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New Report: No Excuses, NYC: Replace Lead Drinking Water Pipes Now

By Grace Prince

According to a new report by the New York City Coalition to End Lead Poisoning, an estimated 1 in 5 New Yorkers may be drinking from lead service lines (LSLs). The report, No Excuses, NYC: Replace Lead Drinking Water Pipes Now, co-authored by the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Fund, and Earthjustice, identifies the problem of LSLs in the City and recommends urgent action towards their immediate removal. 

The CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics and other prominent health organizations all agree that there is no safe level of lead exposure. Lead poisoning can have adverse health effects at any age level, however, young children and infants are most at risk. 

LSLs are the lead pipes that connect the city water mains under the street to residences and are the biggest source of lead in drinking water. During the early 20th century, the use of LSLs for drinking water was heavily marketed in cities across the U.S. until the public became aware of the effect lead pipes can have on human health. 

“New York City’s drinking water supply is the envy of many other cities. Yet, for all of the money we have invested to protect our watershed, our return on investment is greatly diminished with each lead service line that remains in the ground,” said Joshua Klainberg, Senior Vice President for the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund.

The report has already garnered attention in New York City and beyond. In addition to City Limits, NY1, the Gothamist, and the Guardian all featured the findings.

The Lead and Copper Rule is Failing 

While a federal ban was placed on lead pipes in 1986, and New York City banned them in 1961, the EPA does not require the replacement of legacy lead pipes underground. Health experts and state regulators agree that the removal of LSLs is a necessary part of any health-protective drinking water standard. But the EPA Lead and Copper Rule, which regulates lead in drinking water, is failing to protect the health of communities because it does not require water systems to completely replace lead pipes.

Contaminants in drinking water are typically regulated based on a “maximum contaminant level” (MCL), which is the level of the contaminant before known or anticipated adverse health effects may occur. The MCL for lead in water is zero, however the EPA failed to codify an MCL for lead and instead implemented a “treatment technique” designed to reduce lead levels within a water system. 

This technique is wholly inadequate because the treatment process does not require that the water system reduce lead levels below a certain amount—or in many cases, at all. Furthermore, the frequency at which water systems are required to test for lead varies and fails to account for the fluctuation that can occur from day to day. Lead exposure is often episodic, meaning that on one day, lead levels could be near zero, while the next they could reach extremely high levels, making testing for lead levels insufficient unless done over an extended period of time. 

The problem reaches every borough. Compared to the citywide lead or possible LSL average of 42%, Staten Island (39%) and Queens (40%) are below the average while three—Brooklyn (46%), Manhattan (44%), and the Bronx (42%)–are at or above the average.  

The same report found that nearly half of the neighborhoods with the highest number of lead or possible LSLs are also neighborhoods with the highest percentage of elevated blood lead levels for children under the age of six. While it is impossible to know for certain the source of the lead poisoning, the high degree of LSLs in these neighborhoods deserve a closer look by the DEP and the NYC Department of Health.

“This report should be a wake-up call for the city, as lead is a dangerous neurotoxin with health impacts that last a lifetime,” said Lonnie Portis, New York City Policy and Advocacy Manager at WE ACT for Environmental Justice.“It confirms that lead service lines are located primarily in low-income communities and communities of color, like East Harlem, which is ranked second highest in the city for potential lead water contamination. These are the same neighborhoods where the majority of the homes with lead paint are located, and with some of the worst air pollution in the city.

Newark Shows the Way Forward

Answers on how to replace LSLs quickly, efficiently, equitably, and affordably lie across the Hudson in Newark, New Jersey. 

Following an NRDC lawsuit on behalf of local schoolteachers, Newark replaced all of its lead service lines in under three years. Key to its success was an ordinance that fully funded the mandated replacement of all lead service lines in the city. The full report details more of the provisions that led to Newark’s success, but experts agree both the requirement of the removal of the pipes and the provision of funding for the project were essential components. 

