3 minute read
Top Environmental Priorities for Counties
By Alexandra LaMonte, NYSAC Legislative and Policy Coordinator
Environmental issues are an important focus of NYSAC’s legislative advocacy. The following are key environmental priorities for counties going into the 2022 Legislative Session.
Engage Counties in Climate Planning
In March 2020, New York State’s Climate Action Council began the important work of creating a scoping plan that will help the state to meet its nation-leading goals of achieving 100% zero-emission electricity by 2040 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 85% by 2050. As the Council works towards finalizing a Scoping Plan to meet these goals, NYSAC urges the state to actively engage counties and support local climate action through grants and technical assistance.
Enact the EPR Act
Local recycling is at a crossroads as counties and municipalities continue to struggle with depressed commodity markets, aging recycling infrastructure, an ever-changing waste stream, and unsustainable costs. Municipalities and recycling system rate payers are projected to spend over $80 million in 2021 to keep local recycling alive.
NYSAC supports S.1185-C (Kaminsky) to establish an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program for paper and packaging that would shift the responsibility for recovering and recycling these materials from local governments and taxpayers to producers and brand owners. This legislation would also incentivize producers to reduce packaging waste and require them to invest in modernizing recycling infrastructure.
Expand the Bottle Bill
Another challenge for local recycling programs is glass, which has a low commodity value and causes problems for materials recovery facilities (MRFs) when it breaks and contaminates more valuable materials like paper.
Glass recoups its highest value and can be used to make new glass products when it is redeemed and recovered through the Bottle Bill’s deposit program. NYSAC supports expanding the Bottle Bill to include additional glass containers—including liquor, wine, and iced tea bottles—to increase recovery and recycling rates and improve curbside recycling quality. NYSAC opposes adding additional plastic and aluminum containers to the Bottle Bill, as this would remove over $10 million in value from curbside bins that is used to offset to the cost of local recycling programs.
Improve E-Waste Recycling
In 2010, New York State adopted legislation that assisted local governments with managing the growing electronics waste stream by requiring electronics manufacturers to fund e-scrap recycling programs. However, under this law, manufacturers no longer have to provide financial support to continue their collection programs after they have met their performance standard goal. This means that, in many cases, management costs are shifted back to localities midway through the year.
NYSAC supports S.1095 (Kaminsky)/A.4500 (Hunter) to create a more stable and comprehensive e-waste recycling infrastructure and relieve counties of the costly burden of collecting and disposing e-waste.
PFAS is a category of man-made chemicals that have been widely used to make products like nonstick cookware, carpets, and cosmetics because of its stain-resistant, waterproof, and nonstick properties. However, we now know that these highly toxic “forever chemicals” accumulate in our bodies and the environment over time instead of naturally breaking down.
NYSAC supports data transparency regarding PFAS detections, and we urge New York State to continue providing grants and technical assistance to support PFAS remediation. We also urge the state to provide options for safe disposal.
Invest in Clean Water Infrastructure
New York’s drinking water and wastewater infrastructure needs are significant, with an estimated $80 billion in upgrades needed over the next 20 years.
Aging drinking water and sewage systems put our local economies, environment, and health at risk. The state has made a historic commitment to invest $5 billion in drinking water infrastructure and source water protection through the Clean Water Infrastructure Act (CWIA); however, no new grants have been awarded to local governments since 2020.
NYSAC commends Governor Hochul for restarting the flow of water infrastructure funding and supports making the full $2 billion of stalled CWIA funding available to state agencies so it can be awarded be to communities across the state.
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