The notion that we must choose between a clean environment and a strong economy is an antiquated myth that was debunked decades ago. Decades of experience and peer-reviewed studies demonstrate that what’s good for our environment also drives economic development, saves families money and saves lives.
How Lee Zeldin Went From Environmental Moderate to Dismantling the E.P.A.
He once talked about the need to fight climate change. Now, he embraces Elon Musk, lavishes praise on the president and strives to stand out in a MAGA world.
When President Trump’s cabinet secretaries clashed with Elon Musk this month over the billionaire’s chain saw approach to shrinking government, Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, made it clear where he stood.
NYS Legislature OKs bill banning 'forever chemicals' in menstrual products
Environmental, Civic and Faith-Based Groups, Legislators Call for Packaging Reduction
Solid waste is impacting our environment and health while costing taxpayers billions each year
Albany, NY – More than 15 different environmental, civic and faith-based groups, plus several state legislators joined New York State Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Deborah Glick at the State Capitol today to call for support of the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (PRRIA).
Senator Harckham and Assemblymember Glick's Packaging Reduction Bill Advances in Both Houses
Boosts recycling, supports municipalities and reduces waste, plastic, and toxins
Albany, NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham announced today that the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (PRRIA) has successfully advanced through the Senate’s Environmental Conservation Committee, which he chairs.
What happened to the Lee Zeldin we knew?
It is said that time changes people, and so does power. Perhaps that explains the metamorphosis of Lee Zeldin as EPA administrator. Based on his work and dedication to protecting Long Island as a congressman, I hoped he would be a voice of reason and moderation to help fight climate change and protect our air, water and land resources. Recent announcements of unprecedented rollbacks to major environmental regulations have caused that hope to die.
Zeldin’s massive environmental deregulation plans: What will the changes mean for his native Long Island and former NY-1 constituents?
Reworld Honors Long Island’s Champions At Herald Sustainability Awards Gala
Watch: Whale Tales and Real Facts
We had a very informational webinar with whale experts who provided the most recent science on whale populations off our shore and how you can help protect whales. Missed the webinar? Watch it here.
Humpbacks, Minke, Right Whales, oh my! There are many species of whales that inhabit our waters throughout the year. Watch the video to learn more about these whales off New York’s coast and threats they are facing. This virtual forum features whale experts who have decades of experience in tracking individual whales, conducting necropsies on deceased whales, and monitoring growing threats to whales and other marine mammals.
In 2016 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared an Unusual Mortality Event for Humpback whales, Minke Whales, and North Atlantic Right Whales. These endangered species are highly vulnerable to ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, plastic pollution and climate change. Scientists are closely monitoring whale populations and working on solutions to offer more safeguard of these critical marine animals.
Check out our webinar to learn more about whale populations and data in the summer of 2024 and the current threats off New York’s coast.
Whale Tales and Real Facts
WHO:
Marianne McNamara, Vice President and Naturalist, Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island
Rob DiGiovanni, Founder and Chief Scientist, Atlantic Marine Conservation Society
Watch Whale Tales and Real Facts here.
Thank you for watching!
Sincerely,
All of us at CCE
Environmental Roundtable Touched on Successes and Worries
At a 2025 Environmental Roundtable hosted by State Senator Anthony Palumbo in Riverhead last Thursday, where elected officials from across the East End met with environmental interest groups, East Hampton Town Councilwoman Cate Rogers used her time to speak about one of the town’s biggest environmental issues, coastal resilience, and the fear that the some projects may no longer get the federal funding that small municipalities rely on.
How Trump’s trade war could impact US electricity prices — and state climate plans
Northern states are depending on imported Canadian hydropower to clean up their grids. What happens now?
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump initiated a trade war with Canada and Mexico, America’s two largest trading partners. Following through on weeks of threats, he imposed 25 percent tariffs on imported goods from Mexico and Canada and a lower 10 percent tariff on imports of Canadian energy resources. (Update, Thursday, March 6: Trump has announced a one-month delay on the tariffs on most Mexican and some Canadian goods.)