“Cities like Newark, NJ have demonstrated that complete replacement of lead pipelines is possible and proving to be successful in reducing toxic lead exposure,” said Marissa Lieberman-Klein, associate attorney at Earthjustice. “We urge NYC lawmakers to take action and help prevent toxic lead exposure, especially for our children who can be irreparably harmed by lead in their drinking water.”

The report estimates that replacing all of the lead service lines in NYC would cost around $1.35 billion or around $8,800 per LSL. A mandated replacement program can help reduce costs by utilizing economies of scale and with contractors covering large areas of the city at a time, resulting in less cost per LSL removal. Add to that the state and federal sources of funding available, removing LSLs could come at a minimal financial cost to New Yorkers. 

Having identified the problem, the solution, and sources of funding, what we need now is the political will.  The report calls on the NYC City Council to pass a local law, similar to that of Newark, mandating the replacement of all lead service lines within ten years, at little or no cost to New Yorkers.  

“It’s not rocket science,” Joan Matthews, a senior attorney for the NRDC, told City Limits. “We know what the problem is. We know what needs to be done. And now we need to have our local government officials make it happen.” 

Read No Excuses, NYC: Replace Lead Drinking Water Pipes Now 

A Responsible Trip to the Great Outdoors: Your Guide to Leave No Trace

By Nate Cohen

Sunny skies, long days, warm weather—summer is the perfect time to enjoy the outdoors. Luckily, New York State is brimming with stunning destinations for both day trips and overnight adventures. From the Catskill and Adirondack mountains to the beaches of Long Island, to the many lakes, waterfalls, and scenic vistas that define our state parks, there is no shortage of places to explore. However, outdoor recreation can also have its drawbacks—namely harm to plants and wildlife. So before you embark on your next adventure, remember these key Leave No Trace principles.

What is Leave No Trace?

Leave No Trace, or LNT for short, is perhaps the most basic conservation principle. You might hear it from park rangers, or see it on a posted sign or on a trail map. The precise meaning of LNT will change based on the environment and activity, but these are the basic principles:

  • Practice Proper Waste Disposal

Whether hiking, sunbathing or camping out, be sure not to leave any trash of any kind behind. Dispose of all food and non-food waste in a garbage can, or carry it out with you. This may require some planning, by carrying in an empty garbage bag with you if no garbage cans are available on site. The reason for this is simple: Even food waste can severely alter and harm an ecosystem. And you certainly don’t want to leave litter behind for the next visitor to see.

If nature calls, use a trowel to dig a hole at least 200 feet from a water source. After you finish your business, be sure to cover the hole completely. This avoids contamination of nearby water sources, preventing the spread of water-borne illnesses.

  • Leave What You Find

Visitors should avoid altering the natural setting of an environment. As tempting as it may be to pick flowers or collect shells or pebbles on your next hike, camping trip or beach outing, LNT dictates that you leave these natural artifacts behind. Moreover, visitors should avoid physically altering nature by doing anything destructive, including hammering nails or carving initials into trees. We want the natural beauty to remain as is for future visitors.

  • Respect Wildlife

For some, witnessing wildlife can be the highlight of their outdoor adventure. For others, a wildlife encounter may be their worst fear. Regardless, when exploring outdoors, you should be aware of the creatures who inhabit the area and the dangers they pose. Wildlife may be unpredictable, cause serious injuries, or spread disease. Thus, to ensure your safety, avoid feeding or touching wild animals. It’s also best to avoid carrying scented items, including food in open containers. This can attract wildlife and create a hazard. 

Following these principles can go a long way towards protecting the environment and wildlife, and ensuring the outdoors remains pristine for future visitors. 

Green Tips: Plastic Free July 2023

By Peter Aronson

It’s a no-brainer that we need to eliminate plastic waste from our earth. 

Plastic production, transport and waste contribute substantially to global warming and plastic pollution is a global disaster, choking oceans, contaminating water supplies and endangering human, plant and animal health.

