ALBANY, New York, December 15, 2008 (ENS) – New York Governor David Paterson Saturday signed legislation to increase the collection and recycling of plastic carryout bags from large stores and retail or grocery chain stores across the state.

Originally passed by the State Legislature in June, the bill was held up by a potential conflict between the state law and a more expansive bag recycling law passed by the City of New York in January.

With a comprehensive plastic recycling law in place at the state level, local governments are pre-empted from adopting their own laws on this issue.

The state legislation initially threatened to preempt New York City’s law, and would have reduced the number of city stores required to accept bags from consumers for recycling.

However, Governor Paterson Saturday announced an agreement on legislation that “grandparents” in the city’s plastic bag law, so as to allow it to remain in full force and effect.

Plastic bag caught in a New York City tree
(Photo by Andrea Demers)

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said, “Today marks a great victory for environmental responsibility in New York City and throughout the state. Thanks to the efforts of the City Council and a host of environmental advocates, the legislation signed by Governor Paterson has been altered to preserve the city’s landmark plastic bag recycling law.”

The state’s compromise measure met with the approval of state agency officials, environmentalists, entertainer Bette Midler, who founded the New York Restoration Project, even the American Chemistry Council.

The new state law takes effect on January 1, 2009. It covers retail stores with more than 10,000 square feet of retail space, or those that are part of a chain with more than five stores, each with more than 5,000 square feet of retail space.

These stores must provide bins for the collection of used plastic carryout bags, recycle the returned bags, and keep records for three years describing the amount of plastic bags collected and recycled.

“Even during difficult times we must be protective stewards of our environment, and continue to find ways to keep our daily routines from negatively impacting the long-term health of the planet,” said Governor Paterson, announcing the new law. “By making changes in our daily lives and business practices, we can conserve natural resources, save energy and reduce our ecological footprint.”

Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis said, “Governor Paterson has delivered a significant win for the environment. This new law will help boost recycling and reduce waste goals all New Yorkers share.”

Senator Carl Marcellino, chairman of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee and co-author of the bill, said, “This bill will make it convenient and easy for residents across the state to recycle plastic bags. Their efforts will save landfill space, reduce litter and decrease our dependence on foreign oil. It is small steps like these that green our world.”

Assemblyman Robert Sweeney, chairman of the Assembly Committee on Environmental Conservation, the bill’s other co-author, said, “This is the strongest state plastic bag recycle law in the country. New York consumers and environmentalists can be proud that our state is taking strong action to reduce the amount of loose plastic bags that would otherwise end up in our delicate ecosystem. This law will also cut down the amount of petroleum used to produce these bags.”

Midler commended Governor Paterson for recognizing the need for New York City to have a more stringent program for recycling plastic bags. “Americans use over 84 billion plastic bags annually, about one billion of them in New York City,” she said. “This is an important step toward building a comprehensive solid waste management regime, and on behalf of all of us in New York City, I thank you for your understanding of the severity of the problem and your cooperation in finding a solution.”

Eric Goldstein, New York Urban Program Director at the Natural Resource Defense Council, said, “The billions of plastic bags that are used in New York State every year impose a mounting environmental burden. They litter our streets, sidewalks, highways and parks. They get into waterways and endanger marine life. They end up in landfills, where it can take up to 1,000 years for them to decompose. Substituting throw-away plastic bags with reusable sacks is a small lifestyle change that can make a big difference over time.”

“This is a significant victory for New York’s citizens and the environment,” said Sharon Kneiss, vice president of the Products Divisions of the American Chemistry Council, a chemicals industry association. “The new law creates one consistent standard statewide that all municipalities can follow, while allowing existing programs to continue uninterrupted.”

“The two states with the largest populations on each coast now have statewide plastic bag recycling programs,” Kneiss said, referring to recently enacted similar legislation in California. “Clearly, lawmakers recognize that plastics are a valuable material that should be recycled.”

The American Chemistry Council’s latest statistics show that the recycling of plastic bags and wraps increased 24 percent nationwide in 2006. Legislation in New York, California and numerous large cities is expected to increase the amount of plastic bags and wraps that are diverted from landfills and turned into new consumer products, such as durable decking, fencing, railings, shopping carts and new bags.

