The [Green] Capitol Insider - 4.19.2010

EARTH DAY 2010: 40+ YEARS OF VICTORIES

On Tuesday, April 20^th, hundreds of New Yorkers from every corner of the state will descend on Albany to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of Earth Day and the 20^th anniversary of Earth Day Lobby Day in the State Capitol. Environmental Advocates of New York will be celebrating like we always do by meeting with state leaders and lawmakers to promote bills that will protect our air, land and water.

Governor David Paterson, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 Administrator (and former Environmental Advocates’ Executive Director) Judith Enck will to speak, as will State Senator Antoine Thompson and Assemblyman Robert Sweeney.

These leaders and lawmakers will also enjoy a special live appearance by a few of New York State’s official critters—the beaver, bluebird, snapping turtle and brook trout. You may remember that these critters resigned their posts back in March to protest the Governor’s cuts to environmental funding.

The environmentalists attending Earth Day Lobby Day this year will be asking leaders and lawmakers to advance:

• The Global Warming Pollution Control Act, which would cap greenhouse gas emissions at 80 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2050;
• Electronic waste recycling legislation, which would require manufacturers to recycle toxic e-waste;
• A measure to ensure citizens have the ability to challenge, in court, bad decisions made during the preparation of environmental impact statements;
• A strong legal and regulatory framework to guide natural gas drilling in New York; and
• A renewed call to restore critical funding for the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, our Environmental Protection Fund, and the State’s Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation.

It’s possible that some of these efforts might be passed by both the State Senate and the Assembly this Earth Day. Cross your fingers. We’ll let you know what does and doesn’t happen in the State Capitol this week.

A few environmental victories we’d like to highlight in celebration of Earth Day:

1969 - US EPA created
1970 - Clean Air Act defines EPA responsibilities re: air quality
1972 - DEC established; Clean Water Act; Adirondack Park Agency Act created to develop comprehensive plan to regulate the use of private and public lands in the park
1973 - Endangered Species Act; Catskills Commission created
1975 - Freshwater Wetlands Law; State Environmental Quality Review Act
1977 - NYS passes raft of good energy conservation bills
1979 - Toxic Substances Control Acts 1 & 2
1980 - ConEd settlement with Scenic Hudson to drop plans for Storm King Mountain
1982 - Hazardous Waste State Superfund; NYS passes 1st Bottle Bill
1984 - Acid Raid Deposition Control Act makes NY the first state to enact legislation to reduce acid rain
1986 - Essential Habitat Law directs DEC to identify and protect essential habitats to protect endangered/threatened species
1987 - Montreal Accords signed to eliminate use of CFCs, Halons and related chemicals
1988 - Hudson River Greenway established
1992 - Lead Poisoning Prevention Act in NY
1993 - Environmental Protection Fund established
1995 - 100K acres of Long Island Pine Barrens preserved
1996 - NYC Watershed Agreement - Safe Water Drinking Act
1998 - Diesel emissions bill
2000 - Pesticide Neighbor Notification becomes NY law
2003 - Superfund refinancing - Brownfield Cleanup Program law
2005 - Kyoto Protocol international agreement to reduce climate change pollution
2006 - Gov Pataki achieves goal to preserve 1 million acres of NYS
2008 - US' 1st program to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (invented in NYS) is launched; Great Lakes Compact
2009 - Hudson River dredging begins; NY gets Bigger, Better Bottle Bill

GREEN GROUPS REJECT GAS INDUSTRY'S ATTEMPT TO BUY OFF NY'S ENVIRONMENT

In response to a statement released by the Independent Oil & Gas Association of New York (IOGANY), several environmental and good government organizations questioned IOGANY's math and claims of “environmental potential” related to natural gas development using high volume hydraulic fracturing, often called “fracking.”

We’re curious as to how IOGANY defines “potential,” because if they mean potential to harm our air, land and water, they’re right on target.

The questionable short-term financial gains of fracking for gas in New York State are overshadowed by the consequences of allowing a rush to drill without a strong legal and regulatory framework to ensure the protection of our drinking water, open spaces and clean air.

