News on Issues

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LOCAL...

-- EPA Weighing Whether to Classify the Infamous Dewey Loeffel Landfill in Nassau as a Federal Superfund Site. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced at a meeting on March 4, 2010, that it is proposing to add the Dewey Loeffel Landfill in the Village of Nassau to its Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) of the country's most hazardous waste sites. The agency took public comments on the proposal from March 4 to May 3. The agency will consider these comments during its deliberations on the Superfund designation. A final decision is expected later this year.

The Dewey Loeffel Landfill, located near Nassau Lake, is probably the most notorious landfill in Rensselaer County. In the 1950's and 60's, companies, including GE and the Schenectady Chemical Company, dumped 46,000 tons of toxic industrial wastes at this site. Hazardous substances then migrated into drainage-ways leading to Nassau Lake. The landfill was eventually closed. Over the years, costly efforts have been undertaken by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and also by GE to remedy the problems, but to this day the landfill continues to leach into groundwater and surface runoff.

The site, currently a state Superfund site, has long been a concern to the village and many others, including the Rensselaer League. Last October, Pete Grannis, Commissioner of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, sent a letter to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urging the agency to take action on the landfill.

Designation as a federal Superfund site could result in significant funds for cleanup and give EPA the authority to force GE and possibly other dumpers to pay for additional cleanup measures. Officials estimate total remediation of the pollution could cost $1 billion.

As EPA Regional Administratror Judith Enck noted recently: "This is a critically important proposal that may well lead to significant progress in removing the tons and tons of hazardous waste that has plagued this community for decades."

AIR QUALITY

-- Lafarge Cement Plant in Ravena Applies to Renew Air Quality Permit. The State Department of Environmental Conservation recently held a hearing on the Lafarge Cement Plant's application to renew and modify its so-called "Title Five Air" permit which expired in 2006. The plant is located in Ravena across the Hudson River from southern Rensselaer County. Lafarge has been at the center of a toxic emissions controversy which is of concern not only to residents of the Ravena-Coeymans area but also to those living in southern Rensselaer County. A representative at the meeting claimed the plant is safe but that the company is looking to make upgrades, while those against renewal of the permit say more testing needs to be done. Harvard University is conducting a study of hair and blood samples taken from people living within a 10-mile radius of the plant to determine if there is any correlation between their place of residence and the cement plant. Stay tuned!!

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

-- The Princeton Review Names RPI Among Most Environmentally Responsible Colleges. Princeton University has developed "The Princeton Review Guide to 286 Green Colleges" in cooperation with the U.S. Green Building Council. It is the first comprehensive guidebook socused solely on colleges and universities that have demonstrated an above average commitment to sustanability. The guide lists RPI (and Union College in Schenectady) noting that the school is undertaking a number of initiatives, including:

a new program in sustainability studies;
a first-year special living community that gives students interested in the environment a chance to live together and take courses focused on issues of energy, environment, earth sciences, and biodiversity;
a Sustainability Task Force that has helped organize several green initiatives on campus, including a garden and greenhouse project; and
RecycleMania, a nationwide competition among colleges to collect the most recyclables.

More information on the guide can be obtained at: www.princetonreview.com/greenguide and www.usgbc.org/campus.

REDISTRICTING:

-- NYPIRG's Blair Horner Spells Out Key Reform Measures

[Earlier this year Blair Horner, the New York Public Interest Group (NYPIRG), spoke to members of the Rensselaer County League of Women Voters re-districting. The State League considers this issue to be of great significance, so we are retaining this brief summary of Mr. Blair's talk. His points will remain a propos for some time to come.]

Mr. Blair noted that with the 2010 Census underway, it will soon be time to draw new legislative district boundaries. Over the years, many unfair redistriciting practices have led to inequities in representation, even though the Supreme Court has ruled that the population must be apportioned equally among voting districts. Unfortunately, politicians have found many ways to get around this requirement. Thus, the League and other like-minded groups have asserted that the: districts must be contiguous and compact and must follow existing political subdivisions as much as possible. Mr. Blair outlined the following key reform measures:

Create an independent redistricting commission
Keep district populations to within 1% of the "ideal" sized district
Maximize "competitive" legislative districts, and
Ignore partisan and incumbency issues when drafting lines.

VOTER SERVICES:

-- Rensselaer LWV Offers to Assist in Inauguration of New Optical Scan Voting Machines

New optical scan machines will be in place for primary elections this September. There will be one machine per polling place. The Rensslear LWV has offered and expects to work with the county Board of Elections in educating voters about the machines. This summer poll workers will be receiving instruction in their use.

STATE...

(NOTE: The LWVNY website contains more information on other issues being addressed - see link above.)

