Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF, WE-Sag Harbor) announced the Assembly passage of a series of bills he co-sponsors to protect the environment and ensure clean air and water for all New Yorkers. The legislative package also includes a Legislative Resolution recognizing April 22 as Earth Day in New York State (K.1039), as well as K.1035, sponsored by Assemblyman Thiele, Memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim June 9, 2018, as Dragonfly Day in the State of New York.

Assemblyman Thiele said, "New York State is taking action to protect families from pollution and harmful chemicals, as well as combating climate change. I’ll never stop fighting to preserve our environment for future generations.”

Banning Offshore Drilling and Combating Climate Change

From the exploratory phase through development and extraction, offshore oil and gas drilling is inherently hazardous, threatening the health and safety of coastal communities. That’s why it’s so important that we have sensible regulations to protect the environment, local economies and marine life.

To safeguard New York’s coastal waters and protect the economies that rely on them, the Assembly passed a measure that prohibits offshore drilling as well as bars the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Office of General Services from approving leases that would boost oil or gas production from federal waters (A.9819).

“Offshore drilling has been banned in our state for decades for good reason,” said Assemblyman Thiele. “New York is home to 3 of the 28 estuaries of national significance, including the Peconic Bay, New York Harbor and Long Island Sound. Tourism and fishing are major industries on Long Island’s East End that depend on clean water and pristine beaches. All of this would be put at risk by the federal administration’s reckless proposal to expand offshore drilling nationwide. An oil spill off the coast of Long Island would destroy our economy and our quality of life. This measure recognizes the threat of offshore drilling and makes a significant effort to save our coastal communities.”

Climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, threatens the health and safety of all New Yorkers. Seventeen of the 18 warmest years on record have taken place since 2001 as the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere continues to rise at an unprecedented pace.1 Rising temperatures can alter ocean currents and increase the strength and duration of hurricanes, tornadoes and other extreme storms.2

To ensure New York does its part to address this global threat, the Assembly passed the New York State Climate and Community Protection Act that tasks the DEC with establishing and implementing statewide greenhouse gas emission limits, as well as with publishing recommendations for achieving these goals (A.8270-B). The bill would also require that 50 percent of electricity in New York State be produced by renewable energy systems by 2030. In addition, the legislation authorizes funds from the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) to finance renewable energy projects in public low-income housing.

Further, the measure establishes the New York State Climate Action Council, which would consist of 25 experts, including leaders from relevant state agencies, environmental justice advocates and labor and industry representatives.

“New York is addressing the very real threat of climate change head on,” said Assemblyman Thiele. “Reducing our dependence on fossil fuels is a meaningful long-term solution to this global crisis.”

Protecting Communities across the State

Whether from train derailments or leaking storage facilities, oil spills threaten the health and safety of New York residents, our land and our wildlife and it can take years to remediate them. To better protect communities from being burdened by a costly cleanup, the Assembly legislation includes a measure to institute financial surety measures for owners of petroleum storage facilities, vessels and railroads (A.1773). These measures will ensure companies that transport petroleum products like crude oil through the state have the resources to effectively and efficiently respond to a spill or accident, noted Assemblyman Thiele.

“We’ve seen the damaging effects a company’s recklessness can have on our communities and we can’t let those responsible for pollution and contamination get away with it,” Assemblyman Thiele said.

The Assembly also fought for increased protections and additional funding for environmental initiatives in this year’s state budget, which passed earlier this month. The spending plan continues New York’s multiyear commitment to funding $2.5 billion for the Clean Water Infrastructure Act to ensure all New Yorkers have access to clean drinking water.

The budget also provides $300 million for the EPF. A $65 million initiative, to be funded from both the Clean Water Infrastructure Act and the EPF, will be used to fund programs to help combat harmful algal blooms, which are threatening water bodies. Further, $2 million is allocated for the Brownfield Opportunity Area program to help municipalities and community groups engage in planning efforts to safely clean up and revitalize contaminated properties.

Protecting Families from Toxic Chemicals

The Assembly package protects our families from dangerous chemicals by prohibiting the use of chlorpyrifos (CPS), a pesticide linked to adverse health effects that was in the process of being banned at the federal level before the current EPA administrator reversed that decision (A.10274).3 It also prevents the sale or use of nonagricultural fertilizer containing more than 12 percent nitrogen by weight in Nassau and Suffolk counties to reduce harmful algal blooms (A.10276).

Commemorating Earth Day and Recognizing the Importance of Wetlands

In addition to these bills, the package included two resolutions. The first commemorates April 22, 2018 as the 48th Anniversary of Earth Day. (K.1039, Pellegrino). Earth Day is celebrated by 500 million people and recognized by the governments of 175 countries around the world.

The second resolution, introduced by Assemblyman Thiele, recognizes June 9, 2018 as Dragonfly Day in New York State (K.1035). Dragonflies are a sentinel species, and their presence or absence is indicative of the health of wetlands. Unfortunately, dragonflies appear to be vanishing on Long Island. One potential reason is the larvacide Methoprene which is the chemical used in coastal wetlands to control mosquitoes, a key dragonfly food source. Assemblyman Thiele noted he will continue to fight for the passage of his legislation, which is currently on the Assembly Calendar, to prohibit the use of methoprene in any storm drain, conveyance for water or fish habitat in any municipality adjoining the Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean and their connecting water bodies, bays harbors, shallows and marshes (A.6336A).

“It is important to increase public awareness of this serious issue. More must be done to protect wetland ecosystems and dragonfly habitat at the local, State and national levels,” said Assemblyman Thiele.

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1. climate.nasa.gov

2. scientificamerican.com/article/climate-change-and-extreme-weather/

3. nytimes.com/2017/05/15/health/pesticides-epa-chlorpyrifos-scott-pruitt.html