| Vol. 6 - No. 8 |
| August 2001 |
| GREEN SHEET |
| Environmental Advocates' Statewide Bulletin Board |
| River Watch |
| Things are roiling on the river as the deadline nears for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement on the future of the Hudson River PCB cleanup. Originally scheduled for August 17, EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman said in late July that there would be at least one more delay. As clean river advocates have long feared, the final decision may be based on politics, not on science. A compromise proposal for a pilot project that would have the support of the polluter, the General Electric Company (GE), although not yet officially released, was rejected out-of-hand by Friends of a Clean Hudson, the 11-member coalition of environmental groups that is leading the fight for the river cleanup. And, as The Green Sheet goes to press, there are reports of continuing discussions between White House and EPA staff. If the compromise plan is shot down, credit will be due to Gov. George Pataki, who weighed in with a personal phone call to Whitman in which he made clear his support for a comprehensive cleanup and his opposition to any kind of deal with GE. |
| Clean Hudson supporters also took their message directly to Whitman at a meeting on July 26 in her Washington, D.C. headquarters. Participants were initially encouraged, as the EPA head began by declaring that there was no argument over the health impacts of PCBs, and stating, "The PCBs are coming out of the river." But, she said, the discussion was over how and when. Although she did not say what compromise was being considered, Whitman said that her goal was to avoid a GE lawsuit, which is anticipated when the EPA issues its Record of Decision (ROD), which is what the cleanup order is called under Superfund law. The environmentalists told Whitman not to worry about a legal challenge, and expressed confidence in the work done by EPA Region II staff. |
| At the meeting Whitman also revealed the inadequacy of her briefings on the issue by repeating the anti-dredging canard that the cleanup would harm the upriver economy. That was answered with the release of a Scenic Hudson/Clearwater report several days later showing that a full-scale remediation project would create thousands of jobs and brings hundreds of millions of dollars into Washington and Saratoga Counties, help reopen the fishery and the waterway for larger scale boating and ultimately raise property values. For a copy of the report on the Web, visit: www.clearwater.org/epa/public-comment/index.html#appen.
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On the Alert
• Thumbs Up: The New York City Council is currently sitting on two resolutions that would protect the City’s 400 endangered community gardens. Intro. No 742 and 743 would place the administration of the community gardens back under the Green Thumb Program overseen by the city Department of Parks and Recreation. Once the Parks Department has control, it will be up to the new mayor and the parks commissioner, with consultation and advice from community gardeners and environmental advocates, to develop and implement a program which makes the community gardens permanent green spaces. Urge your NYC Councilmember to pass Intro. No 742 and 743. Contact your state representatives, especially those in NYC, urging their support for the protection of community gardens. Call the More Gardens! Coalition at 212-533-8019 or visit www.voteforgardens.org for more information.
• Serving Notice: The Rockland County Legislature has scheduled a public hearing to consider adoption of the pesticide Neighbor Notification Law (Thursday, September 20th at 8:00PM at the County Office Building, 11 New Hempstead Road, New City). To sign up in advance to speak, or to leave a message for your county legislator, call the Clerk of the County Legislature at 845-638-5100. For more information, contact the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) at 518-436-0876 or email pesticides@nypirg.org. NYPIRG has developed a statewide informational neighbor notification website. Visit www.nypirg.org.
• A Cold Wind Blows: The Bush Administration has proposed weakening new air conditioner efficiency standards. The Department of Energy’s (DOE) announced rollback would increase peak electricity demand, increase total electricity consumption by US households, raise electricity bills and increase greenhouse emissions and other types of power plant pollution. In June, state attorneys general of NY, Connecticut, and California joined the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Consumer Federation of America and the Public Utility Law Project in filing suit against the DOE to challenge the delays and the attempt to roll back the energy efficiency rule. Call 202-586-6210 or email The.Secretary@hq.doe.gov to tell DOE Secretary Spencer Abraham to reverse the rollback on air conditioner energy efficiency standards that will hurt air quality, public health, and consumers. For more information, contact Andrew deLaski, Appliance Standards Awareness Project, at 617-363-9470 or visit: www.standardsasap.org.
• Rebate Reward: When that tax rebate arrives in the mail, remember President Bush’s plan to slash funds for research on solar and wind energy, cut EPA’s budget to enforce environmental laws, and eliminate money to protect wetlands and wildlife habitat. Put your tax cut to good use and make a contribution to an environmental organization. Environmental Advocates accepts donations securely through our website: www.eany.org. The national League of Conservation Voters has also set up a special page on its website (www.lcv.org/RecycleTheRebate).
For Your Information
Back to School: The end of summer means more than new books and backpacks for New York’s students. It also means a new right-to-know about pesticide use. The state’s new pesticide Neighbor Notification Law, enacted in 2000, gives all parents and guardians the right to advance warning before pesticides are applied to their child’s school buildings and grounds. Look for a notice from the school that will enable you to sign up for this advance warning. And three times each year, all parents and guardians will also receive a complete list of pesticides that have been applied. For more information, or if you receive such a notice and want to find out what your school could be doing to manage its pest problems without pesticides, contact Audrey Thier at EA at 518-462-5526 ext. 236.
For the Birds: To help communities create and preserve wildlife habitat, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and Wild Birds Unlimited are training a team of volunteers to serve as Habitat Stewards. Volunteers assist members of their own communities in the creation and restoration of wildlife habitat in backyards, schoolyards and other properties. Classes will be held on October 13, 14 and 20 from 9:00AM-5:00PM at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy. Participants must attend all classes to become an NWF certified Habitat Steward. A $10.00 fee covers materials. Call Lori Sylvester at 518-272-1089 or email lbs@naturesthread.net by September 1 to register.
