THE GREEN SHEET

Vol. 8 - No. 4
April 2003

Lead Story: Buidling on Brownfields
On the Alert
For Your Information
Activists' Corner
The Month Ahead
Contact Information

Buidling on Brownfields

Building on Brownfields Despite the dire revenue crisis facing New York, significant environmental progress can still be made in Albany this year. To the surprise of many, the effort to save the state’s Superfund toxic site cleanup program and develop comprehensive legislation to address thousands of brownfields is closer to resolution than ever before. Defined for years as a battle over cleanup standards between the state Assembly and Gov. George Pataki, the Senate has become an independent force in the debate by passing its own Superfund/brownfields bill.

The new bill, S. 2935 sponsored by Sen. Carl Marcellino, combines breakthrough ideas and the best of earlier bills from both Houses to earn the highest rating of support – 3 Trees – from Environmental Advocates of New York. The bill, which passed the Senate on March 19, has also been endorsed by the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, Scenic Hudson, the New York League of Conservation Voters, Environmental Defense and the Conference of Mayors.

Key to moving the Senate beyond legislation developed several years ago by a Pataki-appointed task force, was the pragmatic recognition that urban brownfields are depressing New York’s economic recovery. Virtually every environmental group in the state opposed the “pave and wave” approach of the Governor’s bill, which would leave too much contamination in the ground, threatening public health and groundwater. To win environmental support, the Senate crafted legislation that would achieve the highest feasible cleanups while developing an approach to community planning around contaminated sites that would lead municipalities and developers to undertake thoughtful redevelopment projects. Along with the standards, the Senate bill has economic incentives for community involvement in the redesign of neglected, urban neighborhoods. Remarkably, the Senate gives real opportunities for not-for-profit community organizations, as it does for private developers, to redevelop urban communities.

An expanded version of an Assembly Superfund/brownfields bill is expected to be introduced very soon. At that time, advocates will be urging the two Houses to form a conference committee to work out their differences so that New York will at last have a reauthorized Superfund program and a comprehensive approach to the cleanup of brownfields.

[Back to Top]

On the Alert

♦Road to Nowhere: A coalition of Bronx community groups are campaigning to turn the 1.25 mile Sheridan Expressway into a 68-acre South Bronx riverfront park. The road was planned to link the New England Thruway and the Cross Bronx and Bruckner Expressways, but the northern segment was never built. The NYS Department of Transportation (DOT) has proposed upgrading the Bruckner Sheridan Interchange at a cost of between $145 million and $245 million. Use of the Sheridan is low, however, and diesel trucks back up on local streets fouling the air. Recognizing the South Bronx’s need for quality parks and recreational open space, coalition members want the DOT to study the community’s plan to turn the expressway into a riverfront park. Supporting groups are urged to sign on to a letter supporting the park plan and urging DOT to consider it as a full alternative. For more information, contact Christina Hemphill or Hugh Hogan at the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance at 212-239-8882 or transport@nyceja.org.

♦Waters Matter: In January, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) weakened protections for the nation’s waters and opened up the possibility of further changes to the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act through an Advance Notice of Proposed Rule Making (ANPR). The new rules would exclude intermittent and ephemeral streams, small tributaries and wetlands adjacent to those waters from coverage under the 30-year old law. Giving polluters and developers free rein means states and localities will have to pay the tab for the toxic cleanups, drinking water contamination, flooding and declining recreation value of their streams and wetlands. The EPA and the Corps have extended the deadline for public comments on the ANPR to April 16. Send comments to Water Docket, EPA, Mailcode 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, Attention Docket ID No. OW–2002–0050. You can also submit comments online at www.americanrivers.org. In addition, the Clean Water Authority Restoration Act was reintroduced in February. This is a legislative fix designed to restore the Clean Water Act’s authority over all waters of the US. If passed, this bill would trump the EPA and the Corps. Urge your Congressional representatives to sign on as co-sponsors of this bill. For more information, contact Matt Sicchio at msicchio@americanrivers.org or 202-347-7550, or visit www.americanrivers.org.

