees Protection Act. This law bans the use of neonicotinoid (neonic) treated corn, soybean, and wheat seeds, as well as ornamental uses such as on lawns, gardens, and golf courses. A diverse coalition, made up of environmental organizations, health care professionals, and organic farmers worked for several years to advance the bill.

“The birds are chirping, and the bees are buzzing with praise for our Senate and Assembly members taking action to address toxic neonic pesticides.” said Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, Citizens Campaign for the Environment. “Neonics not only threaten our pollinators, but also contaminate our entire environment. From Long Island to the Great Lakes, neonics are contaminating our water resources and are often found at high levels. By eliminating the high-risk/low benefit uses of this pesticide, we can protect our pollinators, food security, water quality, health, and environment. CCE applauds Senator Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblywoman Glick for sponsoring and championing this bill”.

Neonicotinoids (A.K.A. “neonics”) are pesticides that attack the nervous system of insects. These pesticides largely added as a seed coating to plants, such as corn, wheat, and soybeans and 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 also threaten New York’s water resources, food security, and public health.

The harmful overuse of neonics has devastated pollinator populations across the globe and in New York. These pollinator losses have been attributed to the sudden spike in use of neonics, mainly from treated seeds. Corn, soybean, and wheat treated seeds account for over 73% of all neonics used in New York and ornamental uses make up an additional 15%. According to a 2020 report by Cornell University, these uses provide no net income benefit to users yet pose some of the highest risks to pollinators.

The Birds and Bees Protection Act (S.1856A/A.7640) would ban these low benefit/high risk uses of neonics in New York. This will eliminate at least 85% - 90% of all neonics used in New York, protect water quality, and ensure we are not poisoning our birds, bees, and pollinators from this toxic pesticide. Now, we look forward to working with the Governor to sign this landmark legislation and eliminate these unnecessary and dangerous uses of neonic pesticides.

CLIMATE CHANGE IS FUELING CANADA’S FIRES AND HARMING OUR HEALTH

THE DEVESTATING IMPACTS OF THE CANADIAN WILDFIRE ARE THE LATEST EXAMPLE OF WHY WE NEED TO TAKE ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

 DATE:      Friday, June 9th, 2023

CONTACT:  Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, 631-384-1378, aesposito@citizenscampaign.org

Farmingdale, NY – The public health impacts of the unprecedented wildfires across Canada accent the widespread adverse impacts of climate change on our environment and our health.

 Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director for Citizens Campaign for the Environment, issued the following statement:

“Climate change is real and climate change is here. The Canadian wildfires are the latest heartbreaking example of a ‘new normal’ that includes extreme weather events, flooding, droughts, heat waves, wildfires and more. While there have been wildfires in Canada in the past, the months-long drought and temperatures almost 13 degrees higher than last spring have contributed to the catastrophic damage of recent fires. These events do not happen in a vacuum. Summers will continue to get hotter and dryer, extreme weather events will continue to get more severe and more frequent. They impact all of us, and as a society we must transition off fossil fuels as quickly as possible to curb the worst impacts of climate change. The time for debate or delay is over. It is time to act.”

Pass Critical Environmental Legislation in New York State Before Session Ends on June 8!

Help Us Pass Two Top Priority Bills to Save the Bees and Address the Solid Waste Crisis!

The NYS legislative session comes to an end on June 8th, and we only have a few legislative session days left to pass two of our priority bills; the Birds and Bees Protection Act and the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act. We need your help in calling on the NYS Legislature and urging them to pass these monumental bills. Email your elected officials today and tell them to pass these critical bills this session!

The Birds and Bees Protection Act (S.1856A/A.7640) would ban neonicotinoid (“neonic”) treated corn, soybean, and wheat seeds and ban cosmetic lawn and garden neonic uses. This will eliminate at least 85% - 90% of all neonics used in New York, protect water quality, and ensure we are not poisoning our birds, bees, and pollinators from this toxic pesticide. The rise in bee deaths has been largely linked to the explosive growth in the use of neonic pesticides. Across New York, neonics are common contaminants found in groundwater and pose a threat to our drinking water. The NYS Assembly has already passed this legislation, now we need NY Senators to vote yes and ensure this crucial legislation gets passed this year!