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ALBANY, New York, October 17, 2008 (ENS) – New York Governor David Paterson Thursday vetoed two bills that would have established a childhood lead poisoning primary prevention and safe housing fund and also given a corporate tax credit for lead hazard reduction activities.

The bills would have cost approximately $50 million over a two year period, which critics said would have had an enormous, unfunded and unplanned impact on the state’s stressed finances.

The governor said it was the tight budget situation that made it necessary for him to veto measures that would protect children from lead poisoning, a cause he says has been important to him for years.

Children are exposed to lead in older
buildings with peeling paint. (Photo
courtesy U.S. EPA)

“Over the last several months, I have been compelled to disapprove many bills as a direct consequence of the state’s fiscal crisis,” said Paterson. “A great number of those proposals were very worthy initiatives of great importance to legislators and their constituents. However, no bill pains me more to veto than this measure.”

“Lead poisoning is a scourge that has plagued and destroyed the lives of too many children, the vast majority of whom live lives deprived in too many ways,” he said. “I have been a vocal proponent for addressing this issue for more than two decades. Responding to this plague is and should be an obligation for everyone in government.”

Exposure to lead can happen from breathing workplace air or dust, eating contaminated foods, or drinking contaminated water. Children can be exposed from eating lead-based paint chips or playing in contaminated soil. Lead can damage the human nervous system, kidneys, and reproductive system. Lead in paint was banned in 1978, but older buildings still contain lead-based paint.

The governor pledged to work with this bill’s sponsors to achieve their objectives in less costly ways and promised to make such a proposal in the Executive Budget which will be presented on December 18.

Paterson said he is considering:

* Revising regulations so that comprehensive follow-up interventions for children will be triggered when a child has a blood lead level of 15 micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dL) instead of the current level of 20 mcg/dL. The Department of Health will also review available scientific research and data to determine if the state should further revise the threshold for comprehensive interventions to 10 mcg/dL.

* Resubmitting a Department of Health legislative proposal that would link the statewide immunization registry and the statewide registry of children with elevated blood lead levels, promoting timely lead screening by practitioners and improving the state health agency’s ability to survey screening rates.

* Reviewing the results of the evaluation of the Childhood Lead Primary Prevention Program, which are expected by the end of the year. These results will help identify effective local policies and practices, which should be of value in designing future local lead poisoning prevention efforts. In addition, the governor will propose a statutory change to make sure that the program, now known as a pilot program, is permanent.

Today, under the Childhood Lead Primary Prevention Program, the state Department of Health requires screening of children for lead poisoning, and follow-up testing, risk reduction education and nutritional counseling for each child with blood lead levels of 10 mcg/dL or greater.

Each child with a blood lead level of 20 mcg/dL or greater receives a complete diagnostic evaluation, including a detailed lead exposure assessment, nutritional assessment, and developmental screening, followed by a referral to the appropriate local or state health unit for comprehensive follow-up interventions, including environmental inspection and control of lead hazards.

The agency maintains a statewide registry of children with elevated blood lead levels.

The program requires coordination with local and federal agencies in lead poisoning prevention, detection and risk reduction activities as well as public education and community outreach programs.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reduced the allowable concentration of lead in the air by a factor of ten. The revised standards [epa.gov] are expected to improve health protection for at-risk groups, especially children, although questions have been raised about the adequacy of monitoring by state air quality agencies and Democratic members of Congress.

Nationwide, the EPA says, 849 children are poisoned by lead each day.

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ALBANY, New York, August 11, 2008 (ENS) – For years, environmental and health officials have instructed people to flush unused pharmaceuticals down the toilet, but low levels of drugs have now been detected in drinking water supplies, prompting these same officials to reverse their policy and warn people not to flush unwanted drugs.

A new initiative to keep pharmaceuticals out of New York waters was announced Friday by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

The “Don’t Flush Your Drugs” campaign and website [www.dec.ny.gov] is intended to raise public awareness and provide information about how to dispose of both prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines to help prevent future problems with water quality.

