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Hudson-Mohawk Action Alerts
( In all email addresses, substitute the usual "@" symbol for "_at_". ) Earth Day Lobby Day, April 15, 2008 We are delighted that Governor David A. Paterson has agreed to be the keynote speaker for this year's Earth Day Lobby Day on Tuesday, April 15. This is the first year a Governor has ever spoken at this event and it is incredibly important that we have a strong turnout to show that New Yorkers want a cleaner, healthier environment. Please join us in lobbying state law-makers to pass strong laws protecting our air, water, and land, and our health. All are welcome! Ask your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers to join us! We encourage car-pooling and use of mass transit to attend this event.
Time and Location: Tuesday, April 15th, 9:30 am - 3:30+ pm. This all-day event is free and open to all, but you must pre-register. All participants will get a free t-shirt. We will send out directions and more detailed information to all registrants in advance of the event. To register, simply complete the form linked here by Friday, April 11 and e-mail or fax it to Bill Mahoney at NYPIRG as shown on the form.
Schedule (subject to change): Earth Day Lobby Day 2008 is being coordinated by Environmental Advocates of New York, New York Public Interest Research Group, Adirondack Mountain Club, Audubon New York, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Environmental Defense, Natural Resources Defense Council, New York League of Conservation Voters, Scenic Hudson, Sierra Club, and The Nature Conservancy, and is being sponsored by a wide range of local, state, and national groups.
For more information contact Norreida Reyes, Conservation Director, Sierra
Club Atlantic Chapter, 353 Hamilton St., Albany, NY 12210 ACTION ALERT ! Act now for a CLEANER NEW YORK. March 2008
Support Cleaner Communities and a Healthier Environment: A Bigger Better Bottle Bill was introduced in the Executive Budget Proposal for 2008-2009. The legislation calls for updating our nickel-deposit system to include increasingly popular non-carbonated beverages such as bottled water, iced teas, and sports drinks. It also would require beverage companies to return unclaimed deposits to NY to protect our environment. This is a great opportunity to make our communities cleaner, increase recycling, and generate more funding for parks and other local environmental programs. But industry opponents are likely to be using all their clout to oppose it. So we need grassroots pressure--especially on the State Senate, which has blocked this measure every year. Your action NOW could make the difference. Budget discussions will be coming to a head in the next few weeks. Let's get it done in the state budget this year! In this politically fluid time, the next several days are crucial for this campaign. Please contact your Senator and Assembly member TODAY and urge them to pass the Bigger Better Bottle Bill in the state budget! It is fine to phone your legislator after hours and leave a message. Don't forget to leave your name, town, and phone number with your message if you do.
HOW TO CONTACT YOUR STATE LEGISLATORS: To find out who represents you in Albany, call your county Board of Elections, or visit the Board of Elections website at nymap.elections.state.ny.us/nysboe/, or go to the Senate and Assembly websites shown below.
To find a legislator's address, e-mail, or phone number: Some talking points and more background information can be found here. URGE YOUR STATE LAW-MAKERS TO MAKE SURE THE BIGGER BETTER BOTTLE BILL IS INCLUDED IN THE 2008-09 STATE BUDGET
Ongoing AlertsHelp Protect The Adirondacks !!The Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter Adirondack Committee is joining with other organizations to fight two huge development projects in the Adirondacks, one in the Village of Tupper Lake, and one on the Saranac River near Union Falls. Adirondack Park Agency review of these projects appears to be timed to gain approval in the 11th hour before the new Governor takes office. Contributions are needed for legal action to help us hold off the onslaught against Adirondack wild forest lands. By making your tax-deductible contribution of $25, $50, or $100 to the Sierra Club Foundation Adirondack Committee Account you will enable us to develop a strong legal defense against the well-financed developers of these projects. Please send your check to the Sierra Club Adirondack Committee, 353 Hamilton Ave, Albany, NY 12210. A contribution sheet you can print in your web browser is available by clicking here. If you have any questions, please send email to adirondacks_at_newyork.sierraclub.org.