With Plastic Free July almost here, it’s a great opportunity for everyone to take the pledge and establish plastic-free habits that will last a lifetime.

Plastic Free July was established in 2011 by the Plastic Free Foundation in Australia to bring attention to the overwhelming dangers of plastic pollution. Over the last 12 years, hundreds of millions of people have participated with a stated goal of eliminating all plastic waste around the world. In 2022, it’s estimated that 140 million people from 195 countries participated in various ways, from educational programs to clean-up days to establishing new plastic-free habits. 

According to earthday.org fact sheets, humans produce 400 million tons of plastic waste a year and less than eight percent of that is recycled. Every minute of every day, humans buy a staggering one million plastic water bottles and annually we use five trillion plastic bags, most of which end up in rivers, oceans, landfills or somehow in our food supply. Among the other startling and scary facts: Microplastics are present in almost every water system in the world, and chemicals from plastic containers are found in most urine samples and in most breast milk in the developed world.

“Plastic is now in our blood stream, attaching itself to our heart, lungs, kidneys, and brains,” earthday.org says, adding that “Plastic particles can last for thousands of years.” 

The MIT Climate Portal reports, not surprisingly, that the United States produces more plastic waste than any other country. “Something from Amazon.com that was packaged one day ago, you throw the packaging out,” said Christopher Noble, MIT’s Environmental Solutions Initiative’s Director of Corporate Engagement. “That packaging was used for 24 hours and then is thrown into a landfill.” It will take decades to decompose, and this produces dangerous greenhouse gasses as it does.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development estimates that throughout their lifecycle, plastics have a significant carbon footprint, emitting 3.4% of all global greenhouse gas emissions.

The plastic industry emits greenhouse gasses at every stage, from material extraction to production to disposal and incineration, according to many reports, including those by MIT and the World Bank. MIT, citing a 2019 report from the Center for International Environmental Law, says the plastic industry by 2030 will be releasing greenhouse gas emissions equal to the entire continent of Africa.

The World Bank, in its 2021 report, explained that plastics originate from fossil fuels, with the plastics industry accounting for six percent of global oil consumption. Thus, if we reduce the use of plastic, we reduce the dependence on oil and the greenhouse-gas producing processes of extracting and distilling oil. Among its other disturbing details: 1) A garbage truck equivalent of plastic waste is dumped into the ocean every minute. Marine plastic pollution breaks down into microplastics and contributes to global warming through GHG emissions and indirectly by impacting ocean organisms; and 2) Open burning of plastic and other waste is a common practice in South Asia and the developing world, with it a particular problem in India and Nepal. This burning leads to the dangerous air pollutant called black carbon and is responsible for half the visible smog in New Delhi. The global warming potential of black carbon is up to 5,000 times greater than that of carbon dioxide.  

It’s imperative that we reduce our reliance on plastic. Reefrelief.org lists 50 ways to do so. Below are their most common examples and a few of our own:

  1. Stop buying bottled water. Use a reusable container and take it with you when you leave the house;
  2. Stop using plastic bags of any kind. Use reusable cloth bags, including those for vegetables, and take them with you whenever you leave the house;
  3. Do not purchase fruits and vegetables in plastic containers; Purchase items loose or those in compostable or reusable containers. Shopping at your local farmers market makes this easier;
  4. Start a plastic-free program at a business, school, building or in your community;
  5. Use glass, not plastic, storage containers; and
  6. Use your own reusable cup when purchasing to-go coffee or other drinks. 

Search the internet for Plastic Free July events near you. Madison Square Park Conservancy in NYC will hold events, with info here. 

Earthday.org’s toolkit for starting a plastic-free life can be found here. 

Take our Plastic Free July pledge here! 

A Farm Friendly and Sustainable Summer 

By Peter Aronson

Buying locally produced food and dining at farm-to-table restaurants is one way we can all work together to fight climate change.  

Here we will offer tips on how you can turn your summer into an educational farm-to-table extravaganza.