“It is critical that all New Yorkers do their part to protect the state’s water resources,” said Governor David Paterson. “While recognizing that the presence of pharmaceuticals in the water is a multi-faceted issue with no single solution or easy technological fix, all of us need to take precautionary action on the things we can affect immediately.”

“This is an emerging environmental issue and the consequences are not yet clear,” said DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis.

Flushing drugs can pollute water
supplies. (Photo courtesy Connecticut
Dept. Consumer Protection)

“We recognize that we’re now asking residents to change something that has been standard practice for years, but we know everyone wants to protect New York’s water quality and public health,” Grannis said. “New Yorkers can help out by not flushing unused drugs and instead using alternate disposal methods.

Instead of flushing medicines, Grannis says New Yorkers should place their unused, unwanted or expired drugs in the trash.

To avoid accidental or intentional misuse of drugs, treat liquids and pills by adding water and then salt, ashes, dirt, cat litter, coffee grounds, or another undesirable substance, officials now recommend.

Hide all medications in an outer container, such as sealable bag, box or plastic tub to prevent discovery and removal from the trash. Seal the container with strong tape. Do not conceal discarded drugs in food to prevent consumption by scavenging humans, pets or wildlife. Further suggestions are on the new DEC website www.dontflushyourdrugs.net.

A nationwide study done in 1999 and 2000 by the United States Geological Survey found low levels of antibiotics, hormones, contraceptives and steroids in 80 percent of the rivers and streams tested.

Though no New York community was singled out, recent studies show that pharmaceuticals can be found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans.

The concentrations of the pharmaceuticals are far below typical medical doses but studies have found problematic impacts on wildlife, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has acknowledged that the issue is a serious concern.

At least 24 major metropolitan areas in the U.S. have been identified as having pharmaceuticals in drinking water supplies. Philadelphia officials found 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts in the city’s treated drinking water. Anti-epileptic and anti-anxiety medications were detected in a Southern California drinking water supply. Three medications, including an antibiotic, were found in the water supplied to Tucson, Arizona.

“New York’s public drinking water is of high quality, but keeping unused drugs out of our waters helps to maintain or improve that quality,” said New York State Department of Health Commissioner Richard Daines, MD. “Hospitals and other institutions can also help with these efforts.”

“The State Education Department recognizes this emerging environmental problem and is working with the DEC to address the proper disposal of drugs.” New York State Education Commissioner Richard Mills said.

“The Education Department, with the advice of its Board of Pharmacy and the pharmaceutical community that it regulates, continue to study why so many dispensed drugs go unused and to determine appropriate strategies to insure that New Yorkers and their environment are protected,” said Mills.

Scientists say pharmaceuticals get into water when individuals and institutions flush unused drugs and when drug manufacturers discharge pharmaceutical wastes.

Also, when unabsorbed drugs pass through the through the human body they may not be completely decomposed in septic tanks. Wastewater treatment plants are not specifically designed to eliminate these types of chemicals, so treatment of municipal and industrial discharge is not the entire answer. Nor do drinking water treatment plants remove all drug residues.

Under the new campaign, DEC will take pro-active steps to address the issue. These include educating the public about the potential hazards of pharmaceuticals in the water and about the proper disposal of unused drugs. This will include consumer guidance on DEC’s web site and education materials in pharmacies.

New York agencies will collaborate on a new state guidance for pharmaceutical disposal practices at hospitals and other institutions. Led by the DEC, this task force will work with the institutions to ensure the guidance is workable and to spread the word about newly prescribed disposal methods.

DEC will encourage pilot collection programs for pharmaceuticals, either by pharmacies or local governments and seek federal funding to create pilot programs and determine the feasibility of a statewide collection program.

New York agencies will combine research efforts with federal environmental and health agencies and will urge the EPA to update and revise federal regulations for disposing pharmaceuticals and update water standards. Grannis says New York and most other states do not have the resources to do this on their own and most of EPA’s water quality criteria date back to the early 1980s.