Fracking has a documented track record of poisoning water supplies and spewing toxic chemicals into air and water in other parts of the country, including Colorado, Pennsylvania, Wyoming and Texas. The proposed leases would also have substantial impacts on valuable public lands used for watershed protection, wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation.

As far as the responding groups are concerned, IOGANY's statement is just the latest public relations stunt undertaken to accelerate this controversial drilling practice and further evade critical environmental and public health protections. The irony is rich. Their outreach back in January portrayed the interests of the environmental community as trivial, tree-hugging, sandal-wearing, and out of touch.

Now IOGANY wants to be friends? We’re not buying it.

The responding organizations include Adirondack Mountain Club, Catskill Mountainkeeper, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Common Cause New York, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Environmental Advocates of New York, Parks & Trails New York, Riverkeeper and Sierra Club - Atlantic Chapter.

Click here to read more.

SEND A (LOVE) LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Earth Day is here so it’s the perfect time to send a letter to the editor of your local paper asking New York State lawmakers to restore our Environmental Protection Fund.

The Fund invests in clean drinking water, working farms, playgrounds, open space, zoos, parks, and more. Simply put, it supports all of the things we love most.

But this year we need to fight for our Environmental Protection Fund. Tough times require prudent budgeting, but the Fund has been singled out unfairly. $500 million has already been stolen from it over the last eight years. And while some state programs have been cut by 1 or 2 percent, the environment was cut by 33 percent.

Spread the word! Click here to send a letter to the editor of your local paper asking your representatives in the New York State Legislature to restore our Environmental Protection Fund.

Click here to learn more about why We Love New York.

BILLS 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 tree for Small business Energy Loans. This bill would amend New York State’s Urban Development Corporation Act by establishing a small business energy loan program that would allow eligible small businesses in economically distressed areas to receive either zero percent or reduced-interest rate loans of up to $100,000 to finance the cost of improvements which would reduce energy use.

Two trees for NYC Plastic Bill Law. This bill would amend New York City’s administrative code and the Tax Law. It would require any city with a population of more than one million people to place a five cent fee on the use of plastic carryout bags. This bill also establishes penalties for stores that violate these provisions.

Click here to learn more about these measures and what each will do to help or hurt New York’s natural resources.

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

Environmental Advocates is a member of EarthShare, a federation of the nation’s most respected environmental charities. To find out more about how and your workplace can support Environmental Advocates through an EarthShare campaign, please call us at 518.462.5526, or visit www.earthshare.org. To donate through EarthShare, designate your donation to Environmental Advocates of New York, CFC #97425.

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The [Green] Capitol Insider - 4.5.2010

BUDGET WATCH, CONTINUED

New York leaders and lawmakers didn’t wrap up the state budget in time to meet the annual April 1^st deadline. However, the State Senate and the Assembly did introduce their respective budget plans before leaving Albany for the holiday recess. And the news isn’t all bad.

You may remember that earlier this year Governor Paterson introduced his Executive Budget Proposal, which cuts the State’s Environmental Protection Fund by more than a third, takes an axe to the Department of Environmental Conservation, and shutters at least 41 state parks and dozens of historic sites.

Environmental Advocates of New York and others have since pinned budget hopes on the Senate and Assembly. We were right to do so. Both houses vow to keep our state parks open. They also intend to restore the State’s Environmental Protection Fund (the Assembly restores the fund to $168 million and the Senate intends a full restoration of $222 million) although how they plan to pay for these restorations is still a little unclear. We’re grateful for the support and encourage our lawmakers to keep showing their love for New York’s environment when they return to the Capitol this Wednesday, April 7th.

Albany insiders figure the budget will either get done by the middle of this month, or not at all.

One of the ways that we’re keeping the spotlight on environmental funding is through the “We Love New York” campaign. Since the budget battles began in earnest we’ve called on state lawmakers to show their love for New York by restoring the Environmental Protection Fund.

We have an array of official state critters on our side. The official state mammal (the beaver), along with his pals the state reptile (snapping turtle), state insect (ladybug), state freshwater fish (brook trout) and state bird (bluebird), have all submitted their letters of resignation to protest the Governor’s budget cuts.

