The state Department of Environmental Conservation's months-long study into PFAS compounds in soil around the Norlite facility in Cohoes is complete, after concerns were raised about incineration of firefighting foam containing the material in 2018 and 2019.

"What’s important about the results is it seems like there are minimal concentrations of PFAS materials, which would be impacting human health, so that’s a positive, but we have much more work to be doing," said Assemblymember John McDonald.

Soil and water samples taken from around the Norlite incineration facility in Cohoes found no indication that its prior burning of firefighting foam poses negative health risks to residents of the city or surrounding communities, the state Department of Environmental Conservation announced in a study released Tuesday.

The DEC conducted the tests in response to community concerns and to determine if toxic PFAS chemicals, mercury, and other metals were present due to operations performed at Norlite.

The state Assembly on Monday gave final approval to a constitutional amendment guaranteeing New Yorkers have clean air and water, sending the sweeping environmental "bill of rights" to voters in a referendum in November.

For environmental groups, the amendment's advancement is a victory that could lead to further action on climate change and boosting drinking water standards. But, lawsuit reform groups fret the measure could lead to a torrent of lawsuits citing the amendment's lofty goals.

A coalition of more than 175 organizations in the conservation and business sectors are calling for environmental programs to be bolstered in the upcoming state budget season.

And their push includes reviving the proposed Environmental Bond Act, which was shelved earlier this year amid the financial downturn created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A provision that would permanently ban new oil barge anchorage in the lower Hudson River has advanced through the House of Representatives, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney on Tuesday announced.

The measure was included in a larger omnibus bill for defense spending that now goes to the U.S. Senate.

Road salt usage in the Adirondack Park could be reduced starting next year under a bill signed on Wednesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The measure will create a pilot program for alternatives to road salt in the vast region beginning in October of next year and running through 2024. If successful, alternative road salt usage in the park could become the norm.

Much of Dan Mundy’s life revolves around Jamaica Bay. Not only does he live along the bay, in Broad Channel, he works to protect it, as the founder and president of the group Ecowatchers.

"When I was growing up Jamaica Bay, in the summer, it was my playground,” Mundy told NY1.

Dozens of groups in a letter to top state elected officials this week urged them to take up a clean fuel standard for the transportation sector.

The push was initially made at the start of the year. But as the response to the COVID-19 pandemic took center stage this year, advocates are now looking to next year and the coming state budget talks in 2021.

New York's ban on single-use plastic bags is being enforced today after months of delays and a court challenge to the cheers of environmental organizations.

“New York’s bag ban has already improved New York’s health by cutting down on plastic pollution," said Kate Kurera, the deputy director of Environmental Advocates of NY. "We look forward to the State beginning enforcement and stores complying with this important law."

Governor Andrew Cuomo is being urged by environmental groups to sign a measure meant to reduce road salt usage in the Adirondack Park.

The legislation would create the task force and pilot program for reducing road salt usage within the park from October 2021 to 2024. The program would test measures that have been shown to reduce road salt usage and cost for winter road maintenance.

According to NYSERDA, clean energy jobs in New York grew by nearly 9 percent between 2016 and 2018. Now a Kingston organization wants to help fill those positionswith an apprenticeship program.

"A green job is anything that helps make your home healthier, safer, more efficient so that you're not having dramatic energy bills," said Jessica Clegg, the communications and outreach coordinator for Citizens for Local Power.

While we’ve been rightly worried about social distancing and whether to freeze our gym memberships, the state’s Climate Council has been meeting to talk about carbon reduction.

Back in July of 2019, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), which mandates an 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2040, and 70 percent renewable energy by 2030.

State lawmakers and environemtnal groups on Wednesday called for the approval of a pair of bills meant to expand fleets of buses by mass transit agencies that emit zero emissions over the next decade.

The bills come as New York state in the coming decades is being tasked with sharp reductions in its carbon footrpint and greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decades, with benchmark reductions required every several years.

Overuse, litter, crowding and trail degradation were among the top concerns in a report released Monday by Adirondack stewardship advocates.

