New York League of Conservation Voters
New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
(212) 361-6350, Ext. 206
For Immediate Release: December 21, 2020
Contact: Shachar Sharon, ssharon@nylcv.org
Environmental Group Announces Its Long Island Priorities
Major Focus Includes Reducing Emissions from the Transportation Sector
Long Island, NY – The New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV) and NYLCV Education Fund (NYLCVEF) today released their policy priorities for Long Island.
As announced in their 2021-2022 Long Island Policy Agenda, NYLCV/EF will focus their advocacy and programming on combating climate change and protecting people and natural resources. They will push for and educate the public about initiatives related to energy, transportation, resiliency, solid waste, clean water, sustainable development, parks and open spaces, and farms and local foods.
The full agenda is available here.
NYLCV/EF president Julie Tighe said, “This past year brought heightened awareness of the need to take action to help avert the worst effects of climate change. The State laid out aggressive climate standards and local governments are key to achieving these standards. We also need more local policies that improve water infrastructure and keep our drinking water free of contaminants. This agenda can help guide localities on Long Island about how to implement these important policies and initiatives. We look forward to working with county and town officials to champion these priorities.”
Though NYLCV/EF will support dozens of specific policies, the issues below were identified as top priorities:
Sustainable Development:
Municipalities can combat climate change by creating livable, sustainable communities. We will advance modernized zoning to encourage mixed land use, compact development, downtown revitalization, open space protection, and historic preservation.
Renewables:
Renewable energy like offshore wind and solar power reduces greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution across the region, but it is challenging to site large-scale renewable energy installations and can be needlessly difficult to install small-scale renewable technology. We will work with municipal and county governments to reduce red tape and create new incentives for small-scale renewable energy.
Clean Air:
We will work to speed up conversions from home heating oil to cleaner, more efficient heating systems. We will continue working to reduce emissions from power plants and automobiles, including a push for more electric school buses and targeted interventions to protect environmental justice communities.
Electric Vehicles:
Electric vehicles (EVs) reduce greenhouse gas emissions and produce zero emissions, improving air quality. We will continue our successful advocacy efforts to increase the number of EVs in municipal fleets and expand the EV charging station network throughout Long Island.
The agenda was created with input from the New York League of Conservation Voters Long Island Chapter, which works to identify and advocate for solutions to the region’s most pressing environmental issues.
The New York League of Conservation Voters is the only non-partisan, statewide environmental organization in New York that takes a pragmatic approach to fighting for clean water, healthy air, renewable energy, and open space. For more information, visit www.nylcv.org. The New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund engages and educates New Yorkers on environmental issues and the environmental decision-making processes at the local, regional, state and federal levels. NYLCVEF fosters open, nonpartisan discussion on environmental policy and empowers New Yorkers to be effective advocates on behalf of the environment. Visit www.nylcvef.org for more information.
###