The [Green] Capitol Insider - 1.26.2009

GREEN THE STIMULUS

Wow. That was quite a week. We witnessed a peaceful and historic transfer of power and Representative Kirsten Gillibrand was tapped to become New York’s junior Senator (click here to read more about the Gillibrand pick in the New York Post), and there’s so much more on the horizon.

In the coming days, Congress, and later the Senate, will vote on the $850 Billion stimulus package championed by the Obama Administration to jump-start our nation’s economy. We think it can jump-start some green initiatives we’ve been pushing for, too.

Environmental Advocates of New York is happy that the stimulus package includes funding for much-needed green infrastructure investments. These investments will give our economy a boost and serve as a powerful catalyst for making New York State, and the country, more efficient, more economically competitive, and more environmentally sustainable. But we want to make sure these dollars are used as intended and are not directed to pork barrel projects.

So we’re asking legislators in D.C. to make sure the final stimulus package not only jump-starts the economy, but also jump-starts green initiatives that combat global warming, invest in mass transit, and protect our air and water quality.

Click here to send your representatives a message to Green the Stimulus.

Here's how to green the stimulus:

1. Respond to the climate crisis by supporting clean energy, energy efficiency and mass transit. New York is already making substantial investments in these areas, but imagine how much faster we could reach our goals to cut global warming pollution if stimulus dollars doubled, or even tripled, state investment.

2. Use federal dollars to fix existing infrastructure needs, not to build new infrastructure in undeveloped areas. Let's fix documented problems with New York's drinking water and sewer systems before running miles of new pipes.

3. Use stimulus money to supplement, not replace, existing state funding. New York State is already doing a lot to encourage energy efficiency and clean energy; let's make sure federal dollars add to our efforts.

While much public and media attention has been focused on the environmental aspects of the stimulus package, the reality is that these investments are a relatively small portion of the total package.

We need to get the greenest bang for our stimulus buck. And we urge you to ask our leaders in D.C. to heed the call. Click here to reach out to your representatives.

Click here to listen to an interview about the stimulus package with Executive Director Rob Moore.

Click here - and here - to learn more about the stimulus package.

WE MIGHT NOT LOOK IT, BUT WE'RE 40

In the late 1960s, a group of activists got together and Environmental Advocates of New York was born.

Back when we got started, people who cared about the environment didn’t have anyone working in the State Capital. Some of our rivers, lakes and streams were so polluted that people swam and fished at their own risk. New Yorkers in some parts of the state couldn’t trust their drinking water. The Adirondacks were threatened by logging. And air pollution in New York City was off the charts.

Our founding members saw a need to change what was happening and brought people together from every corner of the state to speak with one clear voice and demand change, if not for ourselves then for our children. And that’s what we’re still doing today.

For the rest of the year, we’ll introduce you to a little bit of our history in every issue of The [Green] Capitol Insider.

Click here to give $40 for our 40th.

ANOTHER SIGN OF GREEN THINGS TO COME

All signs point to President Barack Obama directing federal regulators to move swiftly on an application by California, New York and other states to set strict tailpipe emission and fuel efficiency standards today. Altogether, 17 states, representing more than 45 percent of the nation’s auto market, have adopted or announced their intention to adopt the standards. California enacted a law requiring the state to adopt standards to cut global warming pollution from cars and trucks way back in 2002.

Click here to read more in the New York Times.

WATCHDOGGING WATER POLLUTION

Environmental Advocates of New York and local activists recently objected to a proposal to increase pollution discharges from the Millbrook Sewage Treatment Plant into Wappinger’s Creek.

The sewage plant asked for the increases to accommodate new development in the area, even though the plant has a history of violating its permit and releasing more pollution than is healthy for nearby waterways.

Detailed testimony from Millbrook Matters, the Cary Institute and Environmental Advocates convinced the Department of Environmental Conservation to strengthen the permit, limiting new hookups to Millbrook's already overtaxed sewer system and putting limits on the amount of pollution that could be released to the East Branch of Wappinger's Creek.

The [Green] Capitol Insider - 1.12.2009

ENERGY EFFICIENCY KEY TO FIX SORRY STATE OF THE (NY) STATE
Amid the ever-gloomy economic crisis, Governor David Paterson gave his first State of the State address last week and he talked a lot about energy. Environmental Advocates of New York praised the Governor for recognizing the need to increase the state’s investment in energy efficiency and clean energy, critical weapons in the fight against climate change.

In his remarks, Governor Paterson recommitted to realizing the state’s preexisting goal to reduce energy consumption by up to 15 percent by 2015, and called for an expansion of the state’s commitment to renewable energy. The Governor’s new “45 by 2015” goal includes an expansion of the amount of electric power purchased from clean, renewable sources from 25 to 30 percent.

