New York "High and Dry" on Great Lakes Compact?
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
New York could be left "high and dry" when it comes to future drinking water, and a key source of power unless lawmakers sign off on an 8-state agreement in the special session. Both the Senate and Assembly had reached agreement for New York to sign onto the Great Lakes Compact, which is a regional agreement on future drawdowns from Lake Ontario and the others; however, time ran out during the regular session. Rob Moore with Environmental Advocates of New York believes agreeing now on how much future water can be taken out of the Great Lakes is particularly important for New York.
“We're the state at the bottom of the Great Lakes Water Shed, so we inherit any problems caused by unsustainable withdraws by any of the upstream states, and that can have big impacts.”
New Yorkers rely on the Great Lakes for drinking water and the hydropower facilities at Niagara Falls and St. Lawrence Seaway which provide 15 percent of the state's electricity needs.
Lawmakers laid the groundwork for communities all across New York to generate funds for open space protection, farm land protection and historic preservation by passing the Hudson Valley Community Preservation Act. Moore notes that it opens a welcome door for many other communities across New York to maintain their special places.
“Even though the bill geographically only effects two counties now, the real benefit of the legislation is that in the future it will be easier to add counties and communities.”
Also, awaiting the governor's signature is a measure that adds $75 million over the next three years to the Environmental Protection Fund, bringing it to $300 million a year.
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