Some Past AlertsMake a Stink About the Stink! Proposed Albany Landfill ExpansionDEC IS ACCEPTING COMMENTS UNTIL MARCH 10, 2007, EXTENDED FROM FEBRUARY 23, 2007 Is the Smell Bothering You? On Wednesday February 21, 2007 beginning at 7 pm, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation will hold a Hearing on Proposed Expansion of the Rapp Road Landfill at which public comments are welcome. The hearing will be a scoping session and public comment opportunity for a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. It will be held at the Polish Community Center, 255 Washington Avenue Extension, the corner of Rapp Road and Washington Avenue Extension in the City of Albany, NY. Come and express your opposition to expanding the Rapp Road Landfill in the Pine Bush. This hearing is the only opportunity for the public to comment in person about issues to be addressed in the environmental impact statement for the proposed landfill expansion. The Mayor of the City of Albany is dedicated to pushing the landfill expansion through, despite that taking more land in the Pine Bush. For more information, contact Lynne Jackson of Save the Pine Bush at 518-434-1954 or by email to lynnejackson_at_mac.com, or Tom Ellis of Citizens' Environmental Coalition at 518-453-8874 or by email to pei1996_at_verizon.net. DEC is accepting comments until March 10, 2007 (extended from February 23, 2007 !). Mail comments to William J. Clarke, Regional Permit Administrator, Division of Environmental Permits, 1130 N. Westcott Rd., Schenectady, NY 12306 or by email to r4dep_at_gw.dec.state.ny.us. To review the Draft Scoping Statement and related documents, see www.capitalregionlandfill.com/meetings/. Save the Pine Bush is at 223 South Swan St., Albany, New York 12202; voice phone 518-434-1954, fax 518-434-6659; email to pinebush_at_mac.com; web www.savethepinebush.org. Save the Pine Bush Public Meeting: You, the Law, and the Landfill Sick of the stench of the landfill? Tired of complaining, and of the deaf ear the City of Albany seems to turn to complaints? Tired of nothing being done? On Wednesday March 14, 2007 meet members of Save the Pine Bush and hear about legal action available to local residents who live with the stink. Save the Pine Bush lawyer, Peter Henner, will explain legal options available to residents suffering from the stench of the current landfill. 7:00 pm, Village of Colonie Family Recreation Center, 2 Thunder Road, Albany, NY. From Albany, go West on Central Avenue. Six blocks (1/10 of a mile) past Wolf Road, turn right onto Locust Park. Turn right onto Thunder Road and go to the Village of Colonie Family Recreation Center. For more information, contact Lynne Jackson of Save the Pine Bush at 518-434-1954 or by email to lynnejackson_at_mac.com, or Tom Ellis of Citizens' Environmental Coalition at 518-453-8874 or by email to pei1996_at_verizon.net. StepItUp! and Help Fight Global Warming On April 14, 1912, the RMS Titanic hit an iceberg and sank within hours. They never saw it coming. When it comes to global warming, though, we can see it coming all too well. On April 14, 2007 tens of thousands of Americans will come together to head off disaster. At hundreds of action rallies all across the country, they'll all deliver the same message: "Step it up, Congress! Cut Carbon 80% by 2050." This National Day of Climate Action, the beginning of two weeks of Earth Day activities the Sierra Club is promoting, is a grassroots effort supported by the Sierra Club and dozens of other environmental groups, with rallies in every state and in many of America's most iconic places. To find out more, visit www.stepitup2007.org, or in the Hudson-Mohawk area contact Pete Sheehan at 518-489-5803 or by email to hmk-energy_at_newyork.sierraclub.org, or Susan Lawrence at 518-489-5721 or by email to hmk-chair_at_newyork.sierraclub.org. You can attend a Step Up To the Plate Picnic hosted by Honest Weight Food Co-op in Washington Park in Albany on April 14 from 11 am to 2 pm.
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