THE GREEN SHEET

Vol. 8 - No. 2
February 2003

Lead Story: Budget Priorities
On the Alert
For Your Information
Activists' Corner
The Month Ahead
Contact Information

Budget Priorities

Many years, advocates wait until after the Governor presents his fiscal plan before launching their budget reform campaigns. Knowing that the state’s revenue picture was going to be particularly dire this year however, environmentalists, and many other advocacy groups, made their priorities known to Gov. George Pataki before he presented his 2003-2004 budget. In a late December letter, Environmental Advocates identified five key areas where New York, despite its financial woes, can continue to protect and preserve the state’s environment. They are: the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF); comprehensive Superfund and brownfields programs; the Governor’s open space protection commitments; clean air and energy initiatives; and maintaining the ability of agencies like the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) to enforce state law.

Regarding the EPF, Environmental Advocates has joined with more than 60 other environmental groups to call on the Governor to appropriate at least $125 million from the fund to be used for its traditional purposes. Without this commitment, programs like open space preservation, farmland protection, recycling and breast cancer research will suffer. With the state Superfund broke and the cleanup of New York’s most toxic sites stalled, getting the program back up and running is an obvious priority. And despite the revenue crisis, a comprehensive brownfields policy can be created in 2003 without much start-up funding. For clean air and the fight against global warming, Pataki can still make good on his commitment, made in the state Energy Plan, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2010. To do so, New York must cap carbon emissions from in-state power plants and increase the percentage of electricity generated by renewable sources like wind, solar and fuel cells. Also of concern is the Governor’s threat to continue downsizing the state workforce. Cuts at the DEC and lack of staff at the APA have set back environmental protection efforts statewide and land use regulation in the Adirondack P Park.

Meanwhile, Environmental Advocates is also part of a movement of more than 200 community, religious, education, health care, labor and human services organizations that has offered a revenue-raising agenda. Proposals include a modest temporary income tax surcharge on the wealthy and the closure of corporate tax loopholes that cost New York hundreds of million of dollars annually.

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On the Alert

♦Witt-ness: A report commissioned by Gov. Pataki on the adequacy of the emergency plans for the Indian Point nuclear reactors has concluded that the current response system would not be able to protect the public from “an unacceptable dose of radiation in the event of a release.” The report, prepared by former Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) head James Lee Witt, has convinced many New Yorkers that without a workable plan to protect the 20 million people living within a 50-mile radius of the plants, the two reactors should cease operation. Several New York Congressional representatives, including Senator Clinton and Representatives Engel, Hinchey, Maloney and McCarthy have signed a petition requesting FEMA to de-certify the evacuation plans. Contact Senator Schumer (212-486-4430) and your Representative (202-224-3121) and urge them to also sign on. View the report at www.jamesleewittassociates.com.

♦Now Hear This: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will be holding public hearings throughout February to give riders the chance to comment on the proposed $2 fare, token booth closures and other cuts. Hearings will be held in all five New York City boroughs, as well as Westchester and Long Island (see The Month Ahead), For more information on the MTA Financial Plan, or to register in advance to speak at the public hearings, contact: Douglas Sussman, Deputy Director, MTA Government and Community Relations, 347 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10017, or call 212-878-7483. To read the proposal, find the hearing nearest you, or submit comments online, visit: www.mta.info/mta/plan1.htm.

♦Throwing It All Away: New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer announced in December 2002 that he is preparing to sue the Town of Cheektowaga in Western, NY for canceling its recycling program. The town still has time to reinstitute the program before a lawsuit is filed. Call Cheektowaga Town Supervisor, Dennis Gabryszak at 716-686-3465, and Town Board Member Thomas Johnson at 716-686-3445, and urge them to reinstitute the program to avoid costing the town significant legal fees. Cheektowaga also risks having to return nearly $460,000 in grant money to the state for recycling vehicles. For more information, email Donna Hosmer, Cheektowaga Citizens Coalition, at letchpark@aol.com.

