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On September 16th, 2020, the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCVEF) held a candidate forum for New York Senate District 1 (SD1), which covers the east end of Suffolk County. This race will decide who will replace longtime State Senator and environmental champion Kenneth LaValle, who is retiring. The forum took place on Zoom ahead of the election on November 3rd. NYLCVEF regularly holds candidate forums to provide voters with the opportunity to hear directly from candidates about their stance on important sustainability issues. The SD1 forum featured Assemblyman Anthony Palumbo and Laura Ahearn. The forum was moderated by Denise Civiletti, who is the Founder, Owner, and Co-Publisher of the Riverhead Local website. 

Anthony Palumbo is a NY State Assemblyman for Assembly District 2. During the forum, he shared his work on the Community Preservation Fund in the State Assembly to improve water quality, address nitrogen pollution, and increase climate resiliency. He suggested passing legislation to encourage businesses, municipalities, and school districts to go renewable, and an additional bill to improve drinking water. Palumbo supports legislation subsidizing septic systems, as well as using offshore wind as an energy source. Palumbo would support legislation banning neonicotinoid-coated seeds, and has pledged to keep the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) fully funded.

Palumbo highlighted his previous success lobbying the MTA to increase train service and emphasized the importance of “last mile” transportation alternatives like electric bicycles. He expressed his desire to continue serving on the Environmental Conservation Committee in the Senate, which he has been part of for seven years. He also hopes to clean up the former Calverton Navy/Grumman Superfund site in Bethpage using state funds, and to secure federal funding for the project if possible. Additionally, he supports wage standards for state-subsidized renewable energy projects. Palumbo stressed the need to teach recycling in schools, and advocated for the pooling of resources across municipalities to allow more people to recycle a greater variety of plastics. In his concluding statement, he emphasized the importance of environmental issues to SD1, owing it to local reliance on a sole-source aquifer for water.

Laura Ahearn is a Licensed Attorney and Social Worker in New York State. During the forum, Ahearn stressed the need for a wide range of legislation, including increased taxes on polluters and fossil fuel providers, as well as anaerobic digestion laws. She supports a bill to protect pollinators by banning neonicotinoid-coated seeds. She is also in favor of combating nitrogen pollution through government-funded land acquisition to protect vulnerable areas (such as the aquifer and estuaries), increased wastewater treatment, and a subsidy and/or tax incentive for local homeowners. Ahearn expressed the need to increase renewable energy production and pledged to keep and increase funding for the EPF.

To reduce car pollution, Ahearn supports introducing incentives for EVs, joining a regional transportation and climate initiative, and electrifying the transit system. She expressed a desire to serve on the Environmental Conservation committee, and pledged to fund septic systems and combat nitrogen pollution. If elected, she would use her post to get the Calverton site cleaned up, emphasizing the population’s need for clean drinking water. After securing 1,000 vulnerable acres of the site, she intends to discuss repurposing the remaining space with the community. Ahearn backs wage standards for renewable energy projects, and would like to combat plastic pollution by introducing a state-wide waste management system, expanding the list of recyclable plastics, creating circular markets for plastics, and instituting restrictions on the sale of toxic materials. In her concluding statement, Ahearn emphasized the need to have strong advocates like herself fight climate deniers. 

Thanks to our partners for helping to make this event a success: Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Climate Jobs NY, Climate Reality Project NY, Group for the East End, and Long Island Farm Bureau. Remember to cast your ballot on November 3rd or take the pledge to vote early this election! 

On May 28th, 2020, the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCVEF) held a candidate forum for New York Assembly District 125, which covers Tompkins County and parts of Cortland County, to replace longtime Assemblymember Barbara Lifton, who is retiring. The forum took place on Zoom ahead of New York’s primary election on June 23rd. NYLCVEF regularly holds candidate forums to provide voters with the opportunity to hear directly from candidates about their stance on important sustainability issues. The Assembly D125 forum featured Sujata Gibson, Beau Harbin, Lisa Hoeschele, Anna Kelles, Jason Leifer, Jordan Lesser, and Seph Murtagh. The forum was moderated by Tom Pudney, Managing Editor at the Ithaca Voice.

