New York, NY

“It's a green transition and both of those words matter . . . It has to be a transition because you can't flip a switch and make it happen. It also has to be green because we recognize the reality of climate change and more broadly the challenges of energy security.”

“Experts say years of conservation efforts have resulted in some of the healthiest waters in generations, with booming fish populations, [and] clearer ocean waves . . . The increased marine traffic could lead to some hard conversations about how we use our waterways in the near future, and how to observe the animals safely.”

"Often referred to as ‘the most important fish in the sea’ Menhaden are an important part of the diet of many fish including striped bass, bluefish, and whales. They are also consumed by sea birds. Local fishermen use the fish for bait. My legislation will protect our local waters from the kind of industrial overfishing that can devastate a species."

"The city had 206 days in 2018 when the air quality was deemed unhealthy for sensitive groups: elderly, children, and people with lung disease . . . The most common pollutant in New York is the fine particulate matter PM2.5, which comes from cars, power plants, wood burning and forest fires."

“In less distance out to sea than the average New Yorker’s commute home, there is likely a whale singing at this very moment.”

"The project, led by the department, is the city's latest and largest attempt to restore a self-sustaining oyster population in Jamaica Bay in the hope of improving water quality, protecting the shoreline from erosion and reviving habitats for fish and wildlife . . . With the placement of an additional 12,000 oysters in the coming weeks, the team will have added nearly 50,000 adult oysters to the bay, making it the largest single installation of breeding oysters in New York City . . . The four shell beds are made not only of clam and oyster shells but also of tiny pieces of porcelain that have been recycled from nearly 5,000 toilets from New York City's public schools."

“Over 10 billion gallons of raw and partly treated sewage gushed into waterways and bubbled up onto streets and into homes as a result of Hurricane Sandy . . . [The storm] exposed serious shortcomings in the region’s infrastructure. Dunes were breached, and subway lines and tunnels were flooded . . . Currents and tides most likely flushed out much of the sewage in local waterways, experts say, though some regions imposed bans on shellfish and issued boil-water alerts in the immediate aftermath of the storm.”

". . . the New York oyster is making something of a comeback. Ever since the Clean Water Act was passed in the 1970s, the harbor's waters have been getting cleaner, and there is now enough dissolved oxygen in our waterways to support oyster life. In the last 10 years, limited sets of natural oyster larvae occurred in several different waterways that make up the Greater New York Bight . . . Alongside nature's efforts, a consortium of human-run organizations that include the Hudson River Foundation, New York-New Jersey Bay Keeper, the Harbor School and even the Army Corps of Engineers have worked together to put out a handful of test reefs throughout the Bight."

"Last year, the Staten Island Advance ran a photograph of three seals sunning themselves on a Jet Ski dock just off the Joline Avenue beach. Then, two days after a storm, locals observed a young seal entangled beside a floating mooring here and called the police. A police helicopter landed on the beach and two N.Y.P.D. frogmen emerged in full scuba gear, they waded out to the seal and disentangled it from a web of monofilament snagged on the mooring. The seal swam away, apparently fine. The frogmen high-fived. It was the first time they had rescued a seal."

"To a nonbirder, Manhattan may not seem like an ideal place to spot birds. But amid the dense thicket of buildings and roadways, Central Park appears as a green oasis, and the wooded middle part known as the Ramble beckons as a rest stop for migratory birds; perhaps 250 species can be spotted there in any year."

“Governor David A. Paterson, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and local elected officials today opened the first portion of Pier 1 at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Pier 1 features the first of the park's waterfront promenades, lawns, a playground, and the "Granite Prospect," a set of steps built from large granite slabs for park goers to sit and enjoy the scenery. Once completed, the 85-acre waterfront park will stretch along the Brooklyn waterfront from Atlantic Avenue to Jay Street, north of the Manhattan Bridge. Governor Paterson said. ‘The development of Brooklyn's waterfront will create livable communities and strengthen our State's economic future while adding to the wide variety of tourist destinations that Brooklyn has to offer.'”

Cornell University, "Blue Whale Discovered Singing In New York Coastal Waters," Science Daily, May 30 2009, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090529211633.htm.

“One of the biggest environmental cleanups in U.S. history got underway Friday. The Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric have begun dredging tons of toxic, PCB-contaminated sludge from New York's upper Hudson River.” “During this phase, approximately 283,000 cubic yards of PCB-contaminated sediment was removed from a six-mile stretch of the Upper Hudson River near Fort Edward, NY. After an extensive evaluation by an independent panel of scientists and input from a broad range of stakeholders, EPA developed plans for the second part of the cleanup.”

"More than a decade after Hudson River Park was officially created, in 1998, the park's construction is more than halfway complete, with the opening of Pier 64 in Chelsea and a stretch of park between West 24th and 26th Streets. The design of the pier, by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, includes an elevation at the western end that rises 15 feet above the bulkhead. “This rise, in addition to the pier's unique location at a bend in the Hudson River, provides spectacular views of New York Harbor and the river to the north and south . . . The entirely passive green recreational pier is characterized by sloping lawns and a grove of English Oaks that extends from the bulkhead out to the pierhead line, enticing parkgoers to explore the pier's western end.”