♦Time to Renew: Gov. Pataki has ordered that by 2013, 25 percent of the electricity sold in New York be produced from clean, renewable sources such as wind, solar and biomass. Increasing the use of renewable energy will reduce air pollution and the pollution that causes global warming and lesson the country’s dependance on foreign oil. At the same time, Congress is considering a national renewable portfolio standard. Urge your Congressional representatives to co-sponsor and support HR 1294. Sponsored by Representatives Udall and Leach, it requires all utilities to generate 20 percent of their electricity from clean renewable sources by 2025. For more information, contact Christine Vanderlan at EANY: 518-462-5526 ext. 234 or cvanderlan@eany.org.

[Back to Top]

For Your Information

♦Powerful Ideas: Attend Energy Independence: Real World Solutions for Homes and Business and help chart the course towards an independent and sustainable energy future for Westchester. The May 3rd conference, sponsored by Federated Conservationists of Westchester County and others, will focus on reducing energy demand to the grid, and energy costs, through conservation and efficiency, on-site renewable energy, sustainable building design and more. For information, call 914-422-4053, email: fcwc@law.pace.edu, or visit: http://fcwc.org/confs/energy.htm.

♦Freedom of Choice: Residential customers of Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation and NYS Electric and Gas are now able to choose their energy supplier, including suppliers who provide electricity produced from wind, hydro and biomass. A Green Power Buyers Guide is available as part of a new green power education project sponsored by WNY Green Power is Clean Power, a coalition of 20 environmental and community groups. Visit: http://wings.buffalo.edu/ubgreen/greenpower/ to read the guide and learn more about green power to read the guide and learn more about green power.

♦Ride On: Transportation Justice, an email newsletter on transportation and environmental justice issues with a focus on New York City, is published monthly by the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance (NYCEJA). Each issue contains information on upcoming transportation events and resources. To subscribe, send an email message with the words SUBSCRIBE TJ to transport@nyceja.org and include your name, organization and contact information. For more information, call 212-239-8882 or visit: www.nyceja.org.

♦Speak Up: Each year, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) holds President’s Forums for riders of the Metro-North Railroad, Long Island Railroad and New York City Transit. At the forums, riders speak directly with the people who run the three MTA divisions. Three separate events will be held at MTA Headquarters in Manhattan (see calendar for details). The public speaking list will open 15 minutes prior to the start of the events. Those who sign up will be allowed three minutes to speak on any aspect of service or policy. For more information, contact the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA at 212-878-7087 or mail@pcac.org.

[Back to Top]

Activists' Corner

Utica Club: Utica Citizens in Action (UCA) is a multi-issue advocacy organization concerned with sustainable development, neighborhood redevelopment, environmental education and other community-focused issues. UCA works at the grassroots level, as well as with organizations and coalitions in communities throughout Central New York. There are over 500 members in this all-volunteer group.
   UCA is currently developing an alternative green-oriented plan for the Utica area, including tree planting, reduction of greenhouse gases, ecological waste management, bicycle and walking trails, green buildings, eco-action teams, and other approaches. They are looking for information and ideas on implementing these types of plans in local communities.
   For more information on Utica Citizens in Action, contact John Furman, President, at 315-829-5132 or JFurman835@aol.com.

[Back to Top]

The Month Ahead

April

1-2: CERES (Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies) 2003 Conference: Advancing Sustainable Governance. New York Hilton, 1335 Avenue of the Americas, Manhattan. Fees vary. Contact Sarika Sangwan at 617-247-0700.

2: Organic Agriculture in Cuba, hosted by the Regional Farm & Food Project. Presentations by NY farmers on the developing national program of organic agriculture in Cuba preceded by a potluck dinner. Channing Hall, First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany. 6:00PM-9:00PM. Free. Bring a dish to share. Call 518-427-6537.

2: Metro-North Railroad President’s Forum. MTA Headquarters, 347 Madison Ave., 5th Floor Board Room, NYC. 4:30PM-6:30PM. (See FYI.)