Sujata Gibson is an activist and local attorney. During the forum, she emphasized the need to focus on food security and hire local workers for green jobs in the region. Gibson supports developing eco-villages that are rural and provide public housing. She believes that the way to combat harmful algal blooms is to help farmers transition to more sustainable farming practices and reduce polluted runoff. Other priorities include building weatherization, clean transportation, and educating the youth about environmental stewardship and growing food.

Beau Harbin is a legislator for District 2 in Cortland County. During the forum, he raised concerns about farmers having the support they need to implement conservation practices, and called for innovative solutions to address water quality issues. Harbin would like to see upgrades to water infrastructure that utilize the power of the region’s river systems. He expressed the need to change the perception of the Green New Deal in rural communities and to pass the Restore Mother Nature Bond Act. Harbin has been working with small manufacturers and businesses in the region to make batteries for renewable energy storage.

Lisa Hoeschele is the Executive Director and CEO of Family & Children’s Counseling Services of Central New York. During the forum, she highlighted that telecommuting and telehealth is something to consider to reduce transportation pollution. Hoeschele is concerned about cheap oil distracting from environmental priorities. She supports a carbon tax and investing the funds into green technology and sustainable development. She supports partnering with community colleges to develop avenues for young people to join the green workforce.

Anna Kelles is a legislator for District 2 in Tompkins County. During the forum, she called for reducing emissions from the transportation and building sectors. She supports providing tax credits and incentives for EVs, upgrading infrastructure for electrification, and generating more renewable energy. She also expressed support for bringing green jobs to disadvantaged communities. She emphasized the importance of helping small farmers transition to sustainable farming practices. Kelles would also like to see upstate high-speed rail, a low carbon fuel standard, and an upgrade to water infrastructure.

Jason Leifer is Dryden Town Supervisor and an attorney. During the forum, he voiced support for using BOCES to train young people in HVAC, weatherization, and rehabilitation of older homes. Leifer would like to see more restoration to stream banks and riparian buffers to improve water quality. In addition, he supports the use of digester systems on farmers that turn waste into renewable gas. He would also like to see more rail trails that encourage biking, improved broadband access so people can telecommute and use telehealth, and more electric vehicle charging stations.

Jordan Lesser currently serves as legal counsel for the New York State Assembly. During the forum, he spoke in support of revamping transportation by increasing rail service, creating bikeable communities, and adopting electric school buses with Volkswagen Settlement funds. Lesser supports a soil health program to reduce nutrients and contaminants from entering water bodies, and lowering the threshold for emissions from power plants. Lastly, he would like to see revenue from a carbon fee invested into disadvantaged communities.

Seph Murtagh currently represents the 2nd Ward on the Ithaca Common Council. During the forum, he called for a streamlined green workforce development track and to prioritize funding for sustainable projects and programs. To meet the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act mandates, Murtagh shared the need to transition heating systems to more sustainable systems. He would like to see more funding for farmers to help them transition to sustainable farming practices and investment in water systems.

Thanks to our partners for helping to make this event a success: Energy21, Sustainable Tompkins, Heat Smart Tompkins, Climate Reality Project NY, League of Women Voters Cortland County, Mothers out Front Tompkins County, and Sierra Club. Remember to cast your ballot for the New York primaries on June 23rd via absentee ballot or at your polling place!

On April 23rd, 2020, the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCVEF) held a candidate forum for Congressional District 17 in the lower Hudson Valley, whose longtime representative and environmental champion, Nita Lowey is retiring. The forum took place before New York’s primary election on June 23rd. NYLCVEF holds candidate forums to provide voters with the opportunity to hear directly from candidates about their stance on important sustainability issues. Our D17 forum focused on issues in Westchester and Rockland County and featured the following candidates: Assemblyman David Buchwald, State Senator David Carlucci, Asha Castleberry-Hernandez, Evelyn Farkas, Alison Fine, Mondaire Jones, County Legislator Catherine Parker, and Adam Schleifer. 

