PRESS RELEASE

April 16, 2008

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY PASSES AMBITIOUS EARTH DAY AGENDA

Green Measures Designed to Help Stop Climate Change, Protect Natural Heritage & Save State Resources

(ALBANY, NY)—In celebration of the upcoming Earth Day holiday, on Tuesday, April 15, 2008, the New York State Assembly passed nine measures designed to address some of the state’s most pressing environmental challenges, including efforts to help stop global warming. The bills include two of the green community’s priority Super Bills—the Wetlands Protections Act and the Global Warming Pollution Cap, as well as a host of legislation designed to protect the health of our air, land and water.

“The New York State Assembly is celebrating Earth Day by passing an ambitious green agenda designed to protect our precious natural resources and save taxpayers’ money,” said Robert Moore, executive director of Environmental Advocates of New York. “We applaud our state lawmakers for their leadership on the environmental issues that matter most to New Yorkers and congratulate Assemblyman Robert Sweeney and his colleagues for moving quickly to pass legislative measures that address the environmental challenges we all face.”

As Chair of the Environmental Conservation Committee, Assemblyman Robert Sweeney is the lead sponsor on eight of the nine bills passed by his chamber for Earth Day.    

The following bills were passed as part of the Assembly’s Earth Day agenda.

§         Smart Growth Infrastructure – This bill would protect New York’s previous natural and fiscal resources by requiring that our state agencies conduct, expand or reconstruct public infrastructure to comply with smart growth criteria.

§         Global Warming Pollution Cap – This measure would reduce New York State’s climate change pollution from all sources gradually until overall greenhouse gas emissions are 80 percent below emissions for the year 1990.

§         Flame Retardant – This bill would protect the health of our families by phasing out, by July 1, 2008, the use of a documented health hazard, decaBDE, a flame retardant in common use in covered electronic devices, upholstered furniture and mattresses. 

§         Plastic Bag Recycling – This bill would reduce the millions of single-use plastic bags filling our landfills and dotting our landscapes by requiring New York retailers to provide a location on premises or to facilitate the recycling of plastic shopping bags.

§         Health Green Procurement – This measure would set minimum specifications for healthy and green procurement by New York State agencies. 

§         E-Waste – This bill would remove tons of toxic e-waste from our landfills by requiring electronics manufacturers to collect and recycle at least one-quarter of their annual equipment sales (by weight) annually, and increase that collection rate to 45 percent by 2017.

§         Climate Change Solutions Act – This measure would keep resources generated by the state’s role in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative clean and green by establishing a framework for state spending on projects designed to decrease New York State’s contribution to climate change, particularly in the arenas of energy efficiency and clean energy generation.   

§         Climate Change Solutions Fund – Establishes a dedicated fund for supporting energy efficiency programs and incentives for clean energy generation in New York State.

§         Wetlands Protections Act – This legislation would close a loophole in the state’s wetlands law that prohibits the state from protecting wetlands less than 12.4 acres in size.

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Environmental Advocates of New York is the state’s government watchdog, holding lawmakers and agencies accountable for implementing policy that protects natural resources and safeguards public health. Environmental Advocates works alone and in coalitions, and has more than 7,000 individual and 130 organizational members. The 501(c)(3) is also the New York affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation. For more information call 518.462.5526 or visit www.eany.org.