Photo courtesy of Wiki Commons.

As this year’s legislative session came to a close, the environmental community came up short on solar energy when the Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo failed to push through a bill to boost long-term solar energy investment in the state. “If there was one particular disappointment, it was in the area of solar energy,” Dan Hendrick, a spokesman for the New York League of Conservation Voters, said late last night. “The environmental community has been pushing for a long-term, robust solar program for years, and polls show the overwhelming majority of New Yorkers want more solar. But at the end of the day, neither house passed transformative clean-energy legislation and the governor was not able to forge consensus on energy issues, like he did last year. The Assembly, Senate and the Governor all need to sharpen their pencils if we are ever going to make New York a clean-energy leader.” A solar energy bill that built on the governor’s more modest NY-SUN solar initiative targeted one of four key issues by the League of Conservation Voters and other environmental groups this session. The other priorities were stricter standards for hydrofracking wastewater, boosting the Environmental Protection fund, and a bill that was passed on “sewage right to know,” which requires public notification of high sewage levels in waterways like the Hudson River.

In the current New York State Senate, there are few lawmakers truly fighting for a better environmental future for New Yorkers. Bill Perkins is one such legislator. He has a proven record of fighting for New Yorkers and getting results.

As State Senator for the 30th District, Bill Perkins has fought for cleaner air in a district where nearly one in four children suffer from asthma. He has worked with local organizations to fix problems at the North River Sewage Treatment Plant and has fought against the siting of additional bus depots in Northern Manhattan, a huge source of air pollution. And while he was serving in the City Council, Bill led efforts to pass The Childhood Lead Paint Poisoning Act of 2004. This crucial legislation led to a sharp decrease in lead poisoning cases, particularly among people of color and in low-income neighborhoods.

It is for these reasons that my organization has endorsed Senator Bill Perkins in the upcoming September 14 Democratic Primary. Senator Perkins’ demonstrated commitment to the environmental health of New Yorkers makes him the right choice for voters of the 30th District. For the environmental health of New York, we urge Democratic voters in Washington Heights, Harlem and on the Upper East Side to support Senator Bill Perkins this September 14.

Marcia Bystryn
President, New York League of Conservation Voters