3: An Evening with Dr. Sandra Steingraber, author of Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer. Siena College, Roger Bacon Hall 202 (Key Auditorium), Loudonville. 7:00PM. Call CRAAB! at 518-462-4472.

5-6: 2003 North Country Sustainable Energy Fair & Home Tours, sponsored by Seedcorn and Community Energy Services. Fair on 4/5 at McKenney Middle School, Canton, 10:00AM-4:30PM. Tour of energy efficient and renewable energy-powered homes on 4/6. Call Ann Heidenreich at 315-379-9466.

10: Long Island Railroad President’s Forum. MTA Headquarters, 347 Madison Ave., 5th Floor Board Room, NYC. 4:30PM-6:30PM. (See FYI.)

10: From Crisis To Opportunity: A Forum on National, State and Local Environmental Issues 2003, Fifth Annual Environmental Forum, cosponsored by Choices & Environment Taskforce of the First Unitarian Church and Sierra Club-Rochester Group. Room 228, First Unitarian Church, Rochester. 7:00PM. Call Hal Bauer at 585-335-2623.

13: Talk by author James Howard Kunstler on City Planning, Sprawl, and the (automated) State of the Nation, sponsored by Columbia County Futures, as well as Friends of Hudson, Historic Hudson and the Regional Farm & Food Project. Hudson River Theater, 521 Warren St., Hudson. 3:00PM-5:00PM. Suggested donation $5. Reservations recommended. Call 518-828-1136.

19-27: Scenic Hudson’s Great River Sweep. Unite with thousands of volunteers from Manhattan to the Adirondacks in this annual volunteer trash removal campaign in the Hudson Valley. Join an existing cleanup or organize one in your neighborhood. Call 845-473-TIDE.

22: NYC Earth Day Lobby Day, sponsored by the NY League of Conservation Voters. Lobby NYC Council members on key environmental issues. Participation in one Environmental Advocacy Workshop required to attend (4/8: Urban Center, 457 Madison Ave., Paley Room, 3rd floor, 6:00PM-8:00PM. 4/9: 4 Washington Square North, Commons Rm., ground fl., 8:00AM-10:00AM). Call Mark Caserta at 212-361-6350 ext. 209.

22: NYC Transit President’s Forum. MTA Headquarters, 347 Madison Ave., 5th Floor Board Room, NYC. 5:00PM-7:00PM. (See FYI.)

28: Earth Day Lobby Day in Albany. Support closure of Indian Point, an expanded bottle bill, Superfund/brownfields reform and clean energy. Contact Laura DiBetta, EANY, at 518-462-5526 ext. 221 or edld@eany.org, or visit: www.eany.org/takeaction/earthday.html.

May
3: Energy Independence: Real World Solutions for Homes and Business, a conference sponsored by Federated Conservationists of Westchester County and others. Westchester County Center, White Plains. 8:00AM–5:00PM. Call 914-422-4053. (See FYI.)

3: YouthCaN 2003 conference, uniting environmentally active youth to exchange ideas about the environment. Registration deadline is 4/14. American Museum of Natural History. Email: youthcan@us.iearn.org or visit: www.youthcanworld.org.

[Back to Top]

THE GREEN SHEET
is produced monthly by
Environmental Advocates of New York.
Voluntary annual subscriptions of
$15 are encouraged.
Free subscriptions are available
via email and on the Web at: http://www.eany.org

Copy deadline is the 15th of each month.
Send calendar events, action alerts & available publication information to:
The Green Sheet
353 Hamilton Street
Albany, NY 12210
Phone: 518.462.5526
Fax: 518.427.0381
Email submissions to: gsheet@eany.org

Managing Editor • Jeff Jones
Editor • Laura DiBetta

To Contact Elected Officials:

Governor George E. Pataki
Executive Chamber
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224
518.474.8390
www.state.ny.us/governor

New York State Senate
Albany, NY 12247
518.455.2800
www.senate.state.ny.us

New York State Assembly
Albany, NY 12248
518.455.4100
www.assembly.state.ny.us

US Capitol Switchboard
202.224.3121