New York Governor is supportive of climate action investments and nature projects. Environmental advocates are for it. Kathy Hochul put forth in her executive budget.
The Environmental Bond Act, worth $4 billion, is one of the proposals. It includes projects that protect clean water, reduce pollution, and reduce local climate risks. There are also $400 million for the state Environment Protection Fund.
Jessica Ottney Mahar, New York policy director and strategy director for The Nature Conservancy, stated that her group is committed to implementing New York’s Climate action plan. She hopes the Legislature will also agree to make the investments she proposed.
“Take a look in that climate plan and really calibrate future budgets to ensure that we’re meeting demand to change the way New York runs,” Ottney Mahar said. “From all kinds of perspectives to reach those goals,” Ottney Mahar added.
The governor’s budget proposes $500 million to support offshore wind manufacturing, $200 millions for capital projects at state park capital projects, $90 million capital funding for the Department of Environmental Conservation, and $500 million for clean water projects.
The state Legislature will now consider the budget. The final version is due by March 31.
Ottney Mahar believes that the investments offer an opportunity to combine flood prevention and environmental restoration.
Ottney Mahar stated, “Thinking through how, as community, we’re dealing with water.” He said, “making certain that we restore floodplains, the area where water will naturally flow, and giving space to that water to move and also restoring natural areas, which can help us absorb water.”
Hochul also proposed the addition of 1 million acres of freshwater wetlands to the state-protected areas.
Ottney Mahar said that her group is excited to work with Hochul to bring these initiatives to life.
“We’re excited to see her embrace the environment and the need to address climate change,” Ottney Mahar said. “As we build a new age for New Yorkers, and the next generation, of New Yorkers,”
Voters will have to still decide The proposed Bond Act worth $4 billionThis November
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Pennsylvania continues to expand its solar-energy capabilities. New reportThe roofs of big-box retail stores offer a huge opportunity to increase clean energy use.
There are more than 3,700 major retail locations in the Commonwealth, many of which have large rooftops that are unobstructed from shade. Frontier Group and PennEnvironment conducted an analysis that showed that the combined space could produce 3,000 gigawatt-hours (or enough electricity to power nearly 300,000 homes) of clean electricity annually.
Rachel Vresilovic (climate and clean energy associate at PennEnvironment) said that the organization would play a major role in helping Pennsylvania transition away from fossil fuels.
Vresilovic reported that thousands of parking lots and roofs for big-box stores have no solar panels. “We are missing a great opportunity to generate clean, renewable energy right in Pennsylvania. This needs to change.
Target, IKEA Kohl’s, Walmart and IKEA have all started solarizing their rooftops. Pennsylvania could reduce its carbon-dioxide emissions by nearly two-million tons using increased solar energy. This would be equivalent to taking 400,000 cars off of the road.
Marian Moskowitz, chair of Chester County Board of Commissioners, stated that there is much work to be done in order to encourage businesses to use solar panels. She expressed excitement about programs like C-PACEThe state program enables commercial building owners to obtain long-term financing for energy efficiency projects.
Moskowitz believes that rooftop solar is a great use of the program.
Moskowitz stated that it was a smart business move because it allows businesses to lower their energy bills as well as hedge against rising energy prices. “It is fundamental that everyone addresses global climate change. We must start at the local level if our planet is to be healthier.”
Chester County approved in December a resolution to activate C-PACE. The report also recommends that the federal and state solar-energy tax credit be extended and that community solar programs be promoted.
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The Environmental Protection Agency is accepting Public commentsThrough the end of the month Concerning a proposalThis would dramatically reduce methane pollution.
Pennsylvania environmental advocates believe it is vital for residents to give testimony as they are not being adequately protected from the oil-and natural-gas industry.
A study from the Environmental Defense Fund2017 found that the state’s gas industry emitted more than 1 million tons of methane.
Barb Jarmoska from the Responsible Drilling Alliance stated that methane’s greenhouse gas effects significantly contribute to climate change. This is already negatively impacting Pennsylvanians.
Jarmoska stated, “We are putting Pennsylvanians at risk in order to send this mythane elsewhere.” “I hope that as many Pennsylvanians as possible will visit the EPA website to let their voices be heard.”
Pennsylvania is one of America’s largest contributors to greenhouse gas pollution. The EPA will accept written comments from the public about the proposal until January 31.
During three days worth of virtual public testimony hosted at the EPA, hundreds of Pennsylvanians voiced their opinions about the proposal.
Ralph Kisberg (consultant for the Responsible Drilling Coalition) was one of the speakers. He stated that federal regulation is necessary because state leaders have failed to adequately regulate methane emission.
Kisberg stated that “people everywhere deserve the same protections.” “This is true for both climate emissions from Pennsylvania and health-damaging emissions. The industry’s political influence is too large, the industry is too far away from most people, and the emissions are too invisible.
Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection also published an Updated planTo impose tighter restrictions on oil-and-gas well sites leaking methane, advocates say it leaves thousands exempt from the ruling.
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Connecticut has won its first National Estuarine Research ReserveAlong a portion of the state’s Long Island Sound.
Conservationists applaud this news as it is key to finding solutions to habitats being affected by climate change. The state-federal partnership established the reserve, which provides annual funding for research on climate resilience, water quality, and habitats for fish and wildlife.
Patrick Comins, the executive director of Connecticut Audubon Society and a strong advocate of the reserve, stated that scientists have learned a lot over the past decade about Long Island Sound species, and the funding offers a chance for them to discover more.
Comins stated that “we didn’t know that cownose-rays could be found in Long Island Sound” and that they were a globally endangered species. He also explained that Long Island Sound has a lot of them. “What we learn from this helps us to be more efficient in spending the funds we have for the ecosystems.”
The Connecticut reserve is the nation’s third largest. It covers more than 50,000 acreage in the southeastern corner of Connecticut, where the Connecticut River and Thames meet Long Island Sound. This reserve contains nearly 50 species listed under Connecticut Endangered Species Act.
The reserve funding also supports local educational programs, including opportunities for those in rural communities who are facing environmental injustice.
Kevin O’Brien, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s supervisory environmental analyst, stated that the reserve is a living laboratory and can inspire the next generation of scientists.
O’Brien stated that humans use these areas to get their exercise and to make a living. All of them need to work together and hand in hand. “The more people who are interested in environmental issues, the better chances we have of being better environmental stewards down-the-road.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationOversees the entire National Estuarine Research Reserve.
The primary state partners are the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Connecticut Sea Grant and the University of Connecticut.
O’Brien has added a ceremony commemorating the creation and is scheduled for this spring at Avery Point.
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