pollution – R&R – Reachout and Rebuild

Don’t Make Me Laugh

David Posnett — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 14:41:01 +0000

By Perry Gershon:

Lee Zeldin wants you to think he’s an environmentalist. He’s spending big bucks blasting that absurd idea across Long Island television.

Don’t make me laugh.

In his four years in Congress, Lee has voted against the environment over and over again. He’s taken tens of thousands of dollars from the oil and gas industry to prop up his campaign.

It’s no wonder Lee opposed protecting the environment on 21 out of 22 votes.

Lee opposed seven bills on air quality protections.

He opposed protections for clean water 19 different times.

He opposed protecting wildlife eight times.

And he continues to stand by a president who insists climate change is a Chinese hoax.

Get the idea? Lee Zeldin is no friend of the environment, of clear air and water, or protecting our planet for future generations.

Long Island voters have a clear choice in November.

I promise to work tirelessly to protect the environment – whether that be our clear air, clean water, clean energy production, or protecting wildlife.

Lee’s record is clear, and that’s just another reason why he has to go.

Donate $5 right now. Let’s show Zeldin we won’t stand for his hypocrisy on the environment.

Posts on R&R (since July 2018) related to Zeldin’s environmental record:

Zeldin’s Environmental Voting Record Goes from Bad to Worse

Posted on August 28, 2018 by D. Posnett MD

Lee Zeldin wants to Drill in the Ironwood Forest National Monument By Marc Rauch: Latest update: Zeldin’s Environmental Voting Record Goes from Bad to Worse in 2018 In the first 3 years of Lee Zeldin’s congressional term (2015-2017), he earned … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change, Environment, EPA, Executive Order, GOP, National Parks & Monuments, Trump, Uncategorized, water quality, Zeldin | Tagged Environment, lee zeldin, voting record | 2 Comments | Edit

Zeldin’s War on the Environment

Posted on August 20, 2018 by D. Posnett MD

By Perry Gershon: (Source: https://www.facebook.com/pg/perry4congress/posts/?ref=page_internal) Lee Zeldin continues to support the Trump Administration’s destruction of our environmental protections. The new “plan” for coal represents one more example of the total disregard for the serious health effects of air pollution. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Pollution, Environment, Trump, Uncategorized, water quality, Zeldin | Tagged car emission, clean air, clean water, pollution | 2 Comments | Edit

Is Lee Zeldin Really “Good On The Environment”?

Posted on January 19, 2018 by francescarh

A slickly produced mailer from Lee Zeldin appeared in my mailbox this week. It touted our Congressman’s supposed record in “safeguarding our environment.” Mr. Zeldin has been very adept in pulling the wool over voters’ eyes about his actual environmental … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment | Edit

Zeldin Boasting about Environment Record?

Posted on January 2, 2018 by maidstonejewelry

Recently Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1), co-chair of the Long Island Sound Caucus and founding member of the “Congressional Estuary Caucus”, was joined by EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Regional Director Carrie Meek … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change, Environment, EPA, Paris Climate Accord, Uncategorized, Zeldin | 4 Comments | Edit

More Bad Zeldin Environmental Votes

Posted on October 12, 2017 by D. Posnett MD

By Marc Rauch and Chelsea Estevez Since our last update in late August, fourteen bills impacting the environment have come before the House of Representatives. Lee Zeldin took the anti-environment position on 12 out of 14 of these recent bills. … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change, Environment, EPA, Paris Climate Accord, Trump, Uncategorized, Zeldin | Tagged environmental justice, EPA, fracking, methane, ocean, public land | Leave a comment | Edit

Complete Lee Zeldin Environmental Voting Record

Posted on July 2, 2017 by D. Posnett MD

A great resource! D Posnett Marc Rauch·Friday, June 23, 2017 Complete Lee Zeldin Environmental Voting Record (Last Updated 6/29/17) Introduction Linked here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19e5j3Z3xupufWNReLsO-P69eL316sJDLBbf8EZDFklg/edit?usp=sharing is an easy-to-use Excel spreadsheet summarizing Lee Zeldin’s complete environmental voting record in Congress. Purpose This spreadsheet … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Pollution, climate change, Environment, EPA, National Parks & Monuments, Offshore Drilling, Uncategorized, Zeldin | Tagged energy, Environment, record, wind, Zeldin | 2 Comments | Edit

Lee Zeldin’s Duplicity on Environmental Issues

Posted on March 7, 2017 by D. Posnett MD

Marc Rauch, from Bellport, New York. had the following letter in the March 2, 2017 edition of the Long Island Advance: I was taken aback by Rep. Lee Zeldin’s “official positions” on protection of the environment, as reported last week … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Uncategorized, Zeldin | Tagged duplicity, Environment, pollution, Zeldin | 1 Comment | Edit

Zeldin & Environment?

