Action
Alert
Your Help Needed to Increase
the Environmental Protection Fund
Write to the Legislative Leaders Today
Send Your Letter by March 30th
The Environmental Protection
Fund (EPF), which the Adirondack Council helped create in 1993,
is the main funding source for the state’s environmental
programs including open space protection, water quality improvements,
invasive species eradication and community planning. Since its
inception, the Fund has grown from $25 million to $225 million
thanks to the efforts of many groups and individuals.
This year, Governor Spitzer has
proposed to increase the EPF to $250 million by expanding the
Returnable Container Act. By creating the “Bigger Better
Bottle Bill” more than $100 million could be added to the
EPF in future years. These new funds would be dedicated to programs
that directly benefit the Adirondack Park and the environment
and public health in New York State.
Current Law and its Limitations
Currently, there is a five-cent deposit on cans and bottles of
carbonated beverages including beer and soda. When the original
bottle bill was passed, bottled water and juice drinks were not
included in the legislation and are still not subject to the
deposit. In the last 25 years, these non-carbonated beverages
have become extremely popular and currently make up a significant
portion of the containers sold. Without the deposit, there is
less incentive to recycle, and studies have shown that they make
up a large amount of the litter throughout New York State. Non-deposit
containers are often found along our roadways, in parks, and
waterways, causing not only an eyesore, but an environmental
problem.
When consumers buy items that
are covered by the current bottle bill, they pay a five-cent
deposit. When the bottles and cans are returned to a store or
recycling center, the deposit is given back to that consumer.
A large number of consumers don’t return their containers
to the store and the nickels they pay as a deposit are kept by
the large corporate bottling companies. This amounts to a multi-million
dollar windfall to the corporations, while municipalities are
responsible for the removal of the solid waste from their communities.
The Proposed Bigger Better
Bottle Bill
Under the “Bigger Better Bottle Bill,” consumers would
pay the same deposit on all carbonated and non-carbonated beverages,
with the exception of wine, liquor and milk, which would be exempt.
The five-cent deposit would still be given to consumers when
they return their bottles. However, if bottles are not returned,
those funds would be transferred to the state and placed in the
EPF instead of being kept by the corporations. The money would
then be used to benefit the public through programs that improve
air and water quality, protect open space and enhance recycling.
We need your help to make
sure that this important provision remains in place throughout
the negotiations on the New York State Budget. Please write a
letter today!
Personal letters from individuals
to the Legislature make the biggest difference. Please tell our
leaders in Albany how expanding environmental funding in New
York State is meaningful to you.
In your own words, please tell
the leaders of the Senate and the Assembly to:
- Build on their success in
years past by increasing the Environmental Protection Fund again.
- Make sure the New York State
Budget they approve includes the Bigger Better Bottle Bill.
- Ensure the revenue generated
by the expanded Bottle Bill is placed in the Environmental Protection
Fund, where it will boost efforts to preserve the Adirondack
Park.
Letters should
be directed to:
Hon.
Joseph Bruno, Majority Leader
New York State Senate
Albany, New York 12247 |
Hon.
Sheldon Silver, Speaker
New York State Assembly
Albany, New York 12248 |
Please write your letter to legislative
leaders today. Please be sure to send them no later than March
30, so they arrive in Albany by the time the budget is due.
If possible, please send us a copy of your letter too. (Our address
is below.)
If you have any questions, please
feel free to contact us. Thank you for your support!
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