The Cloudburst Group’s Post

🍃 In 2023 the government published its plan for environmental improvement. With progress stalled, what should happen next? 📜 According to The Office for Environmental Protection the government must speed and scale up its efforts to ensure that plans stack up. 🙏 How welcome then that the new Secretary of State Steve Reed has immediately recognised the scale of the crisis and pledged #urgent action to tackle #river #pollution, restore #nature and build a circular economy. 🔍 This will be informed by a review of the environmental improvement plan but as Richard Benwell and I explain in our new briefing, this review must be neither drawn out nor scattergun. We suggest that it should: 🚀 be done as a policy sprint, concluded within three months of being announced, with stakeholder engagement with delivery experts. 🎯 focus on priorities needed to deliver the Environment Act targets. 📈 result in a credible and transparent delivery plan. https://lnkd.in/eJm7Qpnm

New York State is serious about environmental justice, climate change and improving air quality in disadvantaged communities. So much that NYS Department of Environmental Conservation decided to add a layer of EJ considerations to virtually ALL of its environmental permitting programs. Last week, DEC issued a final version of policy DEP-24-1 titled “Permitting and Disadvantaged Communities under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act”…and it’s a doozie! The policy will be relied on by Department staff “when reviewing permit applications associated with sources and activities, in or likely to affect a disadvantaged community, that result in greenhouse gas (GHG), or co-pollutant emissions.” The policy applies to almost all “major permit” applications including those for air emission permits, hazardous waste management and solid wastes to name a few. It also applies to permits issued under the Uniform Procedures Act for energy generating facilities. Permit applicants with facilities in State-designated Disadvantaged Communities will now be required to submit a preliminary screen to determine if the proposed action is likely to impact disadvantaged communities. If so, applicants will then be required to conduct a “disproportionate burden analysis” and propose design considerations to lower GHG or co-pollutant emissions. Oh…and the public gets a chance to opine and comment on the disproportionate burden analysis as well as the underlying application materials. I’m working on a comprehensive regulatory alert for this but I wanted to preview this now because this is so important. Things are changing rapidly and #EJ is here to stay in New York. At least with respect to environmental permitting. Okay that’s it for now. Have a nice Wednesday!! #EnvironmentalRegulations #EnvironmentalLaw #NYSDEC #NewYork #EnvironmentalAttorney #environmentaljustice #airpollution #climatechange

Local Nature Recovery Strategies are one of the Government's flagship policies. How can we ensure that they achieve their goals, and don't end up sitting on a shelf? 🕸️ Join the Environmental Policy Implementation Community's workshop to find out more 👉 https://bit.ly/3SzJ97o

Riverkeeper applauds Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature for their dedication to our environment and clean water, as demonstrated by the passage of the 2025 state budget which includes significant wins for New York and the Hudson River. The budget not only allocates substantial funding for environmental initiatives but also supports policy victories crucial for the protection of New York’s natural resources. However, we are disappointed that NY HEAT was not included in the final budget and urge all parties to pass this significant climate legislation by the end of the session. Key highlights of the budget include: - $500 Million for the Clean Water Infrastructure Act: This allocation will aid communities statewide in upgrading their aging water infrastructure, bringing the total investment in New York’s water infrastructure to $5.5 billion since the program’s inception in 2017. These funds are especially important in light of recent EPA drinking water quality standards for 6 PFAS related chemicals, which will require costly upgrades to drinking water treatment plants across New York State. - $400 Million for the Environmental Protection Fund: This funding will bolster various environmental programs, encompassing water quality monitoring, habitat restoration, fisheries research, and pollution prevention efforts. - Restoration of $7.5 Million for the Hudson River Estuary Program: This ensures that critical Hudson River programs can continue unimpeded, furthering efforts to preserve and enhance the ecological health of the Hudson River Estuary. - $150 million for the NY SWIMs initiative is a step in the right direction to ensure we enhance access to safe swimming in Hudson River, upgrading existing beaches and creating opportunities for new beaches. Jeremy Cherson, Senior Manager of Government Affairs for Riverkeeper, echoed the sentiment, stating, “Riverkeeper celebrates the policy and funding triumphs in the New York State budget, including $500 million for the Clean Water Infrastructure Act and $400 million for the Environmental Protection Fund. These investments will bolster New York’s climate resilience, habitat restoration efforts, and community engagement with waterfronts. We extend thanks to Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Heastie, Assemblymember Glick, and Senator Harckham for their unwavering dedication to clean water and environmental stewardship. We eagerly anticipate collaborating with state leaders to advance additional climate, clean water, and environmental legislation in the coming weeks.” https://lnkd.in/eUuCMzJ9