You can start out by visiting one of the many urban farms in New York City or elsewhere in the state, and then you can dine at one of the many farm-to-table restaurants.

Eating locally produced foods helps to cut down on one of the largest contributors of climate change: Transportation. Transporting food great distances to the East Coast is one of the leading sources of carbon pollution. Eating locally produced food, at home and in restaurants, is one way to drastically reduce that carbon footprint.

You can start your educational adventure by visiting a wonderful hidden gem along the Westside Highway, at 34th Street, where the seven-acre Javits Convention Center rooftop garden provides a stirring view of the Hudson River. Few people know that the facility has one of the largest green roofs in the United States and that it includes a one-acre farm. The area, a sanctuary to dozens of local and migratory birds, grows up to 50 crops a year to provide, literally, rooftop-garden-to-table food for events at the Javits Center. 

The roof is open to tours April-November. The cost is $5. Great for a family outing.

If you live in Brooklyn or wish to visit, there’s the 6,000-square foot Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in Greenpoint. The organic farm, a non-profit sitting atop a warehouse, runs a weekly market and sells its produce to local restaurants. They also accept volunteers. For more info: http://rooftopfarms.org/volunteer/. 

There’s also Brooklyn Grange farms, with two locations open to the public, at the  Brooklyn Navy Yard and in Sunset, Queens. The multi-acre organic farms offer a great variety of public events, from tours and yoga to events such as weddings. They produce more than 100,000 pounds of vegetables a year for its farmer’s market and host events.

Or you can take the family to the 40,000-square-foot Randall’s Island Urban Farm. It’s open on weekends from 10-4. They offer free events where you can learn about urban gardening, composting, sustainable agriculture, and even rice paddies, which the farm has.

Or, if you want to be more adventurous, try volunteering at NYC’s Billion Oyster Project, which is restoring the devastated oyster reefs to New York Harbor. The oysters, through their own filtering system, naturally clean the harbor water and their reefs protect the shoreline from erosion. To learn more why oysters are environmentally important to New York waterways (they are called “ecosystems engineers”), click here: https://www.billionoysterproject.org/ecosystem-engineers. 

To explore volunteering, click here: https://www.billionoysterproject.org/volunteer.     

If you live in or want to visit the greenest borough in New York City, wander over to the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden on Staten Island. The center, which has 14 botanical gardens on its 83-acre campus, is open seven days a week, dawn to dusk, and is free to enter. For more info, visit https://snug-harbor.org/hours/. And if you want to volunteer in a beautiful, outdoor setting, visit https://snug-harbor.org/volunteer/. 

Snug Harbor includes the 2.5 acre Heritage Farm. To volunteer at the farm’s composting program, click to learn more: https://snug-harbor.org/heritage-farm/ 

If you want to learn more about bees or beekeeping, visit the hives in Bryant Park. You’ll learn about how bees help make our plants healthier and more beautiful.

If you want to take a short boat ride south, visit the one-acre urban farm on Governors Island, known as the GrowNYC Teaching Garden. They offer teaching events for kids and older adults and is open to the general public as well. Click here for more information about Governors Island and here for more about the rest of the sustainable happenings in the city.  

To learn more about the benefits of farming and locally-sourced produce on Long Island, visit the Suffolk County Farm and Educational Center in Yaphank. One of its stated goals is to help educate the public so as to “pave the way for a sustainable future.”

Westchester Family lists 13 farms to visit with your family in Westchester County.

If you want to stay on a farm in the Catskills, there are plenty of options.  

There are family farms in the Albany region. In the Adirondacks, Up Yonda Farm Environmental Education Center is a good option.

To find the best farm-to-table restaurants in NYC, see Wanderly, TimeOut New York, Culture Trip, Open Table, or just Google for your own preference or neighborhood.

The I Love New York website lists favorite farm-to-table restaurants throughout the state.    

Happy sustainable eating. 

