PRESS RELEASE

July 22, 2008

GREEN WATCHDOG APPLAUDS NYS LEGISLATIVE LEADERS FOR PROTECTING STATE'S NATURAL RESOURCES

Environmental Advocates of New York Recognizes Members of State Assembly & Senate for Supporting Super Bills

(ALBANY, NY)—Environmental Advocates of New York, the state’s government watchdog in Albany, today released the names of members of the New York State Legislature who supported all four of the environmental community’s priority “Super Bills.” The organization also recognized those legislators who distinguished themselves by taking leadership positions on specific legislative actions.

“Environmental Advocates of New York is proud to congratulate the many state lawmakers who stepped up and made protecting our precious natural resources a priority during the 2008 State Legislative Session,” said Robert Moore, Executive Director of Environmental Advocates of New York. “On the issue of climate change many state lawmakers stepped up to fill the void created by federal government inaction. Thanks to the leadership of the Assembly’s Environmental Conservation Committee Chair Bob Sweeney, the Global Warming Pollution Cap passed the Assembly by wide margins. The Cap also made significant headway in the State Senate thanks to Senator Tom Morahan, and co-sponsors on both sides of the aisle, including Senators Frank Padavan, Dean Skelos, Antoine Thompson and Eric Schneiderman, all of whom worked right up to the very end of the Legislative Session to pass climate legislation.”

The 2008 Super Bills include:

§         The Wetlands Protection Act would close a gaping loophole in wetlands protections across the state.

§         The Bigger Better Bottle Bill would update New York’s most successful recycling plan to fit the drinking habits of today’s consumers, and earmark unclaimed deposits for the state’s Environmental Protection Fund.

§         The Global Warming Pollution Cap would set limits to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions from all sources—cars, homes, factories, schools and more—80 percent by 2050.

§         Two Net Metering Reform Bills will expand net metering eligibility to non-residential customer classes, as well as significantly increase the size of renewable energy systems that can be installed. This is the only Super Bill that will become law this year.

The Super Bills were selected by the Green Panel, a group made up of representatives from New York’s leading environmental organizations.

“Environmental Advocates of New York thanks those legislators who supported these priority measures and would like to especially recognize the 98 members of the State Senate and Assembly who supported all four of the Super Bills,” said Moore. 

In the Senate, three Republicans and 15 Democrats requested to sponsor three Super Bills and voted for the fourth. In the Assembly, where all four of the Super Bills passed, nine Republicans and 71 Democrats voted in their favor.

Note to Reporters and Editors:

The attached list names all members of the Assembly and Senate who went four for four on the 2008 environmental Super Bills. Because all of the bills were voted on in the Assembly, the list reflects actual votes in favor on these bills. However, in the Senate the list includes Republicans who co-sponsored three bills and voted for the fourth, as well as Democrats who officially requested to be listed as co-sponsors on three bills and also voted for the fourth.

"Increased use of clean, renewable energy translates into improved air quality and healthier lungs for New Yorkers," said Michael Seilback, Senior Director of Public Policy & Advocacy for the American Lung Association of New York State. "Adopting net metering and promoting green buildings will provide incentives to invest in renewable energy generation, which will help all New Yorkers breathe a little easier." 

Among the greener highlights of the 2008 New York State Legislative Session:   

NYS Assembly Supporters
Name	Party	District
Marc S. Alessi	D	1
Tom W. Alfano	R	21
Jeffrion L. Aubry	D	35
Robert D. Barra	R	14
Michael Benedetto	D	82
Michael A. Benjamin	D	79
Jonathan L.Bing	D	73
Philip Boyle	R	8
Adam T. Bradley	D	89
James F. Brennan	D	44
Richard L. Brodsky	D	92
Alec Brook-Krasny	D	46
Kevin A.Cahill	D	101
Karim Camara	D	43
Ronald Canestrari	D	106
Joan K. Christensen	D	119
Barbara M.Clark	D	33
William Colton	D	47
James D. Conte	R	10
Vivian E. Cook	D	32
Michael J. Cusick	D	63
Steven Cymbrowitz	D	45
RoAnn M.Destito	D	116
Luis M. Diaz	D	86
Ruben Diaz, Jr.	D	85
Jeffrey Dinowitz	D	81
Steven Englebright	D	4
Herman D. Farrell, Jr.	D	71
Ginny Fields	D	5
Sandra R. Galef	D	90
Michael N. Gianaris	D	36
Deborah J. Glick	D	66
Richard N. Gottfried	D	75
Carl E. Heastie	D	83
Andrew D. Hevesi	D	28
Earlene Hooper	D	18
Sam Hoyt	D	144
D. Janele Hyer-Spencer	D	60
Ellen Jaffee	D	95
Hakeem Jeffries	D	57
Susan V. John	D	131
Brian Kavanagh	D	74
Micah Z  Kellner	D	65
Ivan C. Lafayette	D	34
Rory Lancman	D	25
George Latimer	D	91
Charles Lavine	D	13
Joseph R. Lentol	D	50
Barbara S. Lifton	D	125
Donna Lupardo	D	126
William B. Magnarelli	D	120
Alan Maisel	D	59
Margaret M. Markey	D	30
David G. McDonough	R	19
John J. McEneny	D	104
Tom  McKevitt	R	17
Joan L. Millman	D	52
Marcus Molinaro	R	103
Daniel J.O'Donnell	D	69
Felix W. Ortiz	D	51
Amy R. Paulin	D	88
Crystal D. Peoples	D	141
Nick Perry	D	58
Audry I. Pheffer	D	23
J. Gary Pretlow	D	87
Phillip R. Ramos	D	6
Linda Rosenthal	D	67
Michelle Schimel	D	16
Mark Schroeder	D	145
Sheldon Silver	D	64
Mike Spano	D	93
Robert K. Sweeney	D	11
Fred W. Thiele, Jr.	R	2
Michele R. Titus	D	31
Robert Walker	R	15
Helene E. Weinstein	D	41
Harvey Weisenberg	D	20
Mark Weprin	D	24
Ellen Young	D	22
Kennneth P. Zebrowski	D	94

 

NYS Senate Supporters
Name	Party	District
Neil D. Breslin	D	46
Martin Connor<