David Ansel, vice president of water protection for Save the Sound, was in Albany Tuesday to attend Governor Kathy Hochul’s State of the State address. Here is his reaction:
“I was encouraged that Governor Hochul devoted so much attention to the rising threat and frequency of damaging storms, dedicating an entire section of her State of the State book to ‘Protecting New Yorkers from Extreme Weather.’ Addressing stormwater management at the state level to better protect municipalities at the local level, especially flood prone and disadvantaged communities, is one of Save the Sound’s highest priorities for this legislative session. This has been a priority issue for so many of the legislators I’ve talked to over the past year, and it clearly is a priority for the Governor, who acknowledged that New York is vulnerable to ‘extreme weather driven by climate change.’
“I was particularly heartened by the Governor’s recognition of the importance of green infrastructure and nature-based solutions to any comprehensive plan to build more resilient coastlines and communities. Save the Sound will spend this session emphasizing that stormwater management not only is essential to protecting homes, businesses, and property but it is vital to preserving water quality. Pollutants carried in stormwater runoff threaten the health and habitats of Long Island Sound and its rivers and streams flowing through our communities, and we will make sure that utilizing green infrastructure to protect water quality is factored into the plans being drafted by the Governor and the Legislature.
“I look forward to the release of the FY 2025 executive budget next week and seeing the Governor’s plan for investing in clean water and the priorities laid out on Tuesday.”