Posted on February 19, 2017 by D. Posnett MD

My letter to editor of LI Advance was published this week- 2/16/2017 Voting to loosen standards on oil and gas industries Where is Congressman Zeldin on the environment? Two weeks ago I visited Congressman Zeldin’s office to talk with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Uncategorized | Tagged Environment, Zeldin | 5 Comments | Edit

Flip the House — Defeat Zeldin!

Posted on August 4, 2018 by amyturner2000

By Jacquelyn Gavron & Amy Turner, July 19, 2018 New York’s First Congressional District (NY-1), historically a swing district, is represented by Lee Zeldin (R). He was initially elected with Tea Party support and is an unwavering Trump loyalist with … Continue reading →

Posted in ACA, AHCA, economy, Environment, Guns, Health Care, Politics, Tax Reform, Uncategorized, Women, Zeldin | 3 Comments | Edit

Moral Obligation to send Zeldin packing

Posted on July 19, 2018 by D. Posnett MD

Published in the East Hampton Star – the July 10, 2018 To the Editor: Offered less than 10 days into our district’s 133-day congressional race, The Star’s advice to local Democrats (“First District Dilemma”) is not only premature, but also … Continue reading →

Posted in perry gershon, Uncategorized, Zeldin | Tagged David Rattray, democratic, gershon, Star, turnout | Leave a comment | Edit

Zeldin’s War on the Environment

David Posnett — Mon, 20 Aug 2018 17:05:15 +0000

By Perry Gershon: (Source: https://www.facebook.com/pg/perry4congress/posts/?ref=page_internal)

Lee Zeldin continues to support the Trump Administration’s destruction of our environmental protections. The new “plan” for coal represents one more example of the total disregard for the serious health effects of air pollution. The concept of allowing any state to remove all carbon dioxide emissions standards on coal plants is asinine. The fact remains that emissions from states like West Virginia affect people in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and beyond. Most New Yorkers — but apparently not Donald Trump or Lee Zeldin — learned this key lesson decades ago, when New York and neighboring states successfully joined forces to defeat the threat of acid rain.

Lee Zeldin is one of the House’s biggest supporters of dismantling environmental protections under the guise of “deregulation”. Under President Trump, the EPA has been converted from an agency created and designed to protect American citizens, specifically their drinking water and the air they breathe, to an agent of industrial greed trying to wreck havoc on decades of good work. In 2018 alone, there have been 22 roll call votes in the House on environmental matters – Zeldin has voted with the polluters and against environmental protections on 21 of the 22 votes – hardly the mark of an environmentalist.

Let’s be very clear on Zeldin’s voting record. In his four years in the House, he has voted against the environment in 107 of 128 votes. He has opposed climate change protections in 22 of 23 votes. He is 7 for 7 supporting bills opposed to air quality protections and 9 for 9 in support of bills protecting dirty energy. On clean water, his votes are 100% opposed to protection on 19 different roll call votes. He is 8 for 8 voting against protecting wildlife.

We have a choice in November. I promise to work tirelessly to protect the environment – whether that be our clear air, clean water, clean energy production, or protecting wildlife. And I will make it my priority to get Plum Island protections through both the House and Senate and in front of the President to be signed into law, a task where Zeldin failed. Lee Zeldin has a track record of working against us and for big polluters. Perhaps not a coincidence he takes corporate PAC money while I will not. I urge you to support me to replace Lee Zeldin as the next Representative of NY-1.

Also read Why Trump is Taking on Car Emission Rules : https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/17/climate/trump-clean-power-rollback.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

Sonic Sea

David Posnett — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 17:18:24 +0000

On Long Island we are witness to a series of beached whales and dolphins (same family as whales). This is not new. I have previously blogged about it.

There are some newer reports and many older reports. This week there was a report in the East Hampton Star: Four Dolphins Dead in 10 Days.

More often than not, the cause is unknown.

Now there is an award winning documentary about the impact of industrial and military ocean noise on whales and other marine life! A must see.

It tells the story of a former U.S. Navy officer who solved a tragic mystery and changed the way we understand our impact on the ocean. The film is narrated by Rachel McAdams and features Sting, in addition to the renowned ocean experts Dr. Sylvia Earle, Dr. Paul Spong, Dr. Christopher Clark, and Jean-Michel Cousteau.

Sonic Sea was produced by Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Imaginary Forces in association with International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Diamond Docs.

Help bring awareness of the issue to classrooms across the country. Email allie@rocofilms.com to gift the film and its study guide to your alma mater or your children’s school.

I’m thrilled to tell you that NRDC’s (Natural Resource Defense Council) Sonic Sea just won Emmy awards for Outstanding Nature Documentary and Outstanding Music and Sound.