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🌍 Announcing the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Environmental Justice Clearinghouse! On April 21, 2023, President Biden’s Executive Order 14906 (https://lnkd.in/gS-XSPGr) established the Environmental Justice Clearinghouse, which is now accessible to all. This resource hub is designed to empower communities and stakeholders by providing a wealth of information and materials related to environmental justice efforts. 🔗 What You’ll Find in the EJ Clearinghouse: The EJ Clearinghouse offers a comprehensive collection of culturally and linguistically appropriate resources. These include research materials, policy updates, best practices, and actionable tools, all aimed at supporting environmental justice advocates and practitioners. Accessible Information: Resources are tailored to be accessible and useful to a diverse range of communities and stakeholders. Community Empowerment: Materials are designed to equip communities with the tools they need to advocate for and achieve environmental justice. 🤝 Contribute and Collaborate: Share Your Resources: Help enrich the Clearinghouse by submitting your own materials that could benefit others. Submit your resources through the EJ Clearinghouse submission form: https://lnkd.in/g2n4_Fh3

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (#DEC) released the Draft DEC Program Policy DEP 23-1: Permitting and Disadvantaged Communities under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (#CLCPA). The policy implements Section 7(3) of the CLCPA which requires that state agencies shall not disproportionately burden #EJ communities and shall prioritize reductions of #GHG emissions and co-pollutants when permitting projects. DEP 23-1 describes the analyses and procedures that DEC staff is required to follow to conform with the CLCPA. Comments may be submitted by November 27, 2023. #greenhousegas #environmentaljustice https://lnkd.in/eaNkn34F.

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation is using the water use classification process under the Clean Water Act to recognize the progress the NYC Department of Environmental Protection and other stakeholders have achieved in improving water quality within the Hudson River and New York Harbor. NYS DEC has established water classification criteria to identify waters that meet bathing water quality standards unless a wet weather event causes combined sewer overflows. Its approach should be modeled by the EPA nationwide. This change recognizes that non-traditional bathing beaches along urban waterfronts can be sited in many areas of NY and use the wet weather warning and closure advisories we currently give at traditional beaches across the City and State to manage bather safety. This change also allows water utilities to refine their "use attainability assessments" to identify improvement projects that address the specific, localized risks that can pose a risk to bathers during rain events. Water utilities can take practical short and medium-term steps that connect urban communities to swimming and learn-to-swim opportunities while they develop longer-term control plans. This also removes the obstacle of some health departments improperly applying the Clean Water Act's requirements to establish waterbody use classifications to guide pollution permit discharge limits (which has no relationship to whether a particular, small segment of a large waterbody regularly meets bathing water quality criteria established by the EPA) to deny urban communities' efforts to increase opportunities for permitted swimming. Now, we need to build the swimming venues to bring millions of New Yorkers to the water and reap the blue economy, health, and climate change benefits they will create. #beaches #drowningprevention #equity #swiming #waterquality #blueeconomy #waterquality #innovation #cleanwateract #sewagedischages #riverkeeper #EPA #NYCDEP #NYSDOH #NYSDEC https://lnkd.in/dHWTc76p