♦People Power: The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) in conjunction with the Sustainable Energy Alliance of Long Island (SEALI) has announced a series of joint public hearings to solicit community input regarding two proposed energy plans. The LIPA proposal can be viewed at www.lipower.org. SEALI’s alternative, the Citizens Energy Plan, is available at www.seali.org. New Yorkers, especially Nassau and Suffolk County residents, have an opportunity to speak out for Long Island’s energy future. For hearing dates and locations see The Month Ahead. For more information, call LIPA at 516-222-7700.

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For Your Information

♦Risk Analysis: Environmental Advocates of New York and NYPIRG recently released their third annual analysis of pesticide use and sales data reported to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The report, Avoidable Risk: Pesticide Use Patterns in New York State for 1999, once again shows unacceptably high levels of pesticide use in the state. Among the highest areas of pesticide use were Long Island, Westchester, New York City, and more urbanized upstate counties such as Erie and Monroe. For more information and to read the complete report, visit: www.eany.org or www.nypirg.org.

♦Muddy Waters: The League of Women Voters of Westchester (LWVW) has just released Your Water: Your Home, Your Health, Your Taxes, Your Vote. The 30-minute video shows the dangers to the drinking water supply from polluted stormwater run-off and describes ways to minimize the problem through regulations, preventive measures by government and private developers, and citizen awareness. The video and related materials will be given to every public library in Westchester County and copies will be available for showing at community meetings and on local television. For more information, visit: www.watpa.org/lwv/water.html, or call LWVW at 914-949-0507.

♦East River Eden: East River Rising is a summer-long series of events on and along the East River to promote appreciation for and stewardship of one of the region’s most abused natural resources. The series is a collaboration of the East River Network, a coalition of community-based organizations working together to revitalize the East River. On February 21, the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance is hosting a meeting for all East River groups to get together, converse and learn about and from each other. For information on any of these projects, email: lauren@waterwire.net.

♦Dirty Dozen: Citizens’ Environmental Coalition (CEC) is hosting a Dirty Dozen award ceremony, where the 12 dirtiest, polluting companies in New York State are singled out to receive an “award,” along with statewide recognition, for their toxic legacies. The winners will be honored in March at local press events at each of the sites. For more information, contact CEC at 518-462-5527 or ceckelly@igc.org.

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Activists' Corner

Can You Hear Us Now?:Public health concerns are growing over the proliferation of cell towers and microwave antennas. Exposure to harmful electromagnetic (EMR) radiation has been linked to a variety of diseases and disorders including DNA damage – a precursor to cancer.
   The Vermont-based EMR Network is a non-profit organization working locally, nationally and internationally to reduce, mitigate and, where possible, eliminate hazardous exposure to electromagnetic radiation.
   The EMR Network is currently backing two bills in Congress that would strengthen and reaffirm local control over the siting of broadcast and cellular towers and antennas. The Local Control of Broadcast Towers Act and the Local Control of Cellular Towers Act increase local controls that were taken away by the federal 1996 Telecommunications Act.
   For more information on the EMR network, visit: www.emrnetwork.org.

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The Month Ahead

February

2: Along the Water’s Edge Tour, sponsored by the Municipal Art Society and the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance. Explore the new and old waterfront development in Lower Manhattan. Walk from the River Project at Pier 26 to the Fulton Fish Market. 11:00AM-2:00PM. $15 ($12 for MAS members). Call 212-935-3960 to RSVP.

4: Public hearing on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) proposed financial plan. Beacon High School, 101 Matteawan Rd., Beacon. 4:00PM. Also: 2/5, Manhattan; 2/6, Brooklyn; 2/10, Hempstead; 2/11, Stony Brook; 2/12, Staten Island; 2/13, White Plains; 2/18, Bronx; 2/19, Queens; 2/20, West Nyack. Call Douglas Sussman, MTA, at 212-878-7483. (See On the Alert.)

5: Public hearing on LIPA’s proposed energy plan for Long Island. The Omni Building, Lower Level Teleconference Center, 333 Earle Ovington Blvd., Uniondale. 3:00PM-5:00PM and 7:00PM-9:00PM. Also: 2/13, Brentwood; and 2/26, Southampton. Call LIPA at 516-222-7700. (See On the Alert.)