The State League began 2010 with a special Legislative Agenda, called "FIX ALBANY NOW: Steps to a New and Better State Government". With this agenda, unlike in more normal years, the League has been addressing government reform almost exclusively. As the year has progressed, efforts have focused even more on how the the state legislature functions and how its members get elected. The four main items on the agenda are:

-- New York State 2010-2011 Budget Stalled. Barbara Bartoletti, LWVNY Legislative Director, recently pinpointed reasons for the stalled budget. Basically they come down to "politics". All parties (the Governor and legislators alike) know the budget must be but don't want to be seen doing this during the campaign season. If they can keep passing weekly budget extending legislation, they can hold off the inevitable until after elections. This is risky, though, according to Barbara, because the state won't be able to pay its bills after June 1.

The League continues to advocate for an open budget process that gives rank and file legislators the opportunity to participate in the process. Apparently there is some support for this in the Legislature, but Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has said he doesn't feel anything can be accomplished until there is a three-way agreement -- the same old, same old, behind closed doors. Stay tuned.

-- “Albany On the Record” a Success. This event in early May was a rousing success. It was co-sponsored by the League and an array of other good government groups ( Common Cause, NYPIRG, Citizens Union, the Brennan Center and a new group called Reinvent Albany). Three hundred people came to the State Capital to hear from Governor Paterson, Comptroller DiNapoli and the four legislative leaders and learn about their plans to fix Albany now. Photos from the event, power point presentations, an introductory video on why New Yorkers need reform in Albany, and a video of the entire event is available on the State League website (see link above).

-- Redistricting Reform Efforts Underway. Currently in New York, the political parties in the majority draw the lines for their respective houses. In other words, legislators chose their voters, not the other way around. The only available check on this system at present is for the Governor to use his veto power to force changes.

To correct serious inadequacy, the State League believes that creation of an independent redistricting commission must be a top reform priority. The League expects to take a leading role in educating the public about this critical issue. The process began on February 9, when over 60 people from 9 local Leagues and other organizations attended the Forum on Redistricting held at the Rockefeller Institute.

Videos from the Forum are now available on the Rockefeller Institute website at www.rockinst.org/forumsandevents/. You can also get a DVD of the event by e-mailing or calling the State League office at 518-465-0812.

The League plans to collaborate with other good government groups in educational efforts, including preparation of easy-to-use informational materials that will be made available to local leagues.

-- New Feature of NYS Senate Website. The website now allows citizens to comment on proposed bills as they are being marked up. Go to: http://www.nysenate.gov/legislation.

-- Empire Center Website Lists Member Items Approved by the NYS Legislature. A website managed by the Empire Center lists 8,250 member items approved for this fiscal year by the NYS Assembly and Senate. So-called pork barrell spending for the 2009-2010 FY totals $128.3 million. It should be noted that these items amount to less than 1 percent of the $131.8 billion overall state budget. For more details, go to www.SeeThroughNY.net.

* SeeThroughNY. Initiated by the Empire Center for New York State Policy - www.SeeThroughNY.net

-- Consolidation of Local Government Services: Local Leagues Complete Consensus Meetings. At the 53rd Biennial Convention of the NYS League, delegates adopted a new study on the consolidation of governmental units and the sharing of governmental services. Noreen Fisher, former Mayor of the Village of Scarsdale and member of the Scarsdale League, is chair the State League's government consolidation/shared services study committee.

As of now the committee is hoping to complete the study in one year, not two (as authorized at the convention), so that the State League will have a position to use as soon as possible when lobbying the State Legislature. Local leagues were to respond to consensus questions on the topic by June 1. (In May, the Rensselaer County League conducted a consensus meeting and submitted its responses to the State League. Margaret Story and George O'Connor led the local consensus process.). Extensive information and a bibliography are available on the State LWV website under Programs and Studies.

-- With New Voting Machines Approved, It's on to Implementation. Aimee Allaud, State League Issues Specialist on Government, recently gave a report on last year's pilot program undertaken to use the new optical scan machines in 43 counties around the state. These trials will be valuable in preparing for full implementation this year. As part of these trials, Leagues from 20 counties conducted their own survey of the new equipment. They observed that: the ballot print was too small, privacy was the biggest concern, and ballot scanning seemed to work well.

League observers identified the following needs: intensive voter education, signage with information and instructions at the entrance to polling places, improved paper ballots to minimize "spoiled" ballots, improved privacy at the polling booths, and more trained election inspectors.

-- Absentee Ballot Reform Legislation Passes. The NYS Legislature recently passed historic legislation to simplify the process by which a voter requests an application. Applicants are no longer required to answer an intimidating series of questions. They must simply affirm, in good faith, that they will be either out of the county or unable to appear at their designated polling site on Election Day due to illness or disability. The League has fought long and hard for this simplification.

