June 15, 2009

Welcome to Environmental Advocates of New York’s online newsletter from the State Capital, your source for environmental news. We update you every other week with tidbits and observations carefully gleaned from the halls of the Capitol.

Now Playing: New York State Senate Interrupted  

As the New York State Senate battles over who gets more bacon bits (here,  here and here for details), several critical environmental bills are stuck in limbo.

These measures include a cap on global warming pollution, arguably one of the biggest challenges facing New York, a new electronic waste policy that would get tons of toxic cell phones, computer monitors and TVs out of our landfills and dumps, and a bill that would direct the money generated by state auctions of global warming pollution to clean energy and energy efficiency.

And we’re running out of time. The Legislative Session is set to gavel out on Monday, June 22^nd.

If state lawmakers don’t get their act together and soon, it’s possible that 2009 will go down in the history books as the year the New York State Senate accomplished nothing of note. To date, the Assembly passed almost 30 environmentally significant bills; the Senate has passed two.

The question is, when and if the “reform” Senate meets, will lawmakers vote to pass key environmental bills? Or, is protecting New York’s drinking water and natural heritage, public health and air quality not part of the new reform agenda?

More to the point, is there an agenda?

All things being equal, there is hope for the Global Warming Pollution Cap. This bill would set a binding cap on climate pollution from all sources and reduce it 80 percent by the year 2050. The Cap has sponsors on both sides of the aisle. It’s also got big benefits for New York’s economy. When California passed a similar law in 2006, investment dollars for clean energy and efficiency came flooding in to the tune of almost a billion dollars. That’s money New York can put to good, green use.  

Before the Senate changed hands, prospects for the Global Warming Pollution Cap looked good. Now, not so much.

Let’s hope the New York State Senate recognizes the benefits in taking action now, and not later, to address the climate challenge. 

Click here to read more, here and here.

E-waste Solution Lags Behind Digital TV Conversion

Last Friday marked the big digital TV conversion and New York State lawmakers still haven’t figured out what we’re going to do with all of the TVs left on curbs across the state. The EPA estimates that American homes are already stockpiling more than 99 million TV sets with more to come in the days and weeks ahead thanks to the conversion.

That’s a lot of toxic chromium, cadmium, mercury, beryllium, nickel, zinc and brominated flame retardants poised to enter the environment. 

Despite recent events in Albany (see above), we think the State Legislature might move an electronic waste (known as “e-waste”) fix this year—if only because manufacturers are unhappy with a NYC bill requiring convenient home pick-up for e-waste that they’d like a state law to pre-empt it.

The Assembly passed a bill earlier this year. And there are a couple of measures in the Senate. The Governor has also proposed a fix for the growing e-waste problem.

Regardless of who’s in charge of the State Senate, Albany leaders need to address the toxic legacy-to-be of the digital TV conversion before our landfills and dumps are overloaded. 
 
A good law would hold electronics manufacturers accountable for their products. Because the more responsibility these manufacturers have to recycle their products, the more motivated they’ll be to build them more durable, easier to recycle and less toxic.

E-waste laws in Washington, Minnesota and Oregon have achieved collection rates, or “performance standards,” of 63 to 68 percent. Other states, such as California and Maine, that are home to more established e-waste collection programs, show even stronger results in recent years.

We think New York can and should do the same.

Click here to listen to an interview with e-waste advocate Kate Sinding from NRDC.

Click here to read more about our efforts to reduce e-waste.

Whac-A-Mole Season

This time of year is affectionately known as “Whac-A-Mole” Season at Environmental Advocates of New York. Bad bills pop out of the Legislature every spring like moles on the golf course after a heavy rain.

Here’s a mole that needs to a good whack. The Governor advanced legislation to allow for the capturing and sequestering the greenhouse gases underground. And of course, this bill paves the way to build a new, super expensive, coal-fired power plant in Jamestown, New York.

In our view, New York should abandon this boondoggle-in-the making before it’s too late and more state cash is sunk down this mole-hole. Clear here to learn more about opposition to this dirty plan.

Here’s another mole you can take a swing at: with just two weeks left in this year’s Legislative Session, the New York State Assembly is considering a bill that would undercut the ability of cities, towns and villages to stop or even limit environmentally damaging development.

Bad idea, right? Tell your Assembly member to protect New York communities by voting “NO” on vested rights. Click here to act now.

Bills on the Move

Every week during the State 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.

Two Trees for the Precautionary Principle. This bill would make it New York State policy to take precautionary measures to protect public health and the environment.

One Tree for Navigation Rights. This bill will codify the public’s right to use vessels of all kinds, including small boats, canoes, and kayaks, on New York State waterways. The legislation protects private landowners by allowing portaging, scouting and poling on private land only to the extent necessary to bypass obstructions in a waterway. The bill also makes it clear that, with some exceptions, land­owners cannot be held liable if a member of the public is injured while exercising his or her right of passage on private land.

Two Trees for Cancer Incidence Maps. This bill would require the state’s departments of Environmental Conservation and Health to conduct studies using computer mapping to examine cancer incidence in relationship to the location of certain environmental facilities.

Two Trees for Municipal Green Energy Loans. This bill would authorize municipalities to establish green loan programs to finance the purchase and installation of residential solar and wind generating systems.

SUPER BILL Three Trees for E-Waste Takeback. This bill would require electronics manufacturers in New York State to collect and recycle or re­use their products at the end of their useful lives.

Two Trees for MTA SEQRA Exemption Repeal. This bill would repeal the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) current exemption from the requirements of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). 

Two Trees for Plastic Bag Bill. This bill 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.

Two Trees for Smart Growth Infrastructure. This bill would establish the State Smart Growth Public Infrastructure Policy Act, requiring that state agencies’ projects that construct, expand, or reconstruct public infrastructure comply with certain cri­teria for smart growth.  

One Tree for Recycling Rechargeable Batteries. This bill would ban rechargeable batteries from the solid waste stream in New York State and require battery manufacturers to work with retailers to set up free and easily accessible recycling networks.

Three Trees for Ultra-Low Sulfur Heating Oil. This bill would require that any heat­ing oil sold after July 1, 2011, for residential, commercial or industrial use in New York State may not have a sulfur content greater than 15 parts per million, consistent with public health standards.

Two Trees for Assembly Article 10. This bill reauthorizes Article 10 of New York State Public Service Law governing power plant siting, and extends it until December 31, 2020.

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

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