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ALBANY, New York, July 9, 2008 (ENS) – Two railways will construct a new $40 million intermodal and automotive rail logistics center at a former rail yard in the towns of Halfmoon, Mechanicville, and Stillwater. Work is expected to begin in the first quarter 2009 and be complete by April 2010.

The new rail terminal in Saratoga County will anchor the western end of Pan Am Southern’s Patriot Corridor, a new high-speed freight rail route between the Capitol Region surrounding Albany and the Boston area that will be activated once track and signal improvements are complete.

This is a great announcement for the Capitol Region and for all of New York State,” said Governor David Paterson. “I want to thank Norfolk Southern and Pan Am Railways for choosing to locate here.”

“This is exactly the sort of smart investment in our transportation infrastructure that we need to make during these tough economic times, and one that will spur further economic development,” the governor said.

“As soaring energy costs have forced businesses to re-think how to transport consumer goods, the rail industry has once again become an increasingly viable and affordable option,” said New York State Senator Joe Bruno, a Republican who encouraged the rail companies to locate in New York.

Rising gasoline and diesel prices
make rail freight an attractive option.
(Photo courtesy Pan Am Railways)

“Transportation by rail is still the most economically efficient way to move freight, and even more so today with ever rising fuel prices,” Bruno said.

The state will contribute $3 million to help build the terminal, Bruno said.

In May, Pan Am Railways and Norfolk Southern announced plans to create a joint venture, called Pan Am Southern.

The key component of Pan Am Southern is the Patriot Corridor, the 155 mile main line track that runs between Mechanicville and Ayer, Massachusetts.

Pan Am Southern also includes 281 miles of secondary and branch lines, including trackage rights, in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont.

The new Saratoga County rail logistics center will serve as the primary distribution hub for the Patriot Corridor.

The Pan Am Southern joint venture is subject to the approval of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, which is expected to issue a decision on the transaction in October.

“On behalf of the Pan Am Southern joint venture, I would like to thank Senator Bruno for his leadership and commitment to bring rail yard operations back to Saratoga County,” said Wick Moorman, Norfolk Southern’s chief executive officer.

“With the demand for moving freight throughout the U.S. and New York’s Capitol Region at unprecedented levels, this rail facility will serve as the premier distribution point for consumer products and finished automobiles for upstate New York and western New England,” said Moorman.

As fuel prices rise, more shippers are turning from truck to rail travel. Moorman said the railway is seeing companies that have not used rail to ship goods in 30 years.

David Fink, Pan Am Railways’ president said, “This new terminal will add much-needed freight capacity to the Capitol Region, and is critical to the success of our Pan Am Southern joint venture.”

Rail officials named companies that are committed to use the new rail system, including automakers Ford, Honda, Mazda, Mercedes Benz and Subaru, and transport companies Hanjin, J.B. Hunt and United Parcel Service.

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ALBANY, New York, May 1, 2008 (ENS) – New York’s First Lady Michelle Paige Paterson Thursday unveiled the first installation of solar panels at the Governor’s Mansion, a step toward reducing the mansion’s energy consumption and pollution.

The first solar panels were installed over the pool house, and they will produce 3.5 kilowatts of energy. This fall, the second array of solar panels will be placed on a new carport, adding an additional 46.5 kilowatts to the mansion’s power supply.

First Lady Paterson is the wife of New York’s Governor David Paterson, the former Lt. Governor who ascended to the top position on March 17 in the wake of a prostitution scandal that forced the resignation of Governor Eliot Spitzer.

The new first lady said that she will continue the “Greening the Mansion” initiative to promote healthy buildings and environmental sustainability, while cutting the home’s electrical energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent.

“If our buildings are unhealthy, it increases the chances that we will be unhealthy and that our children will be unhealthy,” said the first lady. “Inefficient buildings are the largest contributors to global warming. In fact, nearly 40 percent of greenhouse emissions come from buildings. This level of pollution contributes to poor air quality and poor health.”

Begun by former First Lady Silda Wall Spitzer, the “Greening the Mansion” initiative is an ongoing project to reduce energy usage, transition the building to clean, renewable energy resources, and develop sustainable practices in maintaining the grounds and operations.

