skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Environmental Watchdog: NY Green Stimulus Dollars “Well Spent”

play audio
Play

Wednesday, February 16, 2011   

NEW YORK - Federal stimulus dollars are paying dividends for New Yorkers, an environmental group says - for commuters, the environment, public health and the potential for thousands of new jobs.

With the state slated to receive more than $30 billion in federal stimulus money, some feared the state might end up wasting both money and open space on unneeded projects. After studying the $5 billion already slated for "green" projects, however, Allison Jenkins, fiscal policy program director for Environmental Advocates of New York, says a lot of good is coming from that federal funding. In addition to needed highway repairs, there is also money for light rail and the state's ancient public water system.

"The federal stimulus is providing almost $500 million to invest in our drinking-water infrastructure and our clean-water infrastructure, so this is really going to protect public health and the environment."

Opponents argue that stimulus dollars' benefits are outweighed by the fact that they drive the nation deeper into debt. Jenkins counters that more than $150 million in stimulus money is directed to high-speed rail, which should reduce travel time for commuters, cut traffic congestion and - according to estimates on the New York recovery website - create 2,600 jobs.

Stimulus dollars are also supporting smaller green-innovation projects across the state. Peter Ward, director of the Lindenhurst Memorial Library, says the library got $200,000 to install a green-technology parking lot which, during heavy rainstorms, will help prevent more than 150,000 gallons of stormwater runoff from reaching coastal waterways such as Great South Bay.

"Quite frankly, it's polluted stormwater, and it contaminates the bay. It kills off the fish life, it kills off the shellfish life. But this is one project that doesn't do that. It is green in that way; and it also has solar lighting, and all the materials that are used are either recycled or green and sustainable."

According to the report, stimulus money for solar panels is allowing some community centers in towns such as the Village of Montebello to save thousands of dollars on their utility bills by selling excess power back to the grid.

More information is online at eany.org.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021