Zeldin's Sound commitment to environmental advocacy group

Daily Point

Zeldin’s Sound commitment to environmental advocacy group

As the Environmental Protection Agency lays the groundwork to potentially end its own ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, a delegation from the advocacy group Long Island Sound Citizens Advisory Committee went to Washington last week to meet with someone they knew well: EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. The agenda: ensure consistent protection for Long Island Sound amid harsh federal funding cuts.

The July 16 meeting was just days before the EPA announced it was slashing its workforce by at least 23%, or 3,707 jobs, at its scientific research arm.

Following a grueling 30-minute security check at the EPA headquarters that involved multiple metal detectors and being patted down, the Long Island party of 21, representing about 30 organizations and stakeholders, met with the former four-term CD1 representative from Shirley in a conference room.

Zeldin assured the group he was committed to protecting the estuary and was supportive of the full funding of $40 million toward Long Island Sound in the president's 2026 budget.

It was one of the only local programs to get full funding while others received cuts, said Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment and the policy chair of the CAC. Zeldin was also committed to the permanent preservation of Plum Island, one of his priorities when he served in the House.

Esposito described the issues raised during the session with Zeldin as being “safe” because he advocated for these during his time as co-chair of the Long Island Sound caucus. “It’s not like we went in asking about PFAS water standards or anything like that,” said Esposito.

Other things on the CAC’s agenda included pushing for the renewal of the re-authorization of the Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Act, which expired last year, and the restoration of funding for the federal clean water revolving loan fund and the drinking water loan fund, both recently cut by 90% and 86% respectively. The group also met with Sen. Chuck Schumer and had a roundtable discussion with House representatives that included Reps. Nick LaLota, Tom Suozzi and George Latimer, who represents coastal Westchester.

Despite the eventful meeting, Esposito is concerned about the impact of the EPA layoffs on Long Island. The Office of Research and Development, the department facing staffing cuts, largely comprises scientists, toxicologists, biologists and others who study the effects of environmental pollutants on human health and ecosystems. In addition to the threats to the cleanup timelines of the EPA’s Superfund sites on Long Island, which the agency oversees, Esposito worries there will be less water protection and restoration efforts in the region.

The EPA has denied that restructuring will impact its operations. A spokesperson for the agency told The Point it would “make the best-informed decisions based on the gold standard of science. This includes both the Garden City Superfund Site and the Long Island Sound Study initiatives.”

— Karthika Namboothiri karthika.namboothiri@newsday.com

Pencil Point

An old favorite

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— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

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