“Greening the Mansion” is intended to demonstrate ways people can change their homes to make them environmentally friendly.

Through simple steps such as upgrading to energy-efficient light bulbs, using natural fiber doormats to reduce the need for vacuuming and toxic floor cleaners, and installing energy-saving appliances, residents can reduce pollution and their energy bills.

“The Mansion should serve as an example of the many ways that New Yorkers can make their homes and businesses into greener, healthier places,” said the first lady.

At the solar panel unveilling event on Thursday, First Lady Paterson announced the submission of a governor’s program bill that would provide an economic incentive to residential developers and homeowners to install solar panels and other green features.

The Green Residential Program Bill would give all New Yorkers the green building incentives already available to businesses. The bill would help offset the typical five percent increase in construction costs when green building features are incorporated into residences.

Tracie Hall, executive director of the New York Upstate Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, said, “The greening of the Governor’s Mansion is yet another example of progressive, sustainable initiatives throughout New York State. We commend the leadership and vision being demonstrated in this beautiful, historic residence.”

Greening the Mansion efforts include phasing in the use of non-toxic cleaning products, organic pest control, mulching lawnmowers that recycle grass clippings in place, extensive recycling, and composting.

The mansion staff has begun to use hybrid electric vehicles. Electric lawn mowers and lawn maintenance equipment that can plug into the solar carport for power will be used to reduce gasoline emissions.

Last year the mansion began purchasing New York-grown, preferably organic, produce to the greatest extent possible. The mansion also purchases from a local food co-op, and joined a local Community Supported Agriculture group, which allows consumers to buy a share in a farm and receive fresh local organic produce when it is harvested.

“Like every home, the history of the Mansion reflects the tenor of the times,” said the first lady. “Decades from now, I hope that historians will look back on our time and determine that it was a turning point, when we made crucial choices to build greener, healthier buildings to reduce our energy consumption, address global warming, and improve the health of all. I hope that “Greening the Mansion” will have played a role in this effort.”

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ALBANY, New York, April 27, 2008 (ENS) – New York Governor David Paterson marked Earth Day by announcing that his administration will support the creation of New York state’s largest source of solar power by covering the roofs of Long Island malls, public and institutional buildings and parking lots with arrays of solar cells.

The move grows out of a recommendation of the Renewable Energy Task Force Paterson convened last year as Lt. Governor to identify and recommend ways of expanding the state’s use of renewable energy and alternative fuels.

Tuesday, on Earth Day, the Long Island Power Authority released a Request for Proposals calling for 50 megawatts of solar energy to be generated on Long Island.

LIPA president and chief executive Kevin Law said the solar energy would be produced by one or more developers of solar photovoltaic systems and would be purchased by LIPA and introduced onto the LIPA grid.

The plan is that the photovoltaic arrays will be installed at school buildings, on commercial and municipal rooftops, along parking lots, atop landfills, and at brownfield sites.

The project is intended to further stimulate the solar marketplace throughout the state, fostering the creation of more “green collar” jobs.

New York Governor David Paterson
(Photo courtesy Office
of the Governor)

“As our need for energy continues to grow on Long Island and throughout the state, it is imperative that we find new ways to develop more renewable energy resources that will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels,” said Governor Paterson.

The project is expected to provide enough power to sustain more than 6,500 households and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20,000 tons.

“The RFP issued today, which was one of the recommendations of my Renewable Energy Task Force, is just one of the actions we are taking to meet our energy needs while reducing the state’s carbon footprint,” the governor said.

The 50 megawatt solar project builds on the success of LIPA’s Solar Pioneer program, which now includes more than 1,200 participants and has resulted in more than $30 million in LIPA rebates.

“LIPA’s Solar Pioneer program for homeowners has helped transform a virtually non-existent residential market into a fast growing success story,” Gordian Raacke, executive director of the not-for-profit organization Renewable Energy Long Island said. “I hope that LIPA’s new large-scale solar initiative will do the same for commercial and institutional buildings on Long Island.”

“The roofs of our malls, institutional buildings and covered parking lots present a huge opportunity to turn Long Island’s abundant sunshine into clean and green electricity,” he said.