All Aboard: Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. is looking for help with site work on the future site of Clearwater’s Home Port on the Esopus Creek in Saugerties. Contact Susan Murphy at 845-246- 0697 or sjmurphy@ulster.net. Clearwater also needs volunteers on board the Sloop for week-long volunteer crew positions through November. No experience is necessary, just a love of the Hudson and a sense of adventure. Call 845-454-7673 or email: sean@mail.clearwater.org.
Green Islands: The NYC Parks and Recreation Department is putting its young trees and triangles out for adoption in order to help them survive in the harsh concrete climate. Greenstreets is a citywide program to convert paved, vacant traffic islands and medians into green spaces filled with shade trees, flowering trees, shrubs, and groundcover. The program needs stewards to care for the spaces. Free tools, training and support are provided. Call 212-360-TREE for more information.
Activists' Corner
SALENE Solution: Sensible and Efficient Lighting To Enhance the Nighttime Environment (SELENE) is fighting for light pollution control legislation. Excessive and misdirected outdoor illumination wastes energy, resources and dollars. It also increases power plant- generated air pollution, causes glare that blinds drivers and pedestrians, intrudes onto private property, impacts habitats and invades privacy. SELENE is fighting for the passage of comprehensive legislation to reduce light pollution and its adverse affects on both the natural world and the human community. Both the Assembly and Senate have passed the Light Pollution Control Bill (A.5352a/S.3386a), but it must be signed by the Governor before it becomes law. SELENE is asking citizens to write Governor Pataki and urge him to ratify this bill. Contact SELENE by emailing selene@ggw.org or visit: www.ggw.org/selene for comprehensive information on light pollution in New York.
| The Month Ahead |
August
4-5: 7th Annual Our Fragile Earth event (formerly known as the Environmental Fair). This year’s theme is A Cleaner Greener Home. 10:00AM-5:00PM. Seneca Park Zoo, 2222 St. Paul St., Rochester. Call 716-336-7200.
5: Music Under the Mountain at Indian Ladder Farms (ILF). 5 Bands/5 Styles: Bluegrass, Rock, New Age and More. Benefit for Albany County Land Conservancy’s Save ILF campaign. Noon-6:00PM. 342 Altamont Rd., Altamont. $10 per person/$25 per family. Call the ACLC at 518-436-3646.
9-11: 2nd Annual Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools National Symposium, hosted by US Environmental Protection Agency. Grand Hyatt Hotel, Washington, DC. Register at: www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/symposium.html, or email smith.kim@epamail.epa.gov.
12: Manhattan Bridge walk. After years of being closed to pedestrians, the Manhattan Bridge is finally reopened. Join Roberta Weisbrod for a walk across the Manhattan Bridge from Brooklyn to Manhattan. Meet outside of the York St. station off the F line. August 8:00AM. Call Neighborhood Open Space Project at 212 379-8339.
17-19: Encampment 2001: Living Earth/Living Faith, a conference on faith, ecology, spirituality and sustainable living. Speakers, workshops, natural foods in a rural setting. St. Bridget’s Church, Copake Falls, Columbia County. Call Bruce Gardiner at 518-325-5546.
18: Two Forests in One: Trekking Through the Transition Between the Northern and Southern Forest Ecoregions. Spencer Crest Nature Center, Corning. 9:00AM-11:30AM. Call Finger Lakes Land Trust at 607-275-9487.
18-24: International Conference for a Sustainable Energy Future: Confronting Nuclear Power with People Power, sponsored by Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS)/WISE-Amsterdam and Nuclear Free Great Lakes Campaign. Workshops and speakers at DePaul University, Chicago (18-19); action camp in Yorkville, IL (20-24). Call NIRS at 202-328-0002.
19: Race for the River, swim in the Hudson River cosponsored by Battery Park City Parks Conservancy and the Manhattan Island Foundation. Esplanade Plaza, Battery Park City (South side of North Cove Yacht Club; Access: Liberty Street). 10:30AM. Free. Call 888-NYC-SWIM or visit www.nycswim.org.
6-9: The Century of the Environment: Resurgence Comes to America. JaneGoodall, Anita Roddick, Lester Brown, and more. The Omega Institute, Rhinebeck. Call 800-944-1001 or visit: www.eomega.org.
15: 15th Annual International Coastal Cleanup, organized in New York by the American Littoral Society. Join thousands of volunteers and help clean up the state’s coastal areas. Call the Cleanup Hotline at 800-449-0790, or email BarbaraCohenatALSBeach@aol.com.
20: Rockland County Pesticide Neighbor Notification Hearing. County Office Building,11 New Hempstead Road, New City. 8:00PM. (See On the Alert.)
22: Go Fish! Catch and release fishing while learning about the marine life in the Hudson River, sponsored by Battery Park City Parks Conservancy. Live demonstrations, displays, kids concert and more. Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Park, Battery Park City (Access: Battery Place). 10:00AM-2:00PM. Free. Call 212-267-9700.
Save the Date!
November 12: The 2001 Advocate Awards, Environmental Advocates’ annual gala. This year’s Advocate Award winners are Ashok Gupta, Cara Lee and James T.B. Tripp. Join us for a great party at Laura Belle in NYC. More details to follow.
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| Executive Chamber |
| State Capitol |
| * Albany, NY 12224 |
| 518.474.8390 |
| gov.pataki@chamber.state.ny.us |
| 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 |