The report released by the Leave No Center for Outdoor Ethics called for more funding to implement the changes as crowds flock to popular destinations within the park like the High Peaks Wilderness Area. And it comes as overuse of the Adirondacks, jammed with tourists now year round, has become a growing concern for state officials.

While hydrofracking hasn’t moved forward in New York, for years, the state has opened its doors to tons of fracking waste from Pennsylvania.

According to Environmental Advocates of New York, between 2010-17, New York landfills accepted at least 609,000 tons and 23,000 barrels of fracking waste. In 2018, three landfills, in Allegany, Steuben, and Chemung counties, accepted 18,522 tons of waste.

The Restore Mother Nature Bond Act, which would have been the largest in state history, was supposed to reduce the risk of flooding for vulnerable communities, restore habitat, and prepare the state for climate change.

It’s become another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A final vote on clean drinking water standards has been pushed back by the state twice, environmental groups said during a press conference on Tuesday.

"Approximately 4.3 million New Yorkers rely on drinking water that has levels of PFOA, PFOS, or 1,4-dioxane above levels considered by health experts to be safe – but that's only where testing has been conducted in larger water systems," Liz Moran, environmental policy director for the New York Public Interest Research Group wrote.

Imagine a community that has not only seen sales tax revenues plummet because of the pandemic, but also, because of coincidental timing, the shutdown of its largest property tax payer.

The Village of Buchanan in Westchester County doesn’t have to imagine.

Upstate New York will see new wind and solar projects being built in record time thanks to a new provision in the budget.

The state’s new spending plan fast-tracks the way renewable energy is sited, something Anne Reynolds, executive director of the Alliance for Clean Energy, says has been needed since last year's passage of climate legislation.

A coalition formed to push New York into becoming the first state that implements a carbon pricing plan is launching a statewide petition on Friday to further bolster their case.

The group, called CarbonFreeNY, wants the state to enact the plan backed by the New York independent System Operator.

A coalition that is pushing for the legalization of e-bikes and e-scooters, in a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, praised him for including the provision in the state budget, but also urged him to work with the Legislature to get the measure over the finish line.

The budget is due at the end of the month.

A coalition of businesses and business organizations this week urged top Democratic lawmakers in the state Senate and Assembly to reject a proposed ban on polystyrene products in Gov. Andrew Cuomo's budget.

The coalition is composed of restaurants, food producers, packaging manufactures and organized labor.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has officially agreed to not enforce the coming ban on plastic bags until April 1, court documents filed on Friday show.

The bag ban is still set to formally take effect on Sunday. But the law is being challenged by the plastic industry as well as bodega owners in state court.

Assemblywoman Pat Fahy thinks New York is going to need a bigger bond act.

The Albany Democrat on Wednesday announced she is backing an even larger bond act to bolster the environment and combat climate change in New York than the original proposal of Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Wednesday the state is joining a lawsuit being filed against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, alleging it failed to address air pollution problems.

James and attorneys general in multiple states allege the EPA is in violation of the Clean Air Act for not taking action on the pollution coming from other states in the region.

The state's coming ban on single-use plastic bags took a step forward on Monday as state environmental officials issued regulations for the implementation of the new law.

The ban, approved by state lawmakers and Gov. Andrew Cuomo last year, is set to officially take effect on March 14.

The effort to control overuse of the high peaks region of Adirondack Park is showing early results even as the total number of visitors to the park continued to increase, the Adirondack Council on Monday said.

Environmental groups and state officials over the last year raised concerns about overuse of the park as video and photos showed rows of cars parked along trailheads at popular destinations.

A coalition led by the New York League of Conservation Voters is launching a campaign on Monday meant to push for clean fuel policy in New York.

The groups comprise a range of industries and advocacy issues, including the environmental, public health, scientists, car manufacturers and clean fuel providers.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday proposed a ban on Styrofoam containers and products like packing peanuts, a move that would restrict their use and distribution in the state.

The ban would effect common items like single-use food containers. And the measure would allow the state Department of Environmental Conservation to limit or ban other packaging material considered harmful to the environment.