October 12, 2005

Environmental Voting Records Released

(Albany, New York) EPL/Environmental Advocates today released its annual Voters’ Guide, which provides an insiders look at how the environment fared in the state Capitol. This year’s Voters’ Guide, and its scoring of legislators’ environmental voting records, focused additional attention on five “Super Bills” that the environmental community rallied around.

The Super Bills dealt with sprawl, wetlands and flood protection, global warming, recycling and litter prevention, and toxic burn barrels. The Assembly passed all five while Senate leadership held them up. The Community Preservation Act and Bigger Better Bottle Bill passed in the Assembly for the first time, due to the hard work of Legislator of the Year Tom DiNapoli. A higher than average number of pro-environment bills passed both houses this year.

“On the tougher issues, the Assembly and Senate left town with contrasting records, but they were able to agree on a number of other positive measures,” said Robert Moore, Executive Director of EPL/Environmental Advocates.

The main feature of the Voters’ Guide is the scorecard that shows legislators’ environmental voting records. In the Assembly the average score was a 92, with Democrats earning a 97 average and Republicans earning an 81. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver scored a perfect 100 this year, along with 57 other members of the Assembly. In the Senate the average score was a 65, with Republicans earning an average of 61 and Democrats earning a 69 average. Senator Vincent Leibell (R-Brewster) earned the highest score in the Senate because he consistently voted pro-environment and co-sponsored all five Super Bills.

Scores in both houses were heavily influenced by legislators’ actions on the environmental community’s Super Bills.

“The Assembly passed all five of the Super Bills while the Senate failed to allow floor debate on a single one of them,” said Moore. “Under our scoring system legislators are scored on these issues, even if there isn’t a floor vote.”

The Super Bills included the following bills:

• Community Preservation Act (A.6450A, DiNapoli/S.3153, Marcellino): Empowers local communities to establish a small real estate transfer fee with revenues earmarked for the protection of natural areas, farmland, and historic landmarks.
• Wetland Protection (A.2048, DiNapoli/S.2081, Marcellino): Fills a gaping hole in New York’s wetlands laws that allows developers to destroy wetlands under 12.4 acres in size.
• Carbon Cap for New York’s Power Plants (A.4459, DiNapoli/S.2730, Marcellino): Cuts emissions of carbon dioxide from the state’s fossil fuel power plants, the largest individual sources of global warming pollution.
• Bigger Better Bottle Bill (A.2517B, DiNapoli/S.1290B, LaValle): Expands the state’s existing bottle deposit law to apply to the vast number of bottled waters, juices, and other non-carbonated beverages that are not currently redeemable.
• Burn Barrel Ban (A.3073, Koon/S.2961, Maziarz): Bans the backyard burning of garbage, the largest source of dioxin and other potentially toxic and cancer-causing chemicals in rural parts of the state.

The majority of Senators asked to co-sponsor the Community Preservation Act and the Carbon Cap bill but the bills still did not make it to the floor. The Wetland Protection Act had 31 Senators willing to be co-sponsors and even more willing to vote for it. Despite the support of the majority of Senators, none of these bills were called for a vote in the Senate.

“We would especially like to thank the 18 members of the Senate who requested to sponsor all five of the Super Bills and the 70 members of the Assembly who voted for all five,” said Moore. “They are truly leaders in the effort to protect New York’s air, water, and lands.”

The Voters’ Guide also recognizes the efforts of organizations and individuals around New York State with a series of awards. This year, the following groups and leaders earned awards from EPL/Environmental Advocates:

• Legislator of the Year: Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli (D-Great Neck), for his leadership on passing the Super Bills, ushering 23 other pro-environment measures through the Assembly, and his role in getting the Environmental Protection Fund increased 20 percent, to $150 million.
• Green Courage: Congressman Sherwood Boehlert (R-New Hartford), for his courageous vote against the Bush administration’s misguided Energy Bill and his efforts to advance real solutions to global warming and energy use.
• Environmentalist of the Year: Friends of Hudson, Olana Partnership, and Scenic Hudson for their successful combined effort to stop the St. Lawrence Cement plant.
• Oil Slick: Tom Golisano, three-time gubernatorial candidate, for his knee-jerk opposition to wind power and for spreading myths and misinformation about wind power.

The Voters’ Guide also includes a discussion of Governor Pataki’s accomplishments in 2005 and a look ahead of what remains for the Governor to complete his environmental legacy in New York state.

An electronic edition of the Voters’ Guide is available at www.eany.org/capitolwatch.