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Environmental policy

'Simply Unrealistic': LI Republicans Want To 'Pump The Brakes' On Electric School Bus Mandate 'Simply Unrealistic': LI Republicans Want To 'Pump The Brakes' On Electric School Bus Mandate
'Simply Unrealistic': LI Republicans Want To 'Pump The Brakes' On Electric School Bus Mandate A plan to mandate electric school buses on New York roadways in the next decade is meeting strong opposition from Republican state lawmakers. Several GOP state senators and assembly members were on hand at Long Island's Levittown Bus Depot on Sunday, Feb. 25 for a “Pump the Brakes” rally and press conference that was also attended by some fire safety and school officials. Attendees voiced their opposition to a state budget mandate that requires all new buses sold in New York to be zero-emission by 2027 and all buses on the road to be zero-emission by 2035. Opponents argued the impending ma…
Plastic Utensils, Condiments For Takeout Orders Banned In Westchester: Unless You Ask Plastic Utensils, Condiments For Takeout Orders Banned In Westchester: Unless You Ask
Plastic Utensils, Condiments For Takeout Orders Banned In Westchester: Unless You Ask Anyone ordering takeout in Westchester will be forced to go without plastic utensils or single-use condiment packets unless they remember to ask for them, thanks to a new law.  The new legislation, signed into law by County Executive George Latimer on Monday, March 6 after being passed unanimously by the Board of Legislators, is aimed to reduce the amount of plastic that enters the county's waste stream, according to county officials.  The law stipulates the following:  No restaurant can provide single-use utensils or condiment packets to takeout or dine-in customers unless…
Pennsylvania Ranks Among The Best States To Own Electric Vehicles, Website Says Pennsylvania Ranks Among The Best States To Own Electric Vehicles, Website Says
Pennsylvania Ranks Among The Best States To Own Electric Vehicles, Website Says The US government plans to ban the sale of gas-powered cars in 2035, which might have you wondering when you should make the switch to an electric vehicle.  Bumper, an app for car owners, just released its second iteration of Best and Worst States to Own Electric Cars.  The company's study ranks states on eleven metrics relating to both EV infrastructure and incentives—including the cost to recharge an EV, the number of public charging stations, and the current transaction sale price of new EVs to determine which states are the best to own an EV, you can read more about the method…
DV Plus - Westchester
Another Candidate Joins Crowded Democratic Primary Race For Nita Lowey's Congressional Seat Another Candidate Joins Crowded Democratic Primary Race For Nita Lowey's Congressional Seat
Another Candidate Joins Crowded Democratic Primary Race For Nita Lowey's Congressional Seat The field of candidates interested in running for U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey's congressional seat in Westchester and Rockland counties continues to grow. On Thursday, Dec. 19, Westchester County Legislator and Democratic Majority Leader Catherine Parker of Rye announced her candidacy for Congress. Parker officially launched her campaign at an environmentally friendly house being renovated in Ossining.  “This building is emblematic of my commitment to the environment,” Parker said, “a home that can create as much energy as it uses. We have started down this path in Westch…
AOC Vs. Andy: Ocasio-Cortez, Cuomo At Odds Over Climate Change, Queens DA Endorsement AOC Vs. Andy: Ocasio-Cortez, Cuomo At Odds Over Climate Change, Queens DA Endorsement
AOC Vs. Andy: Ocasio-Cortez, Cuomo At Odds Over Climate Change, Queens DA Endorsement U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of parts of Queens and the Bronx has hopped on the Green train in Albany, criticizing Gov. Andrew Cuomo for failing to meet earlier promises of a fossil-freer future in New York. The congresswoman blasted Cuomo of New Castle for not making the environment a top priority of the current legislative session.  Cuomo took to the radio airwaves to refute that claim: “I proposed the Green New Deal before there was a Green New Deal being discussed nationwide,” Cuomo told WNYC's Brian Lehrer on Tuesday, June 4. Ocasio-Cortez, a 2007 Yorktown High School gradu…
Whole Foods Will Become First National Grocer To Ban Plastic Straws Whole Foods Will Become First National Grocer To Ban Plastic Straws
Whole Foods Will Become First National Grocer To Ban Plastic Straws Get ready to say goodbye to plastic straws, Whole Foods shoppers, the supermarket chain has officially announced that it will be the first national grocer to eliminate the product from its stores. By July, the retailer announced that it will remove plastic straws from all Whole Foods-operated venues. This includes Allegro coffee bars, juice bars and cafes. The ban includes all of the grocer’s locations throughout the United States as well as Canada and the United Kingdom. As a more sustainable alternative to plastic straws, officials say, Whole Foods employees will offer paper straws with …
Styrofoam Food Packaging Ban Expected To Move Forward In Nassau County Styrofoam Food Packaging Ban Expected To Move Forward In Nassau County