David Buchwald is a NY State Assemblyman for Assembly District 93. During the forum, he emphasized his interest in setting a national fuel efficiency standard that would be similar to California’s. Buchwald is a supporter of community choice aggregation and would like to see it adopted nationwide. He raised concerns about the gas pipeline running through the grounds of the Indian Point nuclear power plant, and supports the decommissioning of the facility. With regard to the health of the Hudson River, Buchwald shared his years of advocacy to prevent oil barges from populating the river.

David Carlucci is a NY State Senator representing Senate District 38. During the forum, he raised concerns about the diversion of funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and supported incentives for businesses to invest in renewable energy. Carlucci would like to see a nationwide residential renewable energy tax credit to ensure that homeowners can switch to geothermal, solar, and wind energy sources. He expressed disappointment with how the EPA has handled the cleanup of PCBs in the Hudson River, noting its status as the largest Superfund site in the nation. Carlucci has been working with Riverkeeper to continually test the river’s water quality with the intent to open a beach in Ossining on the river’s shore.

Asha Castleberry-Hernandez is a national security expert, combat veteran, and professor. During the forum, she highlighted that the LWCF should be fully funded, as it improves quality of living, especially for vulnerable communities. She is concerned about water quality degradation and would like to see improved EPA water quality standards. She supports the shutdown of Indian Point, noting that it is a national security threat in addition to an environmental one. 

Evelyn Farkas is an American national security advisor who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia from 2012-2015. During the forum, she called for removing subsidies for the fossil fuel industry and instead incentivizing clean energy. She also expressed support for offshore wind and wants to see our nation move to an energy grid that allows for the electrification of vehicles. Farkas said she believes that climate change is a health, labor, environmental, and national security issue. Additionally, she does not support biofuels and believes that Congress needs to do more to hold the EPA accountable.

Alison Fine is a former faculty member of the Union of Reform Judaism, current member of the UJA-Westchester Regional Advisory Council, and founder of Innovation Network, Inc. During the forum, she voiced support for the LWCF because enjoying parks is a fundamental part of American life. Fine would like to see the EPA pivot to become a Department of Ecological Stewardship that focuses on the next generation of green technology, potentially boosting entrepreneurship throughout the economy. Fine supports closing Indian Point, and would like to see leadership in Congress that listens and asks for input from the public, especially post-pandemic. 

Mondaire Jones is an attorney, nonprofit leader, and activist. During the forum, he spoke in support of the Green New Deal and a federal mandate to decarbonize our economy, as he believes a carbon tax is too modest and regressive. Additionally, he said that the Green New Deal will help create jobs post-pandemic. Jones could not stay for the entirety of the forum, but stated that he’d like to see more investment in transportation infrastructure and a transition to renewable resources.

Catherine Parker serves on Westchester County’s Board of Legislators as representative for the 7th district. During the forum, she called for eliminating fossil fuel subsidies and incentivizing renewable energy. She also highlighted the need to prioritize renewable energy in public housing developments. Parker described the link between the COVID-19 pandemic and social justice, and how the effects of climate change—similar to that of the pandemic—disproportionately affect disadvantaged communities. To that point, she spoke of her work to eliminate #4 and #6 heating oils during her first term on the Board of Legislators. Additionally, Parker would like to see fracking banned nationwide. 

Adam Schleifer is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and NYS consumer-protection regulator. During the forum, he shared his support for a carbon tax that would help fund the LWCF. He also supports renewable energy and efforts to incentivize the private sector to develop new technologies. Schleifer believes that science should drive policies. He shared he is open to biofuels as an alternative to jet fuel, would like to see a national infrastructure plan to drive jobs and education nationwide, and supports the shutdown of Indian Point.