-- E-Waste Recyling Program to Begin. Gov. Paterson has signed a bill that requires all manufacturers that sell electronic equipment in the state to have a free, convenient electronic waste recylcing program in effect by April 1, 2011. The law covers televisions, VCRs, DVDs, MP3 players, game consoles, fax machines, and computers along with their peripheral equipment (monitors, keyboards, mice, scanners and printers). The law also makes it illegal for individuals to dispose of electronic waste at landfills, effective January 1, 2015. Manufacturers are likely to collaborate and develop single collection locations in large communities that will handle all materials.

-- News from DEC. The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation now has a series of online videos addressing a variety of environmental topics, including how to save energy in your home. It can be accessed at the following address: http://www.dec.ny.gov/dectv/dectv139.html.

-- Comment Period to End Soon on NYS Draft Solid Waste Management Plan, "Beyond Waste: A Sustainable Materials Management Strategy for New York State". NYS law requires the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to develop a solid waste management plan and biennial updates. The original Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) was issued in 1987. Given the time that has lapsed since the original plan was issued, the DEC has decided to tackle the task of developing a new SWMP.

The orginal plan contained a waste reduction and recovery goal of 50 %. According to DEC, this has largely been met, but many of the original plan's recommendations were never pursued. Moreover, New York's municipalities, institutions and agencies have lost focus on waste prevention, reuse, and materials recovery as evidenced by flat or declining recovery rates. DEC recognizes that in addition to this leveling off, other circumstances make a new plan essential:

The draft plan is now available for review. The public comment period for the plan will end July 6, 2010. The DEC urges interested parties to email them with any questions or comments.

-- Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling Regulations. Gas companies are pressuring the state to be allowed to drill for gas in the so-called Marcellus Shale formation located in New York's Southern Tier and Catskills regions. They want to use a technique called hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" to release gas from underground deposits. The problem with this is that the drilling can contaminate surface and ground water and pollute surrounding lands. The state League has developed testimony for a series of hearings conducted by the Department of Environmental Conservation on this important issue.

EDUCATION:

-- State League to Develop Its Own Initiative. The state League has terminated its relationship with the LeaderSpark organization and is planning to develop its own youth leadership initiative. The new program will contain modules on civic education, financial education, and leadership skills. The modular approach will provide greater flexibility, thus allowing local Leagues to tailor their programs to the needs of their particular student populations and also enabling more local Leagues to participate.

NATIONAL...

(NOTE: The LWVUS website contains more information on other issues being addressed - see link above.)

-- What's Next? Betsey Swan, President of LWVNY, recently shared her own views on the current status of health care reform. She believes that at this point it would be futile to lobby for a single payer system; the opportunity to achieve that has passed. She says: "it remains to be seen whether this landmark legislation moves forward the League's action agenda of providing universal, affordable basic health care to all" or not. She agrees that the act "abolished some of the greatest barriers to obtaining health care in this country but took few immediate steps to curtail spiraling costs". She says that over the next several years, Americans need to discuss honestly what type of health care they are willing to support and how to reign in escalating costs. One of the most important questions to address is: how is it that other developing countries spend considerably less for health care than we do, but show better patient outcomes?

CLIMATE:

-- Climate Change Legislation: With the U.S. House Bill Passed, the Globe is in the Senate's Court. The League is calling for climate change and energy legislation that will establish a declining cap on greenhouse gas emissions, based on science and without loopholes. It is our nation's responsibility to take immediate action to curb the environmental and public health damages we are already experiencing from greenhouse gas emissions, as well as those that threaten the future vitality of the earth.

!!!!The Senate is expected to vote very soon on an amendment [Murkowski amendment] that attacks the Clean Air Act and would block EPA from taking action against climate change. If it passes, this will put public health at risk and jeopardize long-overdue action to cut emissions from the biggest polluters. Go to the LWVUS (use above link) to register your opposition to this amendment.!!!!

Murkowski, the measure's lead sponsor, said she has reached a unanimous consent agreement with Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to call for a floor vote on her resolution after the weeklong Memorial Day recess......
Murkowski's disapproval resolution seeks to veto EPA's "endangerment finding," a formal determination that allows the agency to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. ....

Murkowski's resolution would need 51 votes to clear the chamber. She already has 41 co-sponsors, including three Democrats: Sens. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Ben Nelson of Nebraska.....

Even if the resolution passes the Senate, it faces an uphill climb in the House, which does not have the same expedited procedures, and it faces a likely veto from President Obama. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has warned that nullifying the endangerment finding would upend the administration's joint EPA and Transportation Department fuel economy standards and greenhouse gas emission limits for cars and light-duty trucks.....

Former EPA Administrator Russell Train .... urged Senate leaders to oppose Murkowski's bid to handcuff the agency.

