Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver Named Legislator of the Year in New York's Only Environmental Scorecard

• by Environmental Advocates of New York

ALBANY, NY (10/20/2009)(readMedia)-- In the only scorecard that grades New York State lawmakers according to their votes on bills that could benefit or harm the State's air, land and water, EPL/Environmental Advocates honored Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-NYC) as "Legislator of the Year." Legislator of the Year honors are awarded to the public figure who has done the most to advance environmentally beneficial policy. Speaker Silver received the award for his leadership role on MTA refinancing and the Green Jobs-Green New York Act. The Speaker received a score of 101 in the 2009 Voters' Guide. The 2009 "Voters Guide" is available at http://eplvotersguide.org/.

"The 2009 New York State Legislative Session had it allfrom the greenest heroes to the most destructive villains. EPL/Environmental Advocates commends Assembly Speaker Silver for his efforts to protect New York's natural resources this year," said Robert Moore, executive director of EPL/Environmental Advocates. "Our annual green Voters' Guide is New York's one-and-only scorecard that grades state lawmakers according to their votes on important environmental bills. New Yorkers are angry with the State Legislature and our scorecard explains exactly what did and didn't happen in Albany this year when it comes to green policy."

The 2009 "Voters' Guide" recognizes Assemblyman Robert Sweeney (D-Lindenhurst) for his leadership in securing passage of all five of the environmental community's priority 2009 Super Bills. In his first year as Chair of the Senate's Environmental Conservation Committee, Antoine Thompson (D-Buffalo) is recognized for helping to update New York's bottle deposit law to include bottled waters, which will remove millions of containers from the waste stream. EPL also applauds Senator Thomas Morahan (R-Nanuet) for his efforts to rally colleagues in support of the Green Jobs-Green New York Act.

Senator Craig Johnson (D-Garden City) is the recipient of EPL's 2009 "Oil Slick" award, which is given to the public figure who has done the most to derail New York's environmental protections.

Senator Johnson thwarted progress on legislation that would require manufacturers to recycle toxic electronic waste (E-waste) and aligned himself with Long Island's biggest E-waste manufacturers.

This year, many of the State Senate's long-time green leaders received failing grades due to the June coup and the few bills acted upon in that house. Only seven bills that would advance environmental protection passed the Senate in 2009, compared to 15 or more in previous years. The Assembly passed nearly 40 green bills this year.

On average, Republican senators scored worse than their Democratic Party colleagues (30 to 73). Senate Conference Leader John Sampson (D-Brooklyn) received a score of 77 this year, while President Malcolm Smith (D-St.Albans) received a failing grade of 58. Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada, Jr. (D-Bronx) received a score of 65 in the Voters' Guide. Minority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) received a 21, 55 points shy of his 2008 score.

As in past years, the Assembly remained committed to environmental protections and acted quickly to pass all five of the green Super Bills. The Bigger, Better Bottle Bill, the only Super Bill that became law this year, was the culmination of an almost 10-year campaign and a major achievement. The Super Bills are selected by the Green Panel as the environmental community's legislative priorities for the year. The Green Panel includes representatives of groups from across the State. In addition to the Bottle Bill, the 2009 Super Bills include: the Wetlands Protection Act, which would protect wetlands of an acre or more; the Global Warming Pollution Control Act, which would reduce climate pollution 80 percent by the year 2050; the E-waste Recycling Act, which would remove tons of toxic e-waste from landfills by requiring manufacturers to collect and recycle their products; and the Environmental Access to Justice Act, which would restore New Yorkers' right to enforce environmental review laws.

EPL/Environmental Advocates calculates lawmakers' scores using the ratings of its sister organization, Environmental Advocates of New York. Legislators earn between one and three points respectively for votes in support of bills that received one, two or three "trees." Tree-rated bills are those deemed beneficial to the environment. Likewise, legislators earn between one and three points for voting against bills that were give a rating of one, two or three "smokestacks." Smokestack-rated bills are those deemed detrimental to the environment. Votes on priority "Super Bills" receive extra points.

The "Voters' Guide" is the first and only record of New York State lawmakers' votes on legislation that will impact the environment. The "Guide" has been produced and distributed statewide for 40 years.

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EPL/Environmental Advocates was founded in 1969 as one of the first organizations in the nation to advocate for the future of a state's environment and the health of its citizens. Through lobbying, advocacy, coalition building, citizen education and policy development, EPL/Environmental Advocates has been New York's environmental conscienceensuring that environmental laws are enforced; that new measures are enacted when necessary; and that the public is informed of, and participates in, important environmental policy debates.