Green Tips for Spring Cleaning

By Peter Aronson

The term spring cleaning should take on new meaning as we all strive to make our homes and communities more environmentally sustainable.

Websites from Planet Aid to Eartheasy to One Tree Planted to Bob Vila’s home improvement site all have articles suggesting ways to spring clean while collectively lowering our carbon footprints.

When reading these articles, one thought stands out: This is an opportunity for a reset, to start new, green habits that will carry on even well past spring.

Here’s a compilation of their suggestions, all quite easy to do:

  1. Use reusable rags, not paper towels to clean;

  2. Use homemade or eco-friendly cleaning solutions. Homemade cleaning solutions can be made with vinegar, lemon, essential oils and baking soda. See webmd article for details;

  3. Donate, don’t toss. Donate old clothes, furniture, books and knick-knacks to an appropriate charity. Upcycling items we no longer need reduces waste going to landfills and helps individuals less fortunate;

  4. Start participating in local composting … or get ready to do so. It’s now available throughout Queens and in some areas of the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan, and coming soon to every New Yorker. For more info on NYC composting, click here. (PS: You’ll be amazed how much fun it is placing compostable food waste in a biodegradable bag and dumping it in a curbside bin. All you have to do is download the NYC Smart Compost app to your phone.)

    Also, if you want to clean out your fridge and shelves, compost food past date, and donate canned food that’s still good.

    If you don’t live in New York City, search the Internet for composting sites in your community;

  5. With more local fresh produce on the way at your local green market, start buying produce not contained in plastic containers or plastic bags and then continue this practice past spring and summer. Reuse old containers, paper bags, or buy reusable plastic bags, easily found on the Internet;
  6. While you’re at it, start using recyclable trash bags for all your garbage;

  7. If you haven’t already, make a commitment to using reusable bags whenever shopping for anything;

  8. If you have an outdoor space, dry laundry outside, instead of using a dryer;

  9. Seal doors and windows that were drafty during the winter;

  10. Although this should be encouraged any time of the year, since spring brings many signs of change, make a commitment to canceling delivery of all paper statements. It’s surprisingly easy to do online. If you can’t figure out how to do it, ask someone who is more familiar with these tasks; and

  11. Unless it’s too unbearably hot, try opening the windows instead of using air conditioning. The less electricity we use, the lower our carbon footprint.

For more info about all of these suggestions, please see: One Tree Planted, Eartheasy, Planet Aid and Bob Vila’s home improvement tips. 

Happy green spring cleaning!

NYLCV Honors Earth Month With Advocacy and Education

By Sunday afternoon the rain clouds had parted and the sun was beaming on the corner of Wyckoff & Jefferson in Brooklyn, and the hundreds of people gathered for the House of Yes’s Earth Love Festival. There, and three miles away on the Upper West Side of Manhattan at the NYC Earth Day Grand Bazaar, among music acts, shopping, games, and scores of vendors, Team NYLCV set up shop to engage visitors about the League’s mission and the importance of clean energy and sustainability in addressing the climate crisis.

On Saturday–Earth Day–the League was educating for the environment along the banks of the Hudson River at Green Ossining’s 13th annual Ossining Earth Day Festival. 

It was the conclusion of a week-plus of advocacy and education work for the League that began on Friday, April 14, when NYLCVEF & Siemens hosted a panel discussion at the IBM Learning Center in Armonk, NY, about the hardware, software and infrastructure upgrades needed to make the transition to a zero-emission vehicle fleet a reality in New York. 

Then, to kick off Earth Week proper, League staff set up shop in Union Square in Manhattan for Earth Day Initiative’s annual Earth Day Festival. It was a great afternoon featuring dozens of environmental groups & climate campaigns, interactive workshops & speeches, & a loud call to elected officials to prioritize environmental justice.

It was also a big week on the policy side. On Tuesday, NYLCV President Julie Tighe joined New York’s environmental leaders to announce the completion of eight large-scale renewable energy infrastructure projects, a powerful reminder this Earth Week of New York’s commitment to a clean energy future.