"S.J.Res. 26 would rollback Clean Air Act protections and prevent the EPA from regulating greenhouse gas emissions, notwithstanding the agency's scientific determination that these pollutants endanger human health and welfare," Train wrote in a letter to Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Train served as EPA chief under former Presidents Nixon and Ford.

"If passed, this resolution would fundamentally undermine the Clean Air Act, overturning science in favor of political considerations," he wrote.

Supporters of the [Murkowski] resolution argue that Congress did not mean to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, but Train called that argument "inconsistent with the history of the law as it has been applied for the past 40 years."

Train also defended the Obama EPA's efforts to gradually phase in climate rules for industrial emitters. "In executing her responsibilities, the current Administrator appears to have taken a measured approach and demonstrated a sensitivity to economic concerns," he said.

EPA has said that permitting rules for stationary sources will not kick in until January 2011 and that the agency will begin by tackling the biggest polluters.]

[History: Last summer, the U.S. House of Representatives made history by passing the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES) by a margin of just 219-212. The bill will be the first to curb the greenhouse gases that cause climate change and will help move the U.S. into a clean energy economy. ACES sets a cap on greenhouse gas pollution, aiming to reduce global warming emissions from capped sources by 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and by 83 percent by 2050. The bill would establish minimum targets for building codes that will save consumers $25 billion a year by 2030. Funds will be provided to state and local governments to invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy.

GOVERNMENT REFORM:

-- Supreme Court Decision in Citizens United vs. FEC Requires Immediate Action in Congress. The US League recently testified before the Committee on House Administration on the disastrous decision that basically gives corporations the same rights of free speech as individual citizens and opens the door for a massive influx of corporate dollars into the election process. The League is urging that the Senate update campaign finance laws in the wake of the decision. The League is not alone in this fight: 80 percent of Americans of both parties oppose the Court's decision.

THE 2010 CENSUS:

-- League Working to Eliminate 'Undercount". With the 2010 Census underway, US LWV President Mary Wilson has said that: "Our goal is to work with others to eliminate the 'undercount' that occurs, particularly within low income and minority populations. ....We have been fighting to protect the rights of under-represented communities in many arenas, including voting, immigration and health care reforms."

Census data is used for many important purposes. It provides the basis for apportioning seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and for allocating federal funding to states and communities. It also is used in redistricting all election districts; in New York State this encompasses city council districts, state senatorial districts, and everything in between. The Rensselear League has long been concerned about the issue of redistricting (click on "Local Program" above for more details on our position).

The NYS League is urging local leagues to help educate the public about the census process and to be vigilant for any shortcomings that may arise. Beware! If a "census bureau representative" knocks on your door and asks for personal information like you Social Security number or your e-mail address, they are not who they say they are. Legitimate census takers will be equipped with a badge, a census canvas bag, a hand-held electronic unit and a confidentiality notice. During their initial visitation period, census takers are strictly trying to determine how many individuals live in the residence. They will not ask for names, ages or Social Security numbers. Neither will the Census Bureau contact people by e-mail. Anyone who receives an e-mail supposedly sent by the Census Bureau is advised not to open the messages or attachments.

MORE NEWS....

-- STATE LEAGUE STARTS BLOG ON NEW YORK STATE POLITICS. Thanks to Jay Gallagher, a retired Albany Bureau Chief for Gannett News, the League recently launched a blog on New York State Politics. Sadly, Jay passed away recently after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He will be sorely missed. However, you can still read the blog simply by visiting the site, http://lwvny-blog.blogspot.com. If you would like to blog, you have to "sign in" on the blog website.

-- STATE LEAGUE UPDATES ITS WEBSITE. The State League is encouraging everyone to check out their new website (see link above) which has undergone exciting changes, including a new format for advocacy information. More changes are to follow.

-- STATE AND US LEAGUES NOW ON FACEBOOK. To view the State and US Facebook pages, you must have a Facebook account. To register, go to www.facebook.com. It's free and easy.

-- US LEAGUE PLAGUED BY COPYCAT GROUP: A group calling itself the League of American Voters has been abusing the League of Women Voters good name using it since last summer to spread misinformation about health care reform. They're engaged in an expensive media campaign to intimidate 13 members of Congress into changing their positions on health care reform. The LWVUS is monitoring their activities.

-- NEW TEACHING AID AVAILABLE: "The Story of Stuff" Portrays Environmental Effects of Human Consumption. In a straightforward and child-friendly way, this 20-minute video paints a picture in thick-lined drawings of the earth, a factory and a house. It depicts the cycle of human consumption showing how American habits result in forests being felled, mountaintops destroyed, water polluted and people and animals poisoned. Teachers are embracing the video as a way to supplement textbooks that lag behind scientific findings on climate change and pollution, and children who watch the video seem to take it to heart. To view the film, go to: www.storyofstuff.com.

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