Special thanks to our moderator, Danielle Muoio from NY Politico and to our nonprofit partners, Hudson Riverkeeper, Croton100, Scenic Hudson, and The Climate Reality Project for their help in making this event a success. Don’t forget to vote on June 23rd! Find your polling place here. 

On April 21st, 2020, the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCVEF) held a candidate forum for Congressional District 15’s primary election, which will take place on June 23rd to replace longtime environmental champion Rep. Serrano who is retiring. The forum was held virtually via Zoom and streamed on Facebook Live. NYLCVEF’s candidate forums provide for voters to hear directly from seven of the candidates about where they stand on important sustainability issues. Our D15 forum focused on issues in the South Bronx and featured the following candidates: Assemblyman Michael Blake, Samelys López, Melissa Mark-Viverito, Chivona Newsome, Julio Pabón, City Council Member Ydanis Rodríguez, and City Council Member Ritchie Torres.

In general, candidates spoke about the needs of the district, and how the communities there are experiencing disproportionate rates of COVID-19 infection. In addition, community members experience high rates of asthma and poor air quality, and need more access to green spaces and reliable public transit. 

Michael Blake serves as a New York Assemblyman for the 79th District in the Bronx. During the forum, Blake discussed his priorities for addressing poverty in the district and securing equitable funding and access to public transit. When it came to issues such as cleaning up the Bronx River, increasing access to open spaces, and funding from the federal government, he tied these topics to the opportunity to create green jobs for constituents. Blake also seeks to increase ADA accessibility for public buses and address exposure to harmful chemicals, such as lead. 

Samelys López is an activist and co-founder of the nonprofit Bronx Progressives. During the forum, she focused on improving air quality in the district. López emphasized the importance of community-based planning, youth education and engagement, and grassroots organizing on environmental issues. She would like to see more coordination between the federal and state government to ensure proper funding for public transportation. She suggested building a cross-Bronx subway line to help people travel from east to west. When it comes to parks, López would like to see permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. She emphasized the importance of collaborating with community members to determine what other priorities should be in the district. 

Melissa Mark-Viverito is former speaker of the New York City Council from 2014-2017. Prior to that, from 2006-2017, she was a City Council Member for the 8th district. During the forum, Mark-Viverito raised the importance of retrofitting public housing buildings to improve energy efficiency, and reinvesting money from congestion pricing back into the community and for transit infrastructure. She continually emphasized the importance of community-led initiatives and elevating community voices, and advocated for educating the youth about how government works and how to determine policy priorities. Mark-Viverito also mentioned the New York State Bond Act as a way to protect green spaces, and wants to see federal incentives that create cooperatives and green jobs. 

Chivona Newsome is an activist and co-founder of Black Lives Matter Greater New York. During the forum, she called for better land use and creative solutions for farming to increase access to healthy produce in the district. When it comes to helping the MTA, Newsome said that the people need to be bailed out first. She highlighted the disproportionately higher rates of asthma, HIV, and other illnesses in the South Bronx, and that she would like to see electric buses and more bike lanes to help improve air quality. Newsome also emphasized the importance of investing in the youth and teaching them how to organize around climate change.

Julio Pabón is a community organizer and businessman from the Bronx. Throughout the forum, he emphasized the link between poverty and pollution, and that many solutions to address one can help the other. Pabón would like to see an audit of the MTA to ensure money is being spent properly. Pabón emphasized that air pollution is high in the district due to the major roads that run through it. He wants to see more trees in the area and safeguard existing green spaces. Lastly, Pabón would like to see environmental issues included in school curriculums. 

Ydanis Rodríguez is a New York City Councilmember for the 10th District and chair of the Transportation Committee. During the forum, Rodríguez highlighted that District 15 in the Bronx is the poorest Congressional District in the country, and emphasized that there should be more funding from the federal government to improve quality of life there. He stated that public transit should be free, the Bronx River should be cleaned up, and that climate change education should be included in school curriculums. Additionally, Rodríguez noted the disparity between funding for parks in marginalized neighborhoods versus major parks in Manhattan, calling for equal attention to all neighborhood parks across the city, especially in the South Bronx. 