Later in the week, Mayor Adams released PlaNYC, New York City’s strategic climate plan. PlaNYC identifies high-priority areas that require immediate attention, including improving air and water quality, creating a circular economy, expanding green spaces, and enhancing resilience to extreme weather events, a critical effort that will be greatly enhanced by a newly established flood and climate resilience bureau. We were very pleased that the plan also identifies reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution as a priority–a new rooftop solar initiative and new low- and no emission zones will go a long way toward achieving this goal. 

Much of our advocacy work coalesced around the ongoing state budget negotiations. NYLCV is pushing hard for our priorities to be included, including cap and invest and a slate of measures to decarbonize the buildings sector. 

As budget negotiations continued to drag on, NYLCV Policy Director Pat McClellan provided an update on our priorities stand and asked supporters to support our ongoing efforts by making an Earth Day donation to NYLCV. 

On Friday, McClellan joined Congressmen Jerry Nadler and Dan Goldman and partners at the choke point of the Manhattan side of the Lincoln Tunnel to call for the implementation of congestion pricing. It’s been over a decade since congestion pricing was proposed in NYC & as the area population & commerce have grown, so too has traffic & gridlock–which causes higher GHG emissions & worse air pollution. NYLCV is emphasizing the urgency of the issue and that it’s time to turn plans into action and move forward with congestion pricing now.

Earth Month is not over yet, however, and on Tuesday NYLCV will join partners in Albany for Earth Day Advocacy Day. Advocates from across the state will meet with legislators at the Capitol and Legislative Office Building to call for the advancement of a package of environmental legislation which addresses energy efficiency, climate & environmental justice, clean water, lead poisoning prevention, waste reduction and toxins in products.

Whale Tales and Whale Facts

By Juan Torres 

On Tuesday, April 4,  NYLCVEF hosted a webinar with the NY Offshore Wind Alliance and Citizens Campaign for the Environment on whale protection called Whale Tales and Whale Facts. Attendees heard from experts about threats to whales off NY’s coast and what we can do to protect these endangered species. 

The program included experts from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the Atlantic Sea Conservation Society, and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), and was moderated by Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment. She was joined by Julie Tighe, President of NYLCV & NYLCVEF; and by Fred Zalcman, Director of the New York Offshore Wind Alliance. 

Esposito kicked off the event by emphasizing how much New Yorkers care about the whale population and how recent events have sparked an interest in learning more about whale conservation. She also highlighted research from Gotham Whale, a non-profit citizen-science organization that tracks whale populations around New York Harbor. 

That research indicated that there were sightings of over 260 whales (mostly juvenile Humpback Whales) in the New York City area in 2022, while a decade ago there were only five sightings. This is the result of a law that protects the Menhaden fish species, a big food-source for many whales. The growth in the whale population is also a result of removing ghost gear that is harmful to whales within New York waters. 

Speaker Meghan Rickard, a Marine Biologist with The Division of Marine Resources for The New York State DEC, spoke about how endangered large whale species found in New York are a priority for the state. She highlighted management plans that focus on whale surveys and whale monitoring for a variety of species. This follows the New York Ocean Action Plan which had a 3 year time-frame for baseline monitoring. 

The second speaker, Dr. Erica Staaterman, a PHD Scientist with BOEM, presented her research in bioacoustics and their effects on whales. Bioacoustics is the investigation of sound production, dispersion and reception in animals. She spoke about which sources of underwater sound are the most harmful to whales and noted that despite what some anti-offshore wind groups are contending, the sound created from offshore wind construction is less harmful than other sources of bioacoustics such as airguns and Navy sonar. 