And when lawmakers return to Albany, the beaver will be on-hand live and in person to greet them outside the Senate Chamber. We’ll be sure to send you some photos. Please visit www.KeepProtectingNY.org for the latest news on the Environmental Protection Fund.

Click here to tell state lawmakers to show their love for New York’s environment.

Read more about the State Legislature’s budget plans here.

And here.

And here.

SHOW SOME LOVE

We love New York. That’s why we’re fighting to save our state’s Environmental Protection Fund. Governor Paterson wants to slash the Fund by more than a third and that’s just unacceptable. These cuts will shut down projects across the state that prevent pollution in our drinking water, promote recycling, and protect family farms and natural areas.

But we’re running out of time. Our leaders in the Senate and Assembly can stop the Governor and restore the Fund before the state budget is final. Click here to donate now.

Your gift will directly support the campaign to raise awareness about environmental funding.

We’ve received more than $5,000 already from New Yorkers like you who believe in the importance of clean water, community waterfronts, recycling, working farms and open spaces. To keep the campaign running while lawmakers haggle over the budget, we need your help today. Your gift will go directly to keeping the We Love New York campaign going.

We’re asking our members to help raise another $5,000 for the campaign to keep pressure on the legislators until environmental funding is safe and the budget is done. You count on us to call attention to bills and proposals that are bad for the environment, and we count on you to keep us going. Click here to give now. https://secure3.convio.net/eany/site/Donation2?idb=850051560&df_id=1317&1317.donation=form1

Click here to learn more about the campaign.

NYS COMPTROLLER: OPEN SPACE PAYS

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli released a report last week about the economic benefits of open space. The study notes that open space contributes to New York’s economy by providing opportunities for outdoor recreation. It also notes that open space often requires fewer municipal services and tends to generate more municipal tax revenue.

The makes the following recommendations for New York State leaders to consider:

Evaluating the adequacy of protections for lands providing benefits for municipalities

• Allowing municipalities to establish community preservation funds

• Improving state-level planning for open space to address long-term funding needs
• Improving the administration of funds for open space programs
• Encouraging private land conservation

Click here to read the Comptroller’s press release and link to the report.

SAY GOODNIGHT, JAMESTOWN

While Environmental Advocates of New York was focused on stopping a very bad bill that would fast track a not-so “clean coal” plant in Jamestown, NY, Energy Secretary Stephen Chu had already officially announced that the U.S. Department of Energy doesn’t plan to fund this project. Ever.

It’s about time.

Several of the project’s original key backers, including the power industry, have backed away from this expensive and unnecessary boondoggle. Why members of the Governor’s staff and the New York State Senate continue to pursue the faux clean coal plant in Jamestown is a mystery to us.

Power from the dirty plant would cost between 15 and 20 cents per kilowatt hour above and beyond the usual New York Power Authority rate. Environmental organizations opposed to the coal plant have also pointed out that 90 percent of Jamestown’s ratepayer electric needs are currently met by low-cost hydropower from the New York Power Authority. And even with carbon capture technology, the emissions output from the proposed plant would still add up to an additional 190,000 tons of climate-altering carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year—equal to the pollution released by about 35,000 cars and trucks.

There’s nothing to like about this dinosaur. The Department of Energy has given its “no” to dirty coal for Jamestown. It’s time that New York State leaders did the same.

GET RECOGNIZED
Apply by May 21, 2010, to get some recognition for your efforts to make New York State more sustainable. The application brochure for the 7^th annual Environmental Excellence Awards is available now, just visit http://www.dec.ny.gov/public/945.html. For a hard copy, contact the Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Pollution Prevention Unit at (518) 402-9469 or email eeawards@gw.dec.state.ny.us.

The awards are sponsored by the DEC.

BILLS 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:

Click here to learn more about these measures and what each will do to help or hurt New York’s natural resources.

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

Environmental Advocates is a member of EarthShare, a federation of the nation’s most respected environmental charities. To find out more about how and your workplace can support Environmental Advocates through an EarthShare campaign, please call us at 518.462.5526, or visit www.earthshare.org. To donate through EarthShare, designate your donation to Environmental Advocates of New York, CFC #97425.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AT @GREENWATCHDOGNY


FIND US ON FACEBOOK

ShareThis