The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (S.4246/A.5322) would require manufacturers – not taxpayers – to be responsible for the cost of collecting and recycling the packaging waste they create. This will reduce packaging waste, increase recycling, eliminate toxic chemicals in packaging, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and save local taxpayers over $400 million annually! New York State is suffering from a solid waste and recycling crisis and has a recycling rate of just 17%. Most of the waste is ending up as litter in communities, plastic pollution in our waterways, sent to landfills, or burned in trash incinerators. We need the NYS Legislature to pass this critical legislation and hold manufacturers responsible for the waste they create!

Email your elected officials TODAY and tell them to pass the Birds and Bees Protection Act and the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act this year!

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

Want to Learn More About Offshore Wind on Long Island?

Join us for a free educational forum with Q&A with experts—topics include the environment, whales, labor, and EMFs

There are currently 5 offshore wind projects selected for New York which will power over 2 million homes in New York City and Long Island. Each project is moving through the regulatory process. We know that the public has questions, and we want to provide a forum to provide science and fact-based answers. There will be an opportunity for the public to ask questions after the presentations.

When:
Wednesday, May 24, 2023 from 7:00-9:00 pm

Where:
Long Beach City Hall, 1 W Chester St, Long Beach, NY

Speakers/Topics:

• Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, Citizens Campaign for the Environment – Offshore Wind Coming to New York State

• Rob DiGiovanni, Atlantic Marine Conservation Society – Marine Mammal Protection

• Dr. Ben Cotts, PhD, Principle Engineer, Exponent – EMFs

• Ryan Stanton, Executive Director, Long Island Federation of Labor &

• Matthew Aracich, President, Nassau and Suffolk County Building Trades Association – Labor Benefits and Job Opportunities

• *The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) will also be at the event to provide additional information.

Register: Click here

Thank you for joining us!

Sincerely,
Your friends at CCE

SAVE THE BEES!

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

The NYS Assembly has passed the Birds and Bees Protection Act! This is a huge step forward in protecting our pollinators from a dangerous and toxic pesticide—neonicotinoids (aka “neonics”). Neonics kill bees, pollute our water, and threaten public health! Now we need your help in calling on the NYS Senate and urging them to pass this monumental legislation. We need your help—there are only a few weeks left to pass this bill!

Email your New York State Senator TODAY and tell them to vote YES and pass the Birds and Bees Protection Act!

The Birds and Bees Protection Act (S.1856/A.3226) would ban neonic treated corn, soybean, and wheat seeds, as well as cosmetic uses on lawn and gardens in New York State. This will eliminate at least 85% - 90% of all neonics used in New York, protect water quality, and ensure we are not poisoning our birds, bees, and pollinators with this toxic pesticide. Here on Long Island, neonics are common contaminants found in groundwater and pose a threat to our sole-source aquifer system. We need our Long Island State Senators to vote yes and ensure this crucial legislation gets passed this year. There are only a few weeks of legislative session left—we cannot wait any longer!

Background:

Pollinators, such as honeybees, 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 neonics and other harmful pesticides. Neonics are pesticides that attack the nervous system of insects. These pesticides largely added as a seed coating to plants, such as corn, wheat, and soybeans and 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. There are currently 117 pesticides found in Long Island’s groundwater, with neonics being one of the most prevalent pesticides detected.  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.  Lawn, garden, ornamental, and turf (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 pose a high risk to pollinators but are easily replaced with safer alternatives. These uses are unnecessary and must be banned to protect our pollinators.

Thank you for taking action!

Sincerely,
All of Us at CCE

Join us for a Free Offshore Wind Educational Forum

Join CCE on May 24th at 7:00pm at Long Beach City Hall for a free educational forum on offshore wind. There are currently 5 offshore wind projects selected for New York which will power over 2 million homes in New York City and Long Island. Each project is moving through the regulatory process.  We know that the public has questions, and we want to provide a forum to provide science and fact-based answers. Join us for presentations followed by a Q&A with experts on topics including the environment, whales, labor, and EMFs.

When: Wednesday, May 24, from 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Where: Long Beach City Hall. Register today for this free educational forum

Thank you for joining us.
Sincerely,
Your friends at CCE