The new 50 megawatts of solar will count for nearly one percent of LIPA’s total annual demand and will be the single largest block of solar energy in New York State.

Environmentalists approve of the initiative. Ashok Gupta, senior energy economist for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said, “Governor Paterson and LIPA’s leadership on solar is to be commended.”

“Having 50 megawatts of solar in LIPA’s portfolio will not only help reduce the pollution that causes global warming but it will also provide critical peaking power which is otherwise very expensive and often dirtier than baseload generation,” Gupta said.

“This project will diversify Long Island’s energy portfolio, strengthen the local economy, transform the solar photovoltaic marketplace, and reduce our dependency on costly fossil fuels,” said LIPA chief Law.

A Proposers’ Conference will be held at LIPA’s offices in Uniondale, New York on May 12, where LIPA staff will provide an overview of key elements of the Request for Proposals and answer questions from interested parties. Further details of the conference will be posted on LIPA’s website [www.lipower.org].

The deadline for RFP responses is June 27, 2008. Recommendations for an award are expected to be made at the October 2008 meeting of LIPA’s Board of Trustees.

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ALBANY, New York, April 17, 2008 (ENS) – Six communities in the Catskill Park have been offered a total of $500,000 to help the local governments plan for sustainable development and make the best use of their natural resources.

Governor David Paterson and Commissioner of Environmental Conservation Pete Grannis said the funding will be made available through the state Environmental Protection Fund for grants to promote “smart growth” programs in the Catskill Park, following the successful launch of the program in the Adirondack Park.

“The Catskill Park is one of New York State’s greatest assets,” the governor said. “It is a magnificent natural area that protects the water supplies of millions of New Yorkers while also providing outstanding recreational opportunities for state residents and visitors from around the world.”

“It is also home to more than 70,000 permanent residents whose livelihoods are intertwined with the continued protection of the region’s natural heritage and appropriate economic development opportunities,” Paterson said.

A glimpse of Shandaken, New York,
a community in Catskills Park funded
for sustainable development.
(Photo credit unknown)

The grants will help communities create sustainable projects that preserve the natural resources and cultural heritage of their communities while accommodating increased levels of tourism and related development.

Smart growth can be used in rural areas to address some of the land-use issues facing the park communities, such as workforce housing, aging infrastructure, water quality, economic development, open space protection and community revitalization.

Commissioner Grannis said, “Smart growth is based on the belief that environmental protection and sustainable development can and must go hand-in-hand – especially for communities surrounded by state forest preserve.”

“Local governments in the Catskills face unique circumstances,” said Grannis. “Through this grant program, the state can assist them in dealing with such issues as community revitalization, green infrastructure needs, downtown improvement projects and sustainable job creation.”

Smart growth is also useful in attracting investments from an increasing number of businesses that consider quality-of-life factors in their decisions about where to establish business operations.

Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez said, “Sprawl and strip development threaten the viability of traditional town and village centers in the Catskill Park. By helping to revitalize these vital centers, we begin to set a course toward economic and environmental sustainability in the region.”

The grants will be administered by the Department of Environmental Conservation in partnership with the Department of State. The six grant recipients are: the towns of Andes, Middletown, Olive and Shandaken, and the villages of Fleischmanns and Margaretville.

Proposals will focus on projects that have been identified in previous planning studies to protect the region’s natural resources and accommodate sensible economic growth by revitalizing existing village and town centers.

Deborah Meyer DeWan, interim executive director of the Catskill Center, said, “We are delighted to see these resources coming to these communities for smart growth. We look forward to working with the state, municipalities and others to achieve tangible outcomes from this program that will further economic revitalization in the region.

“By leveraging these grants, each of the towns and villages can become a model for smart growth,” said DeWan, “matching our world-class environment with our small-town ingenuity.”

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ALBANY, New York, April 11, 2008 (ENS) – The New York Secretary of State has rejected Broadwater Energy’s proposal to construct a floating Liquefied Natural Gas terminal moored and moor it in Long Island Sound. The proposal is not consistent with six Long Island Sound Coastal Management Program policies.

