2013 Legislative Priorities

Environmental Advocates of New York has identified our priority issues for the 2013 Legislative Session. These measures will do a great deal to protect the health of our families and our natural resources.

Climate Change & Storm Preparedness

Guide Development out of Flood-prone Areas (legislation to be introduced)

Severe storms like Sandy, Irene, and Lee have shown the hazards of allowing development in low-lying wetland areas. Protecting wetlands keeps people out of harm’s way and provides a cost-effective approach to slowing stormwater and reducing flooding. Unfortunately, current regulations do not protect wetlands smaller than 9 football fields in size, and protection is only provided after the state has mapped them at great taxpayer expense.

Environmental Advocates supports protecting wetlands larger than 1 acre and eliminating costly mapping requirements.

Reduce Global Warming Pollution (legislation to be introduced)

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) makes large power plants pay for every ton of carbon dioxide they emit, creating an economic incentive for future emissions. The revenues from RGGI ($410 million to date) are reinvested in renewable energy and energy efficiency programs. Now, New York needs to take the next step and reduce global warming pollution from other sources and, in the process, generate additional funds for climate programs.

Environmental Advocates supports expanding emission caps to other sectors and imposing carbon intensity fees on out-of-state electricity imports.

Fracking

Close the Hazardous Waste Loophole (A.1046 / S.674)

Hazardous waste produced by fracking and other oil and gas drilling should be subjected to the same rules for generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal that apply to all other industries.

Environmental Advocates supports passage of A.1046 and S.674.

Create a Moratorium to Allow a Credible Risk Assessment (A.5424 / )

The review of public health impacts from fracking has been rushed and conducted in such secrecy that it has no credibility. Given the serious public health problems seen in other states, New York should place a moratorium on fracking until we can determine what the risks really are and what must be done to address them.

Environmental Advocates supports the creation of a moratorium on fracking.

Community Health

Clean Up & Redevelop Contaminated Brownfield Sites (legislation to be introduced)

New York’s Brownfield Cleanup Program is hampered by a system of tax credits that costs the state too much and cleans up too few sites ($1 billion for just 114 sites since 2006). The current system of tax credits favors sites in relatively affluent areas over poor, upstate, or largely black and Latino communities.

Environmental Advocates supports reforms to the Brownfield Cleanup Program tax credits.

Protect Children and Families from Toxic Chemicals (legislation to be introduced)

New York should pass a bill to identify chemicals of concern, prioritize them based on the likelihood of exposure, and require manufacturers to disclose whether their children’s products contain priority chemicals. Children’s products made with dangerous chemicals should also be phased out.

Environmental Advocates supports legislation that phases dangerous chemicals out of children’s products.

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