Styrofoam Food Packaging Ban Expected To Move Forward In Nassau County The end may be near for Styrofoam in Nassau County. Lawmakers in Nassau are expected to vote this week on legislation sponsored by Legislator Denise Ford that would ban the use of Styrofoam containers countywide. The bill would make it illegal to sell or distribute Styrofoam products beginning as soon as January. Fines for violating the policy would lead to fines between $500 and $2,500, which would be enforced by the county’s Department of Consumer Affairs. Similar measures have already been passed in Suffolk County and Manhattan. A plastic bag ban has also been enacted in the Hudson Val…
Fairfield County Single-Use Bag Ban Fans Focus On Communication Efforts Fairfield County Single-Use Bag Ban Fans Focus On Communication Efforts
Fairfield County Single-Use Bag Ban Fans Focus On Communication Efforts The following is Part 2 in a two-part series of stories on single-use bag fees in Fairfield County. Towns in Fairfield County that have enacted plastic bag ban ordinances are now focusing efforts on communication. New Canaan's plastic bag ban ordinance was adopted by the Town Council on Feb. 27, 2019, and goes into effect on Aug. 27, 2019. "The delay is intended to give New Canaan retailers time to replace their inventory of carryout bags and make any required changes to their checkout practices," said New Canaan Town Council member Tom Butterworth. Click here …
Single-Use Bag Fees Not Going Over Well In This Fairfield County Town Single-Use Bag Fees Not Going Over Well In This Fairfield County Town
Single-Use Bag Fees Not Going Over Well In This Fairfield County Town The following is Part 1 in a two-part series of stories on single-use bag fees in Fairfield County. Many towns and cities in Connecticut have enacted bans on plastic bag use and others have ordinances in place that will take effect this year. In early March, Weston's plastic bag ordinance took effect, but a local market owner says his customers are upset. It's not the ban on single-use plastic bags shoppers at Peter's Weston Market object to but the 10 cent fee stores have to charge when customers use them, said owner Jim Magee.  The ordinance prohibits retailers from providing singl…
Here's When Ban On Single-Use Plastic Bags Takes Effect In NY Here's When Ban On Single-Use Plastic Bags Takes Effect In NY
Here's When Ban On Single-Use Plastic Bags Takes Effect In NY Single-use plastic bags will soon be extinct in New York State. Citing pollution and concerns for animal safety on Earth Day, April 22, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation that will ban the use of single-use bags beginning on March 1, 2020. The plastic bag ban was included in Cuomo’s recently released $175.5 billion state budget. According to Cuomo, New Yorkers use billions of plastic bags annually, which do not biodegrade, creating massive amounts of litter in neighborhoods and waterways and posing a threat to the health of area residents and the environment. The ban is expected…
Gas Prices Reach Five-Year March Peak Gas Prices Reach Five-Year March Peak
Gas Prices Reach Five-Year March Peak Both New York and Connecticut have entered the “drivers’ dozen” and are among the 12 states with the highest gas prices in the country. Nationally, as of Tuesday, March 26, the average price at the pump has hit $2.65 per gallon, up nine cents from a week ago and 25 cents from a month ago. The price is three cents more than a year ago, according to AAA. “Thanks to increasing demand and tightening gasoline stocks across the country, March gas prices came in like a lion and will not go out like a lamb,” AAA spokesperson Jeanette Casselano said. “State gas price averages are very similar to a y…
Plastic Bag Ban Approved By Stamford Board Plastic Bag Ban Approved By Stamford Board
Plastic Bag Ban Approved By Stamford Board Stamford joined Greenwich and Westport in approving a future ban on single-use plastic bags in that city. On Monday, Oct. 1, Stamford's Board of Representatives in voted in favor of the ban, which begins in six months. Stamford's board also approved charging 10 cents to customers who use recyclable paper bags instead of bringing their own reusable bags. The new city ordinance calls for the paper bags be 100 percent recyclable and contain at least 40 percent recycled content.  Greenwich's ban went into effect on Sept. 12, also six months after its passage, as reported here by Daily Voice.
Westchester May Become Latest County To Trash Plastic Bags, Foam Westchester May Become Latest County To Trash Plastic Bags, Foam
Westchester May Become Latest County To Trash Plastic Bags, Foam As people around the globe observe Earth Day on Sunday, Westchester County Legislators Kitley Covill and Nancy Barr are putting their environmental principles into action. On Thursday,  April 19, they proposed legislation to encourage the use of reusable bags and keep single-use plastic checkout bags out of the county’s streets, landfills and waterways. The legislation additionally takes aim at polystyrene foam, banning its use in food packing and other kinds of items packed in the county. “This is the first step toward a goal we all share -- to improve the environment by eliminating the p…