New York Governor David Paterson made the announcement Thursday, saying, “One of my goals as governor is to protect Long Island Sound, by preserving it as a valuable estuary, an economic engine for the region, and a key component to making Long Island’s quality of life one of the best in the country. Broadwater does not pass that test,”

“Shame on us if we can’t develop a responsible energy policy without sacrificing one of our greatest natural and economic resources,” said Paterson.

Broadwater Energy is a joint venture between TransCanada Corporation and Shell that proposes to moor a floating LNG tanker terminal the length of three football fields and seven stories high in Long Island Sound nine miles north of the Town of Riverhead and about 11 miles from the nearest shoreline in Connecticut. As many as 156 LNG tankers would enter and exit the Sound to supply the terminal each year. The facility would be surrounded by a security zone to keep the public away.

The governor said it would be the first time in the history of Long Island Sound that a section of open water this size would be handed over to a private company to the exclusion of the public.

“Privatizing open water would be fundamentally wrong,” he said, “and serve as a dangerous precedent for industrializing a body of water that people have spent years and millions of dollars trying to clean up.”

Governor Paterson said the project does not guarantee low-cost gas to Long Island, and moreover, it is not needed because other alternatives exist.

This frame from an animated video shows
the floating terminal on the right and
a tanker coming alongside. (Image
courtesy Broadwater)

He said the facility and associated pipeline and tankers would disrupt commercial and recreational fishing – disrupting a way of life on the Sound and potentially putting families out of business.

The determination comes two weeks after the bi-partisan Federal Energy Regulatory Commission unanimously approved construction and operation of Broadwater.

“We are disappointed and concerned with the NYSDOS’ decision,” said John Hritcko, senior vice president and regional project director with Broadwater Energy. “We specifically designed this project to be consistent with the State’s coastal management policies and offered a number of additional commitments that would further enhance the State’s coastal resources.”

Across the Sound, Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell was exuberant about New York’s rejection of the LNG terminal.

“This is exactly the news we hoped to hear today,” she said, “that New York’s Department of State has recognized the peril that the Broadwater project represents. Peril to the reinvigorated Long Island Sound; peril to the underwater environment, to the shellfish beds and lobster population; peril to fish and other aquatic species; and peril to people from a gigantic industrial platform that is a menace to navigation and an enormous, potentially explosive magnet for terrorism.”

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal had threatened to take Broadwater Energy to court to block the terminal, which has already received approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Rell said, “An LNG project called BlueOcean is planned for the coast of New Jersey that would supply 20 percent more natural gas than Broadwater. It would be located in a less sensitive area, closer to New York, subject to less controversy and facing less opposition.”

“Anyone who has ever stood on these shores and looked out over these beautiful waters understands that this is no place for a giant industrial barge,” said Rell. “This is no place for a floating terrorist target. This is a place to treasure. It is an environmental jewel.”

Hritcko says the regulatory process provides the project a number of options going forward and Broadwater will review the specifics of the decision before deciding on potential next steps. “We continue to believe that the Broadwater project, as proposed, is the best option for New York State to meet its growing demand for clean, affordable, reliable natural gas – and does so with no near shore or onshore impacts,” he said.

Governor Paterson said his administration will develop alternatives to ensure New York’s energy supply. He announced an Executive Order establishing a State Energy Planning Board consisting of representatives from energy, environmental, economic and transportation agencies to write an energy plan.

The state’s energy planning statute expired in 2003 and New York has not had an energy plan since, despite the advances in technology, science and the reality of global warming.

To reduce demand, the governor has directed the state’s two major power authorities to pursue energy conservation. He announced that the Long Island Power Authority is preparing a $1 billion, 10-year initiative to reduce electricity demand on Long Island and will be issuing an request for proposal for a major source of solar power for Long Island.

He said the New York Power Authority is doubling its conservation budget to $1.4 billion through 2015 to reduce electricity use by government buildings and schools throughout the state.

The governor said his administration will explore how to integrate natural gas efficiency measures into its overall efforts to reduce electricity demand 15 percent below projected levels by 2015.