The Governor also acknowledged the role that installing energy efficiency retrofits will play in the state’s weakened economy by increasing investments in workforce training. According to the Governor, these coordinated efforts will create an estimated 50,000 jobs. And reducing climate pollution by putting people to work makes sense to us.

The Governor also signaled his interest in helping schools, hospitals and universities become more energy efficient. These energy efficiency retrofits could reduce energy use and related pollution, as well as costs for local governments across New York State. Per the Governor’s office, the New York Power Authority will make up to $185 million available annually for such projects, up from $100 million. The Governor is also calling on the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority and the Long Island Power Authority to make money available to “green” public schools. We’re not sure how much.

Click here for the Governor’s speech.

A bit more detail on the Governor’s energy plans for the year here.

To read reactions to the Governor’s State of the State address from the New York Times, Newsday, Daily News , New York Post , and the Albany Times Union.

NEW YORK MISSING OUT ON MILLION$
According to our research, the state is missing out on millions of dollars because it has failed to close tax loopholes for polluters or update the fees polluters are federally required to pay.

We’re calling on the Governor to amend his budget proposal for 2009-2010 and update the fees polluters are required to pay on regulated air contaminants or move the burden of paying these fees from taxpayers to polluters, as mandated by federal law.

And as we highlighted in our report, $aving Green: Addressing New York’s Fiscal Crisis & Protecting the Environment, tax breaks for dirty bunker fuel cost the state millions last year. Making polluters pick up the tab could save the state millions of dollars next year—money that could be used to protect the state’s primary environmental agency from staff reductions that will endanger New York’s air quality and drinking water.

We’re asking the Governor to fix the outdated fees associated with the Title V Operating Permit Program. Outdated fees and caps associated with Title V mean that polluters and taxpayers will continue to share responsibility for supporting regulatory oversight of New York’s air pollution permitting program, counter to the requirements of the Federal Clean Air Act. Environmental Advocates is calling on the Governor to update the Title V air pollution program by removing the 6,000 ton cap for which a facility can be billed and by raising the $45 per ton fee on pollution to $80 per ton.

Per our estimates, by maintaining the existing 6,000 ton cap, the state doesn’t bill polluters for more than 60,000 tons of the pollution that contributes to acid rain and results in a multi-million giveaway to polluters. And it’s been 10 years since the program was updated.

We’ve got the feds in our corner, too. In a letter to New York’s legislative leaders last March, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency expressed concerned that the state’s Title V program fees do not adequately cover the cost of running the program, per the requirements federal law. Failure to update the fees could result in sanctions that include; loss of New York’s authority to run this air permitting program, or monetary sanctions that may hurt New York as the federal economic stimulus package is being discussed.

Another source of big bucks is a tax exemption on sales of bunker fuel, a leftover sludge fuel that powers cargo ships and is responsible for 43 percent of port-area air pollution. Burning this fuel releases harmful gases including sulfate particles, primary particulate matter, sulfur dioxide—one of the main contributors to acid rain—and nitrogen oxides—one of the key contributors to smog. These pollutants are linked to health problems such as asthma, and according to our research, New York’s bunker fuel sales are on the rise while other states have made efforts to reduce its use to decrease pollution.

Environmental Advocates is calling on the Governor to repeal the bunker fuel tax exemption.

By making polluters pay, the Governor could help protect the Department of Environmental Conservation’s budget and maintain critical programs that safeguard New Yorkers statewide.

In his budget proposal, the Governor set a hiring freeze that will result in up to 241 staffers lost at the Department of Environmental Conservation. While intended to produce short-term budget relief, the agency-wide hiring freeze does not reconcile with the long-term needs of New Yorkers and the health of New York’s environment. And that’s all we have to say about that.

ALL NEW & FOR THE FIRST TIME, TOO
Now that the State Senate is in Democrats’ hands, the much-treasured (and some say perk-laden) committee chairmanships have been doled out to some new faces.

Top assignments on our list are: Senator Antoine Thompson (D-Buffalo) will become the Senate’s new Environmental Conservation chair, while Senator Kevin Parker (D-Brooklyn) will chair the Energy & Telecommunication Committee.

Senator Thompson highlighted the need to fix the state’s Brownfield Cleanup Program last year to good effect.

Click here to see the complete list.

WAXMAN & MARKEY IN THE HOUSE
Meanwhile, down in Washington, D.C., Henry Waxman (D-California), the new House Energy & Commerce Committee Chair, is reorganizing the committee and introducing a new subcommittee for climate, energy and air and water quality issues—the Energy & Environment Subcommittee.

And Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) was tapped to chair the new subcommittee. This is good news for federal climate policy. It’s significant that Waxman has combined environment and energy jurisdiction into one subcommittee because it shows that House Democrats are serious about climate legislation.

Click here to read more in Grist.