Statement From New York State Senators On President Trump's Executive Order To Limit State Input On Pipeline Permits
April 10, 2019
Albany - Twenty-two New York State Senators released the following statement today regarding President Trump's planned executive order to direct the Environmental Protection Agency to limit state input on pipeline permits. Signing on to the statement were Senators Liz Krueger, Jamaal T. Bailey, Allessandra Biaggi, David Carlucci, Andrew Gounardes, Pete Harckham, Brad Hoylman, Robert Jackson, Rachel May, Shelley B. Mayer, Jen Metzger, Zellnor Myrie, Kevin Parker, Roxanne J. Persaud, Jessica Ramos, Gustavo Rivera, Julia Salazar, James Sanders Jr., Diane J. Savino, Luis R. Sepúlveda, Toby Ann Stavisky, and Kevin Thomas:
“Our primary responsibility as elected officials is to maintain the health, safety, and quality of life of the people of New York. That is why we have spoken out against the Williams Pipeline and other dirty, dangerous, and outdated fossil fuel infrastructure. These pipelines threaten our communities in the short term through the risk of spills, explosions, and water contamination, and in the long term by locking us in to a fossil energy system that drives catastrophic climate change.
“It seems that not a day goes by when President Trump isn’t spitting into the wind to try to stop the ongoing transition to a carbon-free future. This latest executive order is more of the same – rewarding his fossil fuel cronies by removing the protections that keep Americans safe. This time he has taken aim at the right of New York State to have a say in what happens to our land and water. This is an unacceptable overreach from a federal government that continues to abdicate its responsibility to safeguard our people and our shared environment.
“New York will not be cowed into compromising the well-being of our citizens. We will continue to fight unnecessary fossil fuel infrastructure while we work to craft a comprehensive approach to mitigating the climate crisis and delivering the benefits of the energy transition to all New Yorkers.”
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