The governor will begin pursuing increased gas pipeline capacity to Long Island and the downstate region, as well as examining alternative natural gas proposals, including LNG.

“One of my other goals as governor is to address high energy costs,” said Paterson. “By both reducing the amount of energy demand, and aggressively pursuing new responsible supply, we can get our state on a path toward lower energy costs, economic revitalization, and a cleaner, healthier environment.”

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ALBANY, New York, March 17, 2008 (ENS) – New York State will join seven other Great Lakes states and two Canadian provinces in a formal effort to protect and improve the water resources of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin.

Legislation authorizing New York’s participation in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact was signed by former Governor Eliot Spitzer on March 4, 2008.

New York Governor David Paterson was sworn in today, replacing the former governor, who resigned in disgrace last week.

“The Great Lakes and their bays and tributaries contain approximately 18 percent of the world’s supply of freshwater, and 90 percent of the United States’ supply of fresh surface water,” said Paterson on Friday, when he was still New York Lt. Governor and governor designate.

The Compact would prohibit most new and increased diversions of water from the Basin, while preserving existing diversions, withdrawals, uses, rights and agreements.

It would establish “regional review” procedures for any new or increased consumptive uses of at least five million gallons per day in any 90 day period and implement water conservation and efficiency programs by each member state.

The Compact would provide for the creation of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Council, consisting of the governors of the eight Great Lakes states.

“Unfortunately, water levels in the Great Lakes have seen drastic declines in the last decade, and it is vitally important that we protect and conserve this essential water resource,” Paterson said. “The Great Lakes Compact demonstrates the commitment of all of the Great Lakes states to work together to achieve that goal.”

In 2001, the governors of the eight Great Lakes states – Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – and the premiers of Ontario and Quebec signed an agreement to develop and implement a new common, resource-based conservation standard for the Great Lakes Basin. After several years of negotiation, the Great Lakes Compact was developed.

In order for the Compact to take effect, each of the eight Great Lakes states must pass legislation ratifying it, and then the U.S. Congress must consent to the signed Compact. New York is now the fourth state to approve the Compact, following approvals by Minnesota, Illinois, and Indiana.

The water surface area of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River and connecting channels covers 95,000 square miles in the eight states and two Canadian provinces, and the drainage area of the Basin covers an additional 200,000 square miles.

Since only about one percent of the water in the Great Lakes is renewed or replaced by rain and tributary inflow each year, a multi-state agreement regulating various withdrawals and diversions is viewed as an important step to preserving this natural resource.

Lake Ontario as seen from Oswego,
New York (Photo by David Jude
courtesy Center for Great
Lakes and Aquatic Sciences)

State Senator George Maziarz, a Republican who represents a district bordering Lake Ontario, said, “Joining this multi-state and multi-province effort is the right thing to do for our environment, for our communities, and for our future.”

Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee Chair Robert Sweeney, a Democrat, wrote the bill authorizing New York’s entry into the Compact. “Over 40 percent of our State lies within the Great Lakes Basin and this provides us with an important environmental resource and economic driver,” he said. “The Compact is designed as proactive legislation to shelter and preserve the Great Lakes.”

New York environmentalists approve of their state’s participation in the Compact.

Derek Stack, executive director of Great Lakes United, said, “Today, New York demonstrates that the spirit of cooperation between the Great Lakes states and provinces is thriving, and reaffirms the value of protecting the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem. Now we must work hard to ensure that the Compact moves swiftly to approval in those states where years of careful negotiation has been held hostage by narrow-minded political agendas.”

Albert Caccese, executive director of Audubon New York, said, “Protecting the water of the Great Lakes is critical for the long term restoration of the Great Lakes ecosystem and for the revitalization of the upstate New York economy. The Great Lakes Compact will allow the region to maintain control of its waters as demand for fresh water continues to grow throughout the nation and worldwide.”

New York Commissioner of Environmental Conservation Pete Grannis said, “The Great Lakes are among America’s greatest natural resources and they must be protected from excessive demands. The Compact is an integral tool that will establish proper management practices and standards so that the benefits these waters provide will continue to be available for future generations.”

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