The final speaker, Robert DiGiovanni, the Executive Director and Chief Scientist for the Atlantic Sea Conservation Society, has over 33 years of experience working in whale conservation and protection.  He spoke about how his organization has responded to whale strandings and deaths, and encouraged attendees to contact his organization if they come across a deceased or distressed whale. He spoke about the growing number of whales in and around New York waters due to successful legislation demanding safer fishing practices and protecting more marine species. As the number of whales increase,  DiGiovanni noted, whale deaths and strandings will also increase, unfortunately, but the major threats to the species can be traced back to ship strikes and unsafe fishing practices, not offshore wind.

If you missed our Whale Tales and Whale Facts webinar, you can watch the recording here. 

 

New York’s Offshore Wind Sector Marches Forward

By Peter Aronson

New York state, and particularly Long Island, took another step forward recently in the state’s multi-pronged effort to achieve 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2040.

The Town of Brookhaven, in Suffolk County, and Sunrise Wind announced a Host Community Agreement recently, whereby Sunrise Wind will pay a total of $170 million for community projects in exchange for access to land necessary to enable its proposed offshore wind farm.

Sunrise Wind’s turbines would be located approximately 30 miles east of Montauk and would deliver enough clean energy to power 600,000 homes. The Community Agreement will allow Sunrise Wind to get access to 18 miles of land, so it can house a cable to carry the power generated by the turbines.

The New York League of Conservation Voters applauds this project as a shining example of synergy between community leaders, elected officials, labor, clean-energy business and environmental advocates – and one with strong economic benefits, as reported in Long Island Business News.  

“It is time for us to move beyond setting goals and making plans and to start delivering on climate action, which means constructing projects,” said NYLCV President Julie Tighe. “And we know that offshore wind means opportunities not just to fight climate change and reduce pollution, but also for investments in our communities.” 

The Host Community Agreement with Sunrise Wind will bring millions in investments and hundreds of family sustaining union jobs to Long Island while bringing enough clean energy to power half of LIPA’s customers. 

“We are thrilled to see such strong bipartisan support for this project and we congratulate Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone on this agreement and for continuing to embrace offshore wind,” added Tighe

And those will be clean-energy jobs, the kind of jobs that serve the dual goals of providing economic security to thousands of New Yorkers, while at the same time replacing carbon emissions with clean energy across the state.

To understand the full impact of the Sunrise Community Agreement, it’s important to look at the details. Under the terms of the agreement,

  • Sunrise will pay a total of $169.9 million over 25 years;
  • $5 million will go towards construction of Tri-Hamlet Park and other projects, including for schools, in the future;
  • $10 million will go towards construction of a National Offshore Wind Training Center in Brentwood; 
  • Sunrise will create of a state-of-the art Operations and Maintenance Hub in East Setauket, which will create up to 100 new long-term jobs; 
  • $5 million will go towards a Research and Development Partnership with Stony Brook University; and 
  • Hundreds of union construction jobs will be created to build the 18-mile underground transmission infrastructure and related facilities.  

A second development regarding offshore wind was also welcome news.

Equinor, one of the largest offshore wind-energy developers in the world, and BP submitted a joint bid to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), for a large wind farm project 60 miles off the coast of Long Island. The project, known as Beacon Wind 2, would provide electricity to approximately one million New York homes.

For more details on Equinor’s bid, please see its press release. 

NYLCV understands wind energy is vital to New York State reaching its mandated energy goals, which is why it is a major priority for us in our 2023 agenda. 

Under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019, New York State has committed to developing nine gigawatts of offshore wind powered electricity by 2035, enough to power six million New York homes, the most ambitious target in the country. And NYLCV is now pushing for that target to be increased to 20 gigawatts by 2040.

Regarding the state wind-power projects now in development, NYSERDA provides an overview here and a detailed report here.

Long Island is the center of the state’s wind power efforts, with multiple projects in the works.

The South Fork Wind project, the state’s first operational commercial wind farm that could start supplying energy by the end of this year, would power 70,000 homes.    

There’s also Empire Wind 1 and Empire Wind 2, both now going through the New York state and federal application process. Collectively, these four wind power projects would provide power to more than 2.4 million New York homes by providing 4.3 gigawatts of power, almost half the state’s nine gigawatt wind-power goal by 2035.