Ritchie Torres is a New York City Councilmember for the 15th District. During the forum, Torres elevated the need to reduce emissions and invest in renewable energy. He emphasized the need to create new, green jobs. In particular, he highlighted green infrastructure projects as a way to create jobs and improve the health of the Bronx River. Torres spoke about the need to address lead issues in public housing, as there is no safe level of exposure to lead. Lastly, he would like to see the Cross Bronx Expressway decommissioned and buses electrified to improve air quality in the district. 

Special thanks to our moderator Ese Olumhense, a Bronx reporter for The City and to our nonprofit partners, New Yorkers for Parks, Natural Areas Conservancy NYC, and The Climate Reality Project for their help in making this event a success.

On February 12th, 2020, the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCVEF) held a nonpartisan candidate forum for the Queens Borough President special election, which will take place on March 24th. The forum took place at the New York Hall of Science in Corona and provided the opportunity for nearly 100 voters to hear from candidates about where they stand on important sustainability issues in Queens. Participating candidates included Costa Constantinides, Elizabeth Crowley, Anthony Miranda, and Donovan Richards.

Candidates spoke about the imminent threat of climate change, protecting Queens communities from the risk of flooding, the need for sustainable transportation options, and the importance of improving local air quality in Queens neighborhoods.

Costa Constantinides has represented Western Queens in the New York City Council since 2014. During the forum, he expressed the need to “break car culture” and pursue more sustainable methods of transportation, the importance of waste equity, environmental justice, and the expansion of green space in Queens. He also brought attention to the Renewable Rikers Act, legislation he recently introduced that would transform Rikers Island to be a renewable energy hub. He discussed using Rikers to process organic waste and moving a wastewater treatment plant there. Constantinides noted that his ideas for Rikers could lead to the creation of green jobs in the borough.

Elizabeth Crowley is a former Queens City Council member and served from 2009–2017. Crowley emphasized public transportation issues, including reducing rider fares and utilizing railways for public transportation. She also highlighted the devastation from Superstorm Sandy and the delayed response in recovery efforts. Crowley plans to prioritize green infrastructure projects to help protect Queens communities from future flooding events. She also proposed implementing a tax to address traffic congestion and air pollution near airports; funds generated could be invested back into the borough.

Anthony Miranda is a former law enforcement officer and long-time civil rights advocate. Throughout the forum, Miranda discussed several key issues, including the need for sustainability to be at the core of all city planning projects. He affirmed the importance of having a proper environmental impact assessment for the proposed LaGuardia AirTrain. Miranda echoed other candidates’ views about public transportation accessibility, and stressed the need for safer bike lanes.

Donovan Richards has served as a New York City Council member of Southeast Queens and the Rockaways since 2013. During the forum, Richards spoke about his involvement in rebuilding the areas of Queens affected by Superstorm Sandy. He also expressed the need for green infrastructure in areas of Queens that are most vulnerable to flooding. Richards spoke about his priority for improving conditions in environmental justice communities, including stopping the use of heating oil that creates air pollution and negative health outcomes. Additionally, Richards discussed his plans to increase education for green technology to get more people involved in the emerging green workforce.

The forum concluded with remarks from Melissa Zavala, a board member from the Jackson Heights Beautification Group, who co-hosted the event with NYLCVEF. Zavala highlighted the city’s current sustainability efforts and how ambitious programs are needed to achieve our goals. By electing a Queens Borough President who places the environment as a top priority, Queens can lead the charge in these efforts.

Thank you to our partners, Jackson Heights Beautification Group, Eastern Queens Alliance, Guardians of Flushing Bay, New Yorkers for Parks, Regional Plan Association, Waterfront Alliance, and Tri-State Transportation Campaign for helping to make the event a success!

A special thanks to the New York Hall of Science for hosting this event.