6: Natural Resources Protective Association annual general membership meeting. Updates on dredge spoils, tidal wetlands, fisheries, waterfront access. Richmond County Yacht Club. 142 Mansion Ave., Great Kills, Staten Island. 8:00PM -10:00 PM. Contact Jim Scarcella at 718-987-6037.

11: Public Hearing on Suffolk County plan to widen CR 16. Sachem South High School, 51 School St., Lake Ronkonkoma. Call 631-588-1915.

15: WinterGrass for Farmers, benefit concert at The Bardavon featuring fiddling legend Vassar Clements and Northern Lights. The Bardavon will donate $5 per ticket for all sold through Scenic Hudson, Cornell Cooperative Extension Service or The Hudson Valley Bluegrass Association to Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County's Hudson valley harvest, a revolving loan program for farmers. You must order tickets through the coupon found at www.scenichudson.org or www.hvbluegrass.org in order for the donation to benefit the fund. Or call 845-691-6784 or 845-473-4440 x221 for more information.

18: The Past, Present and Future of The Bronx River Parkway Reservation, town hall meetings presented by the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation and the Bronx River Conservancy. Westchester County Center, Bronx River Parkway and Tarrytown Road, White Plains. 7:00PM. Also: 2/20, Yonkers; 2/26, Eastchester; 2/27, Scarsdale; 3/5, White Plains. Call 914-864-7275.

21: Meeting for all East River groups, sponsored by the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, to get together, converse and learn about and from each other. Email: lauren@waterwire.net. (See FYI.)

22: Ninth Annual Bronx Parks Speakup, hosted by The Bronx Coalition for Parks & Green Spaces. Tabling, mini-presentations and networking sessions to help local parks advocates. Includes NGO’s and government entities. Lehman College Faculty Dining Room. 1:00PM-5:00PM. Email: BxSpeakUp@aol.com.

25: East River Tolls - A Boon for New York, Auto-Free New York meeting with Charles Komanoff, Bridge Tolls Advocacy Project. 104 Washington St., Manhattan, in the police station’s ground floor community room. 6:00PM-8:00PM. Call 212-475-3394.

25-26: Public Transit Advocacy Day, sponsored by the NY Public Transit Association. Albany. $65; $85 after 2/3. Call 518-434-9060 or email: nypta@atdial.net.

26-27: An Ecosystem Approach to the Health Effects of Mercury in the Great Lakes Basin, workshop sponsored by the International Joint Commission and the Great Lakes Commission. Leading authorities on the sources, environmental chemistry, toxicology and epidemiology of mercury will be presenting their latest findings at the workshop, with particular reference to critical pathways of mercury in the Great Lakes basin. Cleary International Conference Centre, Windsor, Ontario. $60 Canadian ($40 U.S.). The deadline for registration is 2/21. Visit: https://www.glc.org/mercury/ or contact Matt Doss, GLC, 734-971-9135 or mdoss@glc.org.

March
20-21: Hudson River Fishes and Their Environment, presented by the Hudson River Environmental Society. Marist College, Poughkeepsie. Fees vary, but go up after 3/10. Visit: www.hres.org or email: stephenwilson1@compuserve.com.

26-27: PCB Congress founding convention. Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT. National gathering of representatives from communities harmed by PCBs. Conveners include Housatonic River Initiative (HRI) and Friends of a Clean Hudson. Call HRI’s Tim Gray at 413-243-3353.

29: Second Annual Bronx Water Symposium/Meeting, hosted by Bronx Council for Environmental Quality, sponsored by Manhattan College, ConEdison and others. Manhattan College. 12:00PM-5:00PMPM. Email: bceq@earthlink.net or call 718-548-3815.

Save the Date! April 28: Earth Day Lobby Day 2003. Join hundreds of high school and college students and citizen activists for a day of lobbying and networking. Legislative Office Building, Albany. $5; free for students. Contact Laura DiBetta, Environmental Advocates of New York, at 518-462-5526 ext. 221 or edld@eany.org. Visit: www.eany.org/takeaction/earthday.html.

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THE GREEN SHEET
is produced monthly by
Environmental Advocates of New York.
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Send calendar events, action alerts & available publication information to:
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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