Help Save Connecticut’s Environmental Protection Laws
Urge the CT General Assembly to OPPOSE Rollbacks to Connecticut’s Environmental Protection Laws
The CT General Assembly’s Environment Committee is considering several bills that would roll back the Connecticut Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) and other long-standing environmental and public health protections. CEPA allows the public to have a voice in environmental decisions and guarantees the state takes public input into account. It also ensures that state agencies do not allow practices that would unreasonably pollute or destroy natural resources. CEPA is vital to protect Connecticut’s environment and public health.
Key environmental regulations are under attack at the federal level and there are significant funding cuts proposed for federal environmental programs. We cannot afford for Connecticut to also weaken the state’s environmental protection laws. We need Connecticut to step up, not backtrack, on fighting for our environment and public health.
Email the members of the Environment Committee today. Tell them that you oppose H.B.6249, H.B.6868, and all other bills that would roll back environmental protection measures and limit the public’s ability to have a say in decision-making that impacts our air, water, land, and health.
Thank you for taking action!
Sincerely,
All of us at CCE
Support Clean Water and a Healthy Environment in NYS
Support a $500 million Environmental Protection Fund in this year’s final New York State budget
Since 1993, the New York State Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) has invested in projects to protect and restore our land, air, and water resources in every community across the state. EPF programs help to create jobs, support tourism, protect clean water, conserve open space, save family farms, bolster recycling programs, revitalize waterfronts, build community parks, and so much more. The EPF supports 350,000 jobs across the state, and EPF-supported industries generate approximately $40 billion in economic activity every year.
As we combat harmful algal blooms from nitrogen pollution, a solid waste crisis, climate change, and water pollution across our state, it is more important than ever to make crucial investments in environmental protection this year. Funding for the EPF has been stagnant in recent years and an increase is long overdue.
While the Governor proposed maintaining a stagnant funding level in this year’s budget, the NYS Senate and Assembly budget proposals both included an increase to $500 million! We need $500 million in the final budget, with increases to specific programs in the EPF—specifically, we’re calling for at least $25 million for Ocean and Great Lakes program and at least $5 million for the South Shore Estuary Reserve program.
Thank you for taking action!
Sincerely,
All of us at CCE
Lawmakers debate bill that could forever alter lawn care: 'This policy safeguards the health of … our children and grandchildren'
Lee Zeldin gets to work on his agenda of shrinking EPA and cutting regulations
WASHINGTON — EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has begun to do what President Donald Trump wanted to do in his first term but couldn’t: Shrink the Environmental Protection Agency and cut its regulations on energy and business.
In his first month on the job, Zeldin, a former Long Island congressman, has spoken less about protecting the environment in interviews and on social media than he has about his mission to "unleash energy dominance."
Amanda Lefton Takes the Helm: New York’s Environmental Future Gets a Bold New Leader
Long Islander Amanda Lefton named new DEC commissioner
Amanda Lefton, a Queens native who grew up on Long Island and now lives upstate with her wife, has been tapped as commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
The ‘elephant in the room’ at Palumbo’s annual environmental roundtable: future of federal funds
Representatives of two dozen organizations gathered Thursday for an annual environmental roundtable meeting hosted by State Senator Anthony Palumbo to discuss regional environmental issues, concerns and needs. The event went off as it does every year: a cordial, free-wheeling, pass-the-mic conversation.
If the ongoing federal staffing cuts and budget-slashing being undertaken by the Trump administration worried the environmental advocates and government officials in the room, their concerns were mostly left unspoken —even though most of the programs addressing local environmental issues substantially rely on federal funding.
Navy Nudged: Local Officials Urge Feds to Clean Up Calverton Contamination
Local officials, advocates and residents are renewing calls for the U.S. Navy to clean up toxins used at the former Calverton-based Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant that are polluting local waters.
