Latest Environmental News from the NYC Council

I just got the following email update from the City Council that I thought I would share:

This past month, as part of our ongoing efforts to make New York a greener, healthier city, the Council passed into law several groundbreaking bills that will help preserve and protect the environment, improve the quality of our air and water,and keep New York City at the forefront of environmental policy and action. These new, far-reaching initiatives include:

ELECTRONIC RECYCLING - Helping to protect the environment and keep litter off City streets, the Council passed trailblazing legislation last week to require manufacturers to take responsibility for collecting and recycling the electronic products that they produce.

Countless New Yorkers have an old television or computer cluttering up a corner of their home, but just don't know how to dispose of it safely. This legislation will provide us a safe, convenient way to recycle this electronic waste without having to have it landfilled or incinerated, which can often release toxic chemicals into our air or water. And as an added bonus, it puts the responsibility for recycling on the manufacturer, preventing further burden on consumers or on taxpayer dollars.

Under this landmark bill, New York will be the first city in the nation with an electronics-recycling law. Furthermore, this legislation includes key collection standards for manufacturers, making it one of the most comprehensive electronics-collection laws in the U.S.

GREEN FERRIES - Helping to improve air quality in and around New York City's waterfronts, the Council also passed legislation last week to require City-owned ferries to use low sulfur-emission fuel, as well as technology to reduce fuel exhaust pollutants from being released into the air.

With more than a million new people projected to live here by 2030, we need to take advantage of every opportunity to make our City more sustainable. Retrofitting our ferry fleet to use ultra-low-sulfur diesel is a simple and obvious way to reduce New York City's carbon footprint and help make sure our air is cleaner and safer for our and future generations of New Yorkers.

This legislation, which builds on the Council's diesel emission reduction efforts, will bring our ferries in line with the clean-air innovations we've already brought to our buses, taxis, sanitation trucks, and other City government fleet vehicles. In passing this bill, the City has demonstrated that it's serious about reducing emissions, improving air quality, and ensuring that our ferries are among the greenest in the nation.

STORMWATER MANAGEMENT PLAN - And lastly, helping to protect the quality of the City's waterways and prevent flooding due to rain storms, the Council passed a landmark bill last month to require the City to develop and implement a sustainable stormwater management plan.

New Yorkers are all too familiar with the flooding and damage that can occur as a result of severe weather. In addition to disrupting subway service and wreaking havoc on our communities and homes, heavy rain can also cause the City's sewage system to overflow with raw sewage, endangering public heath, causing ecological damage, and making local water bodies unsafe for recreational activities.

Under this new bill, the City will develop green roofs, permeable pavement, rain gardens and other green technologies to control flooding and sewer overflows at their source. Once in place, these technologies will greatly improve the quality of the City's water bodies, protect public health, prevent flooding on City streets, and make the City's waterways safer and more enjoyable for all New Yorkers.