Capitol Insider: All the Enviro-news that's fit to share: The [Green] Capitol Insider

TIME FOR NEW YORK STATE LAWMAKERS TO SHOW NEW YORK SOME LOVE

Governor David Paterson’s spending plan for 2010-11, released earlier this year, would cut critical environmental programs to the bone, shut down state parks, and leave state agencies like the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) without enough staff to meet their responsibilities.

The Governor proposes to cut the State’s Environmental Protection Fund by $69 million and DEC staff by 54 positions. Cutting the Fund by a third is out of whack with cuts to other state programs. And reducing staff at the already overburdened DEC is just plain dangerous. At current staff levels, the agency is lagging behind federal mandates to monitor air and water pollution. With fewer staff, things will only get worse.

Click here to learn about our members-only webinar on February 11^th to learn more about the environmental impacts of the Governor’s budget proposal.

Now that the Governor’s budget is out, it’s up to the New York State Legislature to restore the critical environmental funding that keeps our drinking water safe and natural heritage protected for future generations of New Yorkers.

It’s time for state lawmakers to show how much they love New York by restoring environmental funding: Click here to act now.

The Governor’s budget proposal may strengthen his new-found reputation as a fiscal conservative, but it’s not in New York State’s best interest. So the question is, does Governor Paterson really love New York? We’re starting to wonder.

And with increasing deficit projections since the Governor’s budget proposal was released, there’s talk of even deeper cuts. But we’ll have to wait and see if New York’s environment takes another punch to the gut.

FOR THE LOVE OF THE LAKES

Great Lakes boosters, including Environmental Advocates of New York, urged Congress to bolster funding for Great Lakes restoration programs, following the release of President Obama’s budget last week. The President’s budget includes $300 million for his Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, down from the $475 million requested in his inaugural budget.

It’s not the full amount, but the President’s budget request will continue to fund programs that restore the Lakes. And while New York Governor Paterson’s budget proposal fails to recognize the need to support critical environmental programs like this one, we think it’s likely that Congress and New York’s Delegation will fully fund solutions to the Great Lakes’ biggest challenges.

President Obama proposed the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative last year. The initiative invests in solutions to stop aquatic invasive species costing the region at least $200 million annually in damage and control costs; clean up contaminated sediments that threaten people and wildlife; and restore wetlands that protect water quality and prevent flooding.

The Brookings Institution found that the eight-state Great Lakes region stands to gain at least $2 in economic benefit for every $1 invested in Great Lakes restoration.

RALLY REPORT
Back on January 25^th, more than 500 New Yorkers, dozens of environmental groups, and more than a few state and county lawmakers rallied at the State Capitol and called on the Governor to slow down the rush to drill in Central New York, the Southern Tier and Catskills.

Click here for pictures from the rally.

Natural gas drilling using a dangerous technique called hydraulic fracturing or “fracking,” has poisoned wells and spilled toxic chemicals across landscapes in other parts of the country, including Pennsylvania. Because of growing industry pressure to drill in New York, along with budget cuts, fracking has arguably become the most pressing threat to the health of the state’s environment.

To make things really exciting, an industry-sponsored counter-demonstration was held right around the corner.

New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation is currently combing through the more than 13,000 comments submitted on the agency’s draft natural gas drilling guidelines. The draft has been called inadequate by the U.S. EPA, New York City Council, New York Department of Environmental Protection, and members of Congress, including Representatives Arcuri, Massa and Nadler, among others.

Click here to learn more about natural gas drilling in New York. Click here to read about the dueling rallies.

And here

Click here to listen to a debate on the pros and cons of drilling hosted by WAMC Northeast Public Radio and the Times Union.

IN HONOR OF BARNABAS MCHENRY

The Open Space Institute, in honor of Barnabas McHenry, gives a $5000 annual award to three young leaders working in collaboration with non-profit organizations to pursue projects in environmental conservation, historic preservation or the arts in the Hudson Valley. Click here for more information about the award.

Any not-for-profit organization working in the Hudson Valley region is eligible to nominate a student for this award. We strongly encourage organizations to seek out talented and motivated students to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.

Please note that the deadline for completed applications is February 12th, 2010.

BILL ON THE MOVE

It’s that time again! Every week during the Legislative Session, Environmental Advocates of New York looks at the measures that will impact the environment for good or ill. Here are this week's Bills on the Move:

One Smokestack for Islip Incinerator Expansion. This bill would permit the Islip Resource Recovery Agency to increase its debt ceiling in order to expand its facility’s solid waste incinerator.

One Smokestack for Saltwater Fishing License Repealer. This bill would repeal the State law that enacted the recreation marine fishing license. If revoked, an important revenue stream would be lost and existing environmental programs and even more staff positions could be eliminated.

One Tree for Green Roof Tax Credits. This bill would provide a financial incentive to encourage more New Yorkers to consider installing this beneficial infrastructure.

One Tree for Environmental Compliance Records. This bill would require the disclosure of violations of environmental law during the permit approval process and would explicitly affirm the Department of Environmental Conservation’s right to deny permits to bad actors.

Two Trees for Net Metering Fix. This bill would simplify the state’s net metering law and give businesses the ability to install their own clean on-site electric power generating systems with a rated capacity of up to 2,000 kilowatts. Promoting clean power through a reformed net metering policy is a sound way to help protect New York’s environment.

ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATES OF NEW YORK IS A MEMBER OF EARTH SHARE OF NEW YORK