THE GREEN SHEET

Vol. 10 - No. 1
January 2005

Lead Story: In With the New
On the Alert
For Your Information
Activists' Corner
The Month Ahead
Contact Information

In With the New

The masthead says this is the first issue of the 10th year that Environmental Advocates of New York (EANY) has published The Green Sheet. We hope you agree that this is a notable achievement. During its decade of publication, The Green Sheet has been a resource for many people and organizations concerned about New York’s environment. When you see it in February, however, The Green Sheet will look different. And it will have a new name. For the next stage of its evolution, the publication will be called Green Sheet New York (GSNY).

Change is good, and we are making these changes as part of an ongoing effort to improve the way we communicate with our members. Our goal is to ensure that you are getting up-to-date information about environmental issues in New York and what’s being done to address these issues here in the Capital. More important, our goal is to help you be an active participant in EANY’s efforts to protect New York’s environment.

One way we will do this is by more closely linking together our online action alerts to the content of the monthly Green Sheet New York. Each month you’ll read about one or more of our many ongoing online advocacy campaigns, how our online members are influencing state environmental policy, and how you can become more involved in these efforts.

We’ll continue to share with you up-to-date information on all our programs and the work of EANY’s staff. Each month you’ll hear about the progress we’re making to combat global warming by capping carbon dioxide emissions from power plants; to make renewable energy a reality in New York; to protect the state’s water resources; to combat sprawling development; and to ensure that our state agencies have the resources and staff they need to protect New York’s natural resources.

And through Green Sheet New York you’ll continue to receive the latest news on what’s happening inside the state Capitol. We’ll keep you abreast of what bills have been introduced, the decisions that are pending and what you can do to help make sure our lawmakers protect New York’s environment.

We’re sure you’ll enjoy the new Green Sheet New York starting next month. We hope you find it to be a valuable way to get more involved with our efforts and to stay connected with Environmental Advocates.

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On the Alert

♦Two Cents Worth: Friends of New York’s Environment (FNYE), a growing coalition of more than 90 local, state and national groups, is calling on Governor Pataki to restore funding and renew his commitment to investing in New York’s Environment. At simultaneous mid-December press conferences in Albany and Hauppauge, Long Island, the groups noted that the state’s funding for core environmental programs has fallen in the past four years from 1.6 cents to 1.2 cents on the dollar. “Give us our two cents worth,” the groups urged, noting that the Environmental Protection Fund has held steady at $125 million in annual appropriations while the state budget has grown more than $30 billion. For information on FNYE and the campaign contact Jeff Jones at jjones@eany.org.

♦Ticket to Ride: The Sierra Club, like other New York City and State environmental groups, is calling on Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg to protect subway, bus and train riders by stopping successive fare hikes and service cutbacks by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). The MTA voted in December to raise the 7-day Unlimited Ride MetroCard to $24 and the 30-day card to $76 as well as increase commuter railroad fares by 5 percent. They are also going to close an additional 164 token booths. Despite these cutbacks, MTA budget forecasts for future years call for even more fare and toll increases and further service cuts in order to fund growing debt payments. State capital grants dropped from nearly 20 percent of total resources in the MTA’s first capital program in the 1980’s to zero today. New York City’s investment has dropped as well. It provided about $138 million per year in the early 1980’s, but now provides only $71 million on average per year. Disinvesting in mass transit undermines the environment by increasing vehicular traffic which increases auto exhaust and worsens smog. Smog exacerbates asthma and other respiratory illnesses, as well as heart disease. Auto exhaust is also a major contributor to greenhouse gases and global warming. Write Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg and urge them to find a real funding solution for our transit system. For more information, contact Bob Muldoon at 212-791-3600, ext. 32.

♦Gunked Up: Environmental groups are closely monitoring a series of proposals that threaten the southern Shawangunks. The current projects include proposals for a massive mushroom-growing and processing facility, a mega-resort and entertainment center atop the ridge, and a major Interstate exchange at Exit 114 on Route 17. Among the concerns over the mushroom plant are its proximity to the D & H Historic Canal Trail and the headwaters of the Basha Kill (the region’s largest wetland), the building’s visual impacts, and the 425,000-625,000 gallons of water a day the plant will use. The Shawanga Lodge Resort and Conference Center project site is on a 307-acre parcel and would include a 300,000-square foot structure for events, a 250-room hotel, and enough parking spaces for 4,000 cars and 60 buses. Send comments on the proposed mushroom factory and Shawanga Lodge to: John Piazza, Chair, Town of Mamakating Planning Board, 2948 Route 209, Wurtsboro, NY 12790. For more information, contact Friends of the Shawangunks at 845-687-4759 or gunks@hotmail.com.

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For Your Information

♦Faulty Towers: The Residents Committee to Protect the Adirondacks (RCPA) has released a new report, The Future of Adirondack Fire Towers. RCPA researched 31 towers currently standing on private and public lands in the Adirondack Park. The group hopes to move the fire tower debate from a tower-by-tower controversy to park-wide policy recommendations. A copy of the report is available at www.rcpa.org.

♦ Pipe Dreams: The US is facing a looming waste crisis with an estimated 70 billion pounds of polyvinyl chloride plastic (PVC) slated for disposal in the next decade, according to PVC, Bad News Comes In Threes: The Poison Plastic, Health Hazards & The Looming Waste Crisis, a new report by the Center for Health, Environment and Justice. PVC is used in thousands of products, including pipes, building materials, consumer products and disposable packaging. The report documents the health and environmental hazards during manufacturing, product use and disposal. New York is among the top 10 states incinerating and landfilling PVC waste. Visit: www.chej.org.

