FCWC Hosts Legislator Roundtable
Summary
Federated Conservationists of Westchester County hosted a legislative roundtable on February 7th, 2025, to give advocates from our member organizations and state legislators to discuss environmental issues, including clean water, clean air, environmental justice, and environmental land use. The event was a big success, with around seventy in attendance. Productive conversations were had about how to best address the environmental issues facing our community. To read the full remarks, click the link at the bottom of the page.
To promote clean water, legislators discussed the need for reduced water waste, improving wastewater treatment, and protecting existing natural water sources. Programs such as the Clean Water Infrastructure Act, the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act, and the Environmental Protection Fund help allocate funds to improve water infrastructure, support land acquisition for water protection, and manage water contaminants. These programs are vital to protecting clean water throughout New York State, but can be further improved with additional funding and support.
Legislators and advocates discussed new, existing, and proposed legislation and policies to improve clean air across Westchester County. While this effort is long-reaching and will require more than is currently done, New York State has implemented several initiatives to improve air quality, including the Clean Fuel Standard of 2025, congestion pricing in New York City, the Statewide Community Air Monitoring Initiative, and the proposed Cap-and-Invest Program. In coordination with other initiatives, these programs will improve Westchester's air quality and act as a component of a broader strategy to deal with climate change.
Environmental justice ensures that no community bears a disproportionate environmental burden. Historically, communities of color have higher exposure to pollution, lower access to green spaces, and a greater vulnerability to the consequences of climate change such as flooding and heat waves. To help promote environmental justice, New York State has implemented initiatives such as the Office of Environmental Justice and the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. These initiatives are a critical step, but additional steps are needed to ensure that the fight for environmental protections includes all communities and does not reinforce existing disproportionalities.
Finally, legislators discussed the concept of environmental land use, or the use of land to balance development, conservation, and sustainability. Development of land must be carefully managed to minimize environmental harm while still promoting sustainability efforts. New York State has implemented programs to balance conservation and development, including the 30x30 Conservation Initiative, the Environmental Protection Fund, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, and the New York State Conservation Partnership Program. Balancing development and environmental justice is critical to environmental protection efforts.