What a thrill — especially because these wins will help drive even more attention to the urgent plight of whales and other marine life that depend on sound for their survival.

I hope you feel as proud as I do of this groundbreaking film that simply couldn’t have been created without the support of NRDC leadership supporters like you. And I hope you’ll join us in celebrating by watching the film for free by creating a Vimeo account and applying the promo code SONICSEE.

You can learn more about the film in the message below. Thank you!

Daniel Hinerfeld

The Great Lakes Are Attacking Us Now

David Posnett — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 16:26:38 +0000

Can you really blame them?

By Charles P. Pierce

Original post on Esquire.com

Oct 4, 2017

While the Secretary of the Interior is jetting around on our dime, and the head of the Environmental Protection Agency is slow-dancing with his longtime steadies in the extraction industries, the environment is apparently going into business for itself. From the NYT:

While not all algae blooms are toxic, they can produce a type of cyanobacteria called microcystis. These bacteria in turn, can produce neurotoxins and hepatotoxins, such as microcystin and cyanopeptolin that can cause serious liver damage under certain conditions. Dangerous levels of cyanobacteria caused Toledo, Ohio, to shut down the drinking water supply of a half-million residents for three days in 2014. In total, almost 3 million people get drinking water from the central basin of Lake Erie. Officials have been testing the intake points in the lake where towns draw water and report that the current toxin levels are low.

I will make the Toby Ziegler Wager—all the money in my pockets against all the money in yours—that nobody of any influence in this administration is aware in the least of this situation, much less how it’s caused, much less all of the contributing factors, much less what in the hell to do about it. I am willing to give them the benefit if the doubt as to whether anyone of influence in this administration knows of the existence of Lake Erie, but that is because I am a fair man that way.

The blooms are expected to grow more harmful as global warming changes rainfall patterns. According to local experts, storms have become more intense in the region, carrying more nutrients from the farmland into the lake.

Another study from the Carnegie Institution for Science shows that extensive algae blooms will continue to grow throughout the continental United States and around the globe, especially in Southeast Asia.

The mayor of Toledo, Paula Hicks-Hudson, wrote a letter to President Trump on Sept. 26, calling on the federal government to declare Lake Erie impaired, which would allow for the lake’s nutrient loads to be regulated under the Clean Water Act.

“There is something very wrong with our country when our rivers and lakes turn green,” Ms. Hicks-Hudson wrote in her letter. “As I look out my office at a green river, I can tell you one thing: The status quo is not working.”

The amount of things of which this government chooses consciously to remain ignorant about has to be something like a record by now, but its total disregard for anything resembling an environmental policy is going to be its longest lasting and most destructive legacy, and we know that already, and they haven’t been in office for a year yet. Well, that and Neil Gorsuch, who’s kind of an algae bloom on the Supreme Court.

Submitted by J. Gavron

Turn Brookhaven Blue in 2017. Vote ZELDIN OUT 2018.

Lee Zeldin’s Duplicity on Environmental Issues

David Posnett — Tue, 07 Mar 2017 03:49:33 +0000

Marc Rauch, from Bellport, New York. had the following letter in the March 2, 2017 edition of the Long Island Advance:

I was taken aback by Rep. Lee Zeldin’s “official positions” on protection of the environment, as reported last week in the Advance. Mr. Zeldin declares: “I am committed to safeguarding our environment, and protecting and preserving the abundance of natural resources on Long Island that are so important to our life, culture and economy.”

Mr. Zeldin’s statement is difficult to square with the nonpartisan League of Conservation Voters National Environmental Scorecard, which coincidentally also came out last week. According to this latest annual tally of votes in Congress affecting the environment, Mr. Zeldin earned a rating of only 11% (out of a possible 100%) for his first term in office. This means that Mr. Zeldin voted to harm the environment, not to help the environment, 89% of the time! Again according to the League’s tally, only two members of New York’s 29-member congressional delegation have a worse environmental record in Congress than Mr. Zeldin’s.

In the new Congress, which began in January, Mr. Zeldin has already voted to kill regulations preventing coal mines from dumping toxins into mountain streams, voted to kill regulations curbing wasteful and polluting methane leaks at thousands of oil and gas wells across the West, and voted for procedural changes that will make it easier for industry to scuttle new environmental safeguards before they can even take effect. His votes against the mountain stream and methane rules are particularly troubling because they came under the seldom-used Congressional Review Act; if Congress votes to roll back regulations under that law, the agency that issued them is barred from ever issuing “substantially similar” regulations again.

Mr. Zeldin assures us that his concern for the environment is deeply felt and “personal.” His actual votes in Congress tell a very different story, however, and for Long Islanders they can only lead to dirtier air, polluted bays and rivers, vanishing beaches, more severe storms and repeated flooding of our glorious coastline.