♦ Range Rovers: A new Wildlife Society report, Global Climate Change and Wildlife in North America, finds that many species are already responding to warming, and that animals and plants are already exhibiting discernible range changes consistent with changing temperatures. The report also details the disruption of essential ecological processes, displacement or disappearance of coastal wetlands species, significant loss of coastal marshes and disruption of alpine and Arctic ecosystems. Direct threats to many species are reported, including polar bears, migratory songbirds and waterfowl and alpine amphibians. Read the report online at www.wildlife.org.

♦ Reports In: Two state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) work groups have completed reports concerning environmental justice. Combined with public comments, they will form the basis for enhancements to DEC’s environmental justice policies. Send comments to NYS DEC, Office of Environmental Justice, 625 Broadway, Albany, New York 12233-1500; by fax: 518-402-9018; or by email: ej@gw.dec.state.ny.us. Copies of the reports may be obtained from DEC’s Office of Environmental Justice, or downloaded at www.dec.state.ny.us/website/ej/workgroupreports.html.

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Activists' Corner

Learning How to Plan: Sustainable Tompkins is a broad-based coalition of organizations and individuals whose primary goal is to introduce the concept of sustainability to individuals, businesses, and community and government leaders in Tompkins County.

In Spring 2004, the group undertook a major study initiative. The culmination of that feasibility study was the realization that the region is fertile ground for sustainable community development. This lead to the formation of the Sustainable Tompkins Coordinating Council, with several project teams focused on advancing aspects of regional community development.

On January 28, 2005, Sustainable Tompkins is co-hosting a Sustainable Technology Showcase. A Green Building Workshop series will also launch in January 2005.

Contact Sustainable Tompkins at mbrown@ithaca.edu, or visit: www.sustainabletompkins.org.

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The Month Ahead

January

1: 15th Annual Environmentalists’ New Years Day Walk, hosted by Protectors of Pine Oak Woods and Natural Resources Protective Association. Great Kills Park to Crooke’s Point, Staten Island. 12:00PM-2:00PM. Call Dick Buegler at 718-761-7496.

5: Governor Pataki’s State of the State speech. 1:00PM. Albany.

5: NYC Bus Rapid Transit Workshop. Learn about MTA and DOT's plan to bring Bus Rapid Transit to NYC to improve the speed, reliability and appeal of the bus system. Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon St., 1st Fl., Brooklyn. 5:00PM-8:00PM. Also: 1/11, York College, 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd., Jamaica, Queens, 5:00PM-8:00PM. Call Dave Harris at 917-339-0488.

6: Buffalo Green Buildings Salon, sponsored by the Environmental Business Association of NYS and others. Topic: Performance Evaluation of Air Cleaning/Purification Devices Control of VOC’s in Indoor Air. Double Tree Club Hotel, 125 High St., Buffalo. 5:30PM-7:30PM. Fees vary. Call 518-432-6400, ext. 221 or email: robyn@ceepinc.org.

6: Manhattan Community Board No. 4 public hearing on the NYC Department of City Planning’s proposal to rezone the West Chelsea neighborhood that surrounds the High Line. Hudson Guild Fulton Center, 119 Ninth Ave. 6:00PM–10:00PM. If you plan on attending the hearing and would like to speak in support of the High Line, contact Chara Ann Tappin, Friends of the High Line, at 212-206-9922 or chara@thehighline.org.

8: Kingston’s Last Stretch of Riverfront at Risk, informational open house and conversation sponsored by Scenic Hudson. 96 Broadway, Kingston. 4:00PM-8:00PM. Contact Molly Shubert at mshubert@scenichudson.org or 845-473-4440, ext. 250.

9: Wind Project Permitting: The Major Challenges and Potential Resolutions, seminar cosponsored by the SEER Section Committee on Sustainable Development, Ecosystems and Climate Change, and others. 12:00PM-2:00PM Pacific Time; teleconference 12:30PM-1:30PM Pacific Time. Email Edna Sussman at esussman@hnrlaw.com.

11: Green Building Workshop Series, sponsored by Ithaca Green Building Alliance, Sustainable Tompkins, and Tompkins County Cooperative Extension. Tuesdays, 7:00PM-8:30PM. Cooperative Extension, 615 Willow Ave., Ithaca. $5/workshop or $30 for full series. Call Tania Schusler at 272-2292, or visit: www.ccetompkins.org. Note: the first event in this series, a screening of Blue Vinyl, will be held in Klingenstein Lounge, 2nd floor, Campus Center, Ithaca College and is free.

13: Agriculture in the Hudson Valley: Innovations, sponsored by the Hudson Valley Agricultural Partnership. Marist College, Poughkeepsie. Members $25.00; non-members $35.00. Email conference@nyrcd.org.

22: A Growing Concern: Sustaining Healthy Food Systems, cosponsored by the Graduate Center of CUNY and the Baum Forum. Program features an overview of the region’s agricultural production and distribution, and local food and beverage tasting. Marist College. 10:00AM-5:00PM. $50, $20 for students. To register, call 212-817-8215.

28-30: Northeast Organic Farming Association's (NOFA-NY) 24th Annual Organic Farming & Gardening Conference. Syracuse. Call 607-652-NOFA.

28: Sustainable Technology Showcase, cohosted by Sustainable Tompkins. Women’s Community Bldg., 100 West Seneca St., Ithaca. 1:00PM-6:30PM. $20. Register by Jan. 14.

SAVE THE DATE
April 19: Earth Day Lobby Day 2005. Email edld@eany.org for details and to join the mailing list.

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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