Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) announced the Assembly passed a series of bills to help protect the environment and preserve public health. The legislative package – which coincided with the celebration of Earth Day – includes measures to combat climate change, promote recycling and sustainability and ensure clean drinking water for all New Yorkers.

“The health of our environment is crucial for our families,” Assemblyman Thiele said. “Reducing pollution and preserving our natural resources for future generations should always be a top priority, and this legislation will go a long way toward sustaining healthy communities.”

Combating climate change

Climate change is a threat that cannot be ignored. To reduce global warming, the Assembly’s Earth Day legislative package included a measure that would require the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to establish limits on greenhouse-gas emissions and create a greenhouse-gas reporting system (A.6072).

“The devastating effects of climate change are occurring every day and will only get worse if we refuse to act,” said Thiele. “The tropical storms, hurricanes and severe winter weather that have hit New York in recent years are warnings that should be heeded. By monitoring and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, we can help fight climate change and better protect our environment.”

Pursuing environmental justice

Historically, low-income communities have been disproportionately affected by the siting of new waste facilities. Areas with existing environmental hazards are frequently chosen for new development projects in an effort to keep other areas unspoiled, which exacerbates environmental hazards within that area and puts residents’ health at risk, Assemblyman Thiele noted. To address this inequity, the Assembly passed a bill that would require the DEC to publish a list of “high local environmental impact zones” and consider various factors that contribute to an area’s environmental health (A.3382).

Moreover, legislation was passed to establish a permanent Environmental Justice Advisory Group and an Environmental Justice Interagency Coordinating Council within the DEC, and state agencies would be required to adopt and abide by environmental justice policies (A.3063).

“All New Yorkers deserve clean, healthy communities,” said Thiele. “We need to ensure that environmental hazards aren’t concentrated into a few neighborhoods so we can protect the health of the families who live there.”

Ensuring clean drinking water

The Earth Day package also included the “Microbead-free Waters Act,” which would prohibit the sale of personal cosmetics products that contain microbeads (A.5896). Microbeads are tiny pieces of plastic that appear in many shampoos, soaps and toothpastes. Most wastewater treatment plants are unable to filter out the microbeads, causing them to pollute the drinking water supply. The microbeads can be consumed by fish, which absorb the toxins and then potentially pass them on to humans.

“Clean drinking water is not a privilege – it’s a basic necessity,” said Thiele. “Every New Yorker should be certain that the water they drink is safe for their family.”

Protecting our families from harmful chemicals

To ensure that children’s products are safe for our kids, the Assembly passed legislation to restrict the use of dangerous chemicals in products meant for children (A.5612). In addition, the Earth Day legislative package includes a bill to create strict standards for mercury-added lamps (A.5844). Medical research has shown that exposure to high levels of mercury can have severe health effects that include neurological damage, particularly for children and infants.

“Dangerous chemicals have no place in common household goods, and especially not in products designed for our kids,” Assemblyman Thiele said. “This legislation creates strict standards to protect our families’ health.”