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

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.

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.