NYLCV often talks about Greening the Grid, and we will continue to advocate for a robust offshore wind sector as the state makes progress towards replacing carbon emissions with clean energy. 

 

New York’s March to Achieving 100% Clean Energy by 2040

By Peter Aronson

It’s called greening the grid, and New York State is racing to do this by 2040.

New York has committed to achieving 100 percent clean energy within 17 years from now (and we’re counting!) and the state is pushing forward on multiple fronts to reach that goal.

Front and center are vital offshore wind projects on Long Island, like the South Fork Wind Farm, a 130-megawatt wind farm in development off the east coast of Long Island that is expected to be New York State’s first operational offshore wind farm and the country’s first operational commercial scale offshore wind project. It will provide “enough renewable electricity to power 70,000 homes and offset 300,000 tons of carbon emissions each year,” according to the Long Island Power Authority. It could begin supplying power as soon as the end of 2023.

NYLCV also supports additional offshore wind projects on the horizon, like Empire Wind, which would generate 2.1 gigawatts of wind power, enough to provide electricity for more than 1 million homes. The turbines would be located 15-30 miles southeast off the coast of Long Island and provide almost a quarter of New York’s stated wind-power goal for 2035.

“This project is a vital contributor to decarbonizing New York’s energy grid,” said Casey Petrashek, the NYLCV’s deputy director of politics. “In terms of economic benefits, Empire Wind 2 will promote clean, reliable, and safe development of domestic energy sources and create thousands of clean energy jobs throughout the state.”

Empire Wind, which is divided into Empire Wind 1 and Empire Wind 2, is currently going through its New York state and federal application process. 

The state is pushing forward with other offshore wind projects by signing contracts for the Sunrise Wind and Beacon Wind projects. Combined with Empire Wind 1 and 2, these four wind-turbine projects would provide power to more than 2.4 million New York homes by providing 4.3 gigawatts of power, almost half the state’s 9 gigawatt wind-power goal for 2035.

Another step that is vital to New York state achieving carbon-zero energy emissions by 2040 is increasing its energy storage. Energy storage is an essential and complicated process that basically allows communities to store unused energy, often generated by solar, wind or water, to be used when it is needed. This is crucial statewide because, as The New York Times explained, New York has “two separate electric grids: “upstate, where most of the state’s growing clean-power supply is generated, and in and around New York City, the area that consumes the most energy and relies most heavily on power from fossil fuels.”

To help solve this problem, on December 28, 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul announced a comprehensive plan to vastly expand the state’s energy storage to 6 gigawatts by 2030. This would include constructing energy storage units and enlarging existing ones, as part of a plan to bolster our state’s energy grid feeding all sectors: manufacturing, office, residential and educational; public and private; and urban, suburban and rural.

A significant percent of program funding would be dedicated to supporting projects that deliver benefits to disadvantaged communities, according to the Governor’s press release.    

NYLCV supports climate justice and equitability and is fully supportive of the Governor’s essential project.

“If New York is to meet its nation-leading climate goals, we will need more clean energy flowing to our buildings, our transportation, and our homes, and a critical part of that is ensuring we have the necessary storage capacity in place,” said NYLCV President Julie Tighe. “NYLCV strongly supports Governor Hochul’s updated target of 6 gigawatts  of storage by 2030, as well as New York’s 2022 Energy Storage Map and its multi-front approach to reaching this new target in a way that is both efficient and environmentally just, and with a commitment to providing prevailing-wage jobs to get it done.” 

A third major component to achieving zero emissions is expanding the State’s reliance on solar power.

New York State is trying to make solar more affordable and accessible through NY-Sun. Financing options are available for homes and businesses.

Transitioning  to solar power is a major component in New York state’s plan to attain 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2040. We encourage New Yorkers across the state to explore their solar options, for business and home.  

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