the [green] capitol insider
Race to the Finish
The 2011 New York State Legislative Session is over, exactly one week behind schedule. And what a week it was. Late last Friday, state lawmakers passed the so-called “big ugly” omnibus-bill-of-unfinished-business (rent control, mandate relief, property tax cap and more) and marriage equality. But before they did, legislators passed a few bills that will benefit New York’s environment.
First up: Power New York 2011. This energy package has two key components. When they weren’t busy debating the big ugly, Governor Cuomo and State Senate and Assembly leaders worked out a green deal that will govern the siting of new power plants and help reduce energy demand. On the siting of new facilities, new protections were added to:
- Provide resources so communities can afford to hire legal and technical consultants so they can participate effectively in power plant siting;
- Require proposed power plants to avoid or minimize cumulative impacts on air quality around the proposed power plant and in doing so cut climate-altering pollution; and
- End New York’s shameful legacy of disproportionately siting power plants in low-income communities and communities of color.
To decrease energy demand, changes in law will now give homeowners new options to finance energy efficiency improvements so they can save money on their utility bills. Less power use also means less pollution. These important changes will help bring the Green Jobs/Green New York program passed in 2009. Provisions were also included to study the economic impacts of a major solar initiative.Click here to learn more.
The State Legislature also passed two of the environmental community’s “Super Bills” in 2011. The green priorities taken up by lawmakers are a bill that will protect the state’s water from wasteful withdrawals and legislation that will make our communities more sustainable and pedestrian-friendly by encouraging “Complete Streets.” Together, these actions put New York on the path to a more sustainable future.
Click here for details on Complete Streets.
Click here to learn more about protecting New York’s water.
These bills now go to Governor Cuomo’s desk for his signature.
There’s bad news, too. While one house passed a few measures that would protect New York’s water from dirty gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” the other did not. Can you guess which is which? Scroll down to learn more about how fracking fared in the 2011 Legislative Session.
Learn more about Power New York here
Read more about the “big ugly” here.
WHO IS MR. GREEN?
If you live in the New York City area, join us tomorrow, Tuesday, June 28, at 6pm at Columbia Law School for a wrap-up of the 2011 Legislative Session! Environmental Advocates of New York and our friends at the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund and the Columbia Center for Climate Change Law are ready to help you make sense of it all.
Who was green and who was not? What was accomplished in the arena of environmental protection this year?
Click here to register.
RSVP: Click here to let us know you're coming!
Or call (518) 462-5526 ext. 242
FRACKING NEWS
New York’s de facto moratorium on dirty gas drilling called hydraulic fracturing or “fracking,” remains in place until the state’s Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS) is complete and Governor Cuomo and the state’s environmental agency decide when and how gas drilling will proceed. There’s a lot that must happen before the permits start flying. During the Legislative Session, environmental groups pressed state lawmakers to take a role in the ongoing fracking fight and pass legislation that would put strict limits on fracking, or even extend the current timeout on the practice.
The Assembly did just that in 2011, passing bills to extend the current moratorium until this time next year, as well as legislation that would make the gas industry treat fracking waste like the hazardous waste it is (subject to all the rules and regulations for hazardous waste’s treatment, transport and disposal).
These bills, as well as a few others, were designed to address some of the fatal flaws in the state’s fracking guidelines, the SGEIS, which is expected to be released in July. But a one-house bill is not a law, and not one bill to regulate fracking made it to the floor of the New York State Senate for a vote.
The world (no exaggeration, really) is watching to see what New York does next. The moratorium made New York the first state to insist on protecting the health and safety of its citizens and drinking water before allowing drilling to proceed. We want to keep up the pressure on Governor Cuomo after state lawmakers retreat to their home districts for the summer.
What do we want? Environmental Advocates is asking the state to abandon its current permit-by-permit approach to overseeing gas drilling and instead issue strict statewide regulations for fracking.
Click here to urge Governor Cuomo to make New York a fracking leader.
What’s next on the fracking front? We’re waiting for the release of the revised drilling guidelines. Once the guidelines are public, we’ll give you the high sign so you can reach out to the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation with your thoughts on fracking.
But that’s not all you can do. Visit www.CleanWaterNotDirtyDrilling.org for all the latest on fracking in New York.
NEW YORK WATER RANGERS
Do you have what it takes to protect New York’s water from fracking? If you’re ready to send an email, fax a letter, or make a phone call at a moment’s notice, we need your help!
Click here to join the New York Water Rangers.
Because everybody is a body of water, we must protect our health, water, and communities before we allow gas development in New York State.
Benefits of joining the New York Water Rangers include opportunities to get free Water Rangers gear, updates from the team at Clean Water Not Dirty Drilling, and the satisfaction of knowing you're not standing on the sidelines while your drinking water is at risk.
Visit www.CleanWaterNotDirtyDrilling.org to learn more about the dangers of fracking.
BILLS ON THE MOVE
It’s last call! Every week during the New York State Legislative Session, Environmental Advocates looks at the measures that will impact the environment for good or ill. Until next year, this will be our last edition of Bills on the Move. Here are this week’s Bills on the Move:
Three Smokestacks for MTA De-Funding. This bill would reduce funding for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and pilfer resources from the state’s clean energy fund. Cutting funding for the MTA will result in service cuts and reduced public transit options for New Yorkers. Click here to read our evaluation memo.
One Smokestack for Rolling Back Diesel Pollution Rules. This bill would delay implementation of new rules for state vehicles to use cleaner diesel fuel and result in increased air pollution. Click here to read our evaluation memo.
One Tree for the Carmans River Protection Act. This bill would conserve the Carmans River watershed and add nearly 1,000 acres to Long Island’s Central Pine Barrens. Click here to read our memo.
This is just a sample of the legislation that Environmental Advocates of New York is tracking this year. Click here for all of the 2011 Bills on the Move in the New York State Legislature.
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