With declining fiscal conditions and a looming economic recession, state budget matters and the money dedicated to the agencies responsible for implementing environmental law have taken on new and critical importance. Environmental Advocates of New York’s Fiscal Policy Program looks for innovative ways to ensure the state’s primary environmental agency, the Department of Environmental Conservation, has the resources it needs to effectively implement existing law and protect the health of our air, land and water.

Our work includes analyzing the intersection of the state budget and environmental policy, identifying spending that is environmentally harmful, and finding ways to improve grant programs associated with New York’s Environmental Protection Fund.

Fiscal Trends & Policy Implementation
Environmental Advocates is analyzing budget trends at the State's Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). We are looking at the impact of budget decisions on program implementation and exposing areas where the agency has failed to meet its responsibilities. Maintaining staff at the DEC, especially in light of the Governor’s budget cuts and previous agency-wide hiring freeze, is among our priorities for 2010.

Environmentally Harmful & Wasteful State Spending
In addition, Environmental Advocates continues to shed light on examples of environmentally harmful and wasteful state spending. By examining budget appropriations and forgone revenues that result from misaligned tax credits, we continue to find policies and projects, which if fixed or cut, would make significant headway toward closing the budget gap.

REPORTS & RESOURCES

• What's Green in the Budget?: Environmental Advocates of New York 2010-11 Budget Chart

• Environmental Advocates of New York 2010-11 State Budget Presentation

• Environmental Advocates of New York 2010-11 State Budget Proposal Testimony

• Tied Up in Knots: How Red Tape, Executive Meddling & Staff Shortages Are Strangling New York's Environmental Protection Fund

• Case Statement: Declining Resources, Increasing Need: The Department of Environmental Conservation

•       Unhealthy Air: Agency in Crisis - New York's Department of Environmental Conservation

•       Hazardous Waste Threats: Agency in Crisis - New York's Department of Environmental Conservation

•       Defending Drinking Water: Agency in Crisis - New York's Department of Environmental Conservation

•       Toxic Spills: Agency in Crisis - New York's Department of Environmental Conservation

• $aving Green: Addressing New York State's Fiscal Crisis & Protecting the Environment

• Endangered Agency

• Endangered Agency II

• Muddying the Waters: The Unknown Consequences of New York's Failed Water Pollution Permitting Program

• Wa$ted Green: How State Spending & Lost Revenue Shortchange New York Taxpayers & the Environment

• Permission to Pollute

• The Environmental Protection Fund: Preserving New York's Heritage & Quality of Life