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New York affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation
PRESS RELEASE
January 22, 2008
GOVERNOR SPITZER'S BUDGET CALLS FOR BROWNFIELDS REFORM & POWER FOR JOBS FIX, DEC STAFF HOLDS STEADY
New York's Environmental Watchdog Encouraged by First Look at Gov.'s 2008 Budget
(ALBANY, NY) – In his 2008 Budget Address, New York State Governor Eliot Sptizer called for much-needed reforms to the state's Brownfield Cleanup Program and a "green" fix for the Power for Jobs Program. The Governor's budget proposal also adds four new staffers to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
These
Announcements were welcomed by Environmental Advocates of
New York, although the small increase in DEC's staffing
could slow the agency's rebuilding efforts.
Brownfield Cleanup Program Reform
Governor Spitzer's proposal to reform the state's Brownfield
Cleanup Program is intended to keep overly generous tax
credits under control and focus available tax credits on New
York's neediest sites. Newly proposed financial incentives
are designed to reward development that is consistent with
community-based plans, includes green buildings, or is
located economically distressed areas. The Governor's
proposal would also de-link tax credit incentives from some
sites and give the state's environmental agency some
oversight, ensuring faster review of applications to the
Brownfield Cleanup Program.
"Environmental Advocates of New York applauds Governor
Spitzer's call to fix the state's Brownfield Cleanup
Program," said Robert Moore, Executive Director,
Environmental Advocates of New York. "In some cases, the
state is wasting desperately needed revenue because tax
credits in the hundreds of millions of dollars are going to
sites that, because of location and value, would likely be
cleaned up without this added incentive. We need to fix the
Brownfield Cleanup Program in a way that results in more
sites being cleaned up to higher standards."
Power
For Jobs
New York State's Power for Jobs program was designed to
provide low-cost electricity to select businesses in
exchange for job creation and retention. However, the
program has been criticized for not stimulating enough
growth. At the same time, the low cost of state-subsidized
power leaves little incentive for participants to invest in
energy efficiency. The Governor is proposing reforms to help
these companies use less power while still holding down
operating costs.
"Incorporating energy efficiency in New York's Power for
Jobs Program is a long-overdue reform, and something that
Environmental Advocates of New York supports
whole-heartedly," said Moore.
Environmental Agency Staffing
Environmental Advocates of New York is encouraged that the
state's primary environmental agency, the Department of
Environmental Conservation, will not see its staff reduced
this year. The agency will see a slight increase in staff,
with four new positions. Overall, the DEC is still woefully
understaffed, following the loss of 800 scientists,
engineers and enforcement officials under the Pataki
administration.
"Rebuilding New York's Department of Environmental
Conservation needs to continue. Howeve, given the budget
situation in New York, staffing numbers could have turned
out far worse for the agency," said Moore.
Bigger Better Bottle Bill
The Governor also called to expand New York's most
successful recycling program by updating the state's bottle
deposit law to match the drinking habits of New Yorkers and
earmarking unclaimed nickel deposits for the Environmental
Protection fund. An updated Bottle Bill would add 5-cent
deposits to plastic bottle for beverages such as sports
drinks, iced tea and water, among other. The Division of
Budget estimates that the increase in unclaimed bottle
deposits generated by such an expansion would generate as
much as $100 million in annual revenue once fully
operational.
The Governor's bottle bill budget proposal is similar to
what was included his 2007 proposed budget, which was
supported by the State Assembly, opposed Senate Majority
Leader Bruno and the Senate Majority. Over 600 groups and
local governments across New York have called on the State
Legislature to pass the Bigger Better Bottle Bill.
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