Parks and Open Spaces News: State Wide

There has recently been a push to protect 30% of our lands by 2030. Nationally, the Biden Administration committed to this goal in January and legislation at the state level would codify the goal.

NYLCV joined two dozen environmental groups from across New York to lobby more than 60 members of the state legislature on 10 bills to advance environmental justice, protect drinking water, ban harmful chemicals, support sustainable waste management, and protect natural habitats. Several of the bills included are NYLCV priorities and are likely to appear on our legislative scorecard later this year. 

We're excited to release our green policy priorities - our 2021 New York State Policy Agenda.

In late July, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a series of upcoming actions that the state is taking to expand the protection and conservation of New York’s parks and open spaces.

On July 22, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Great American Outdoors Act, one of NYLCV’s top policy priorities, with overwhelming bipartisan support. The U.S. Senate passed a same-as bill in June.

The State Legislature recently passed several of our priority bills that will improve water quality, protect natural areas, remove toxins from our environment, and encourage clean transportation.

The Great American Outdoors Act has passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate by a vote of 73-25. The GAOA combines two major conservation bills: S.500 (the Restore Our Parks Act), which seeks to address the maintenance backlog on public lands, and S.1081, which permanently allocates $900 million a year to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). More than 60 members co-sponsored the legislation including New York Senators Schumer and Gillibrand.