As we approach the 40th anniversary of the Bottle Bill (in 2022), we are facing a solid waste disaster:

• Society is drowning in discarded plastic waste
• Local recycling programs are in crisis on several fronts
• On our current course, the ocean could contain by weight more plastics than fish by mid-century

Reducing the amount of plastic waste – and waste in general – is a critical way to avoid “doomsday” environmental scenarios, so NYPIRG and our Bottle Bill 40 Coalition partners rallied for a Bigger, Better Bottle Bill.

For more information about this urgent campaign, visit bottlebill40.org.

The NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign and our partners held a Bus Rider Blues Book Launch news conference. The book features stories from NYPIRG student volunteers and others about their mass transit experiences. After the media event, we socialized over hot cocoa and treats and rallied for better bus service in New York City.

We took on the fossil fuel industry, and WE WON!

We are excited to share that the New York City Council voted FOR Intro 2317, the #GasFreeNYC bill, on Wednesday, December 15! Thank you for your hard work moving this issue forward. It sets an inspiring precedent for other cities, as well as states including New York, to follow. NYPIRG, along with our coalition partners, had a wonderful time celebrating this incredibly important achievement.

For more information, check out the coalition statement announcing the victory. 

Thank you for your help!

On October 27, 2021, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) issued a notice of denial of the Title V permit application for the Danskammer power plant in the Town of Newburgh. Danskammer is now appealing that decision.

Attend a public hearing to voice your support for the DEC's decision!

To join the hearing online, visit webex.com and click "Join a Meeting."

• Meeting number: 2337 673 8643
• Password: Feb15-5PM

To join the hearing by phone only:

• Dial (518) 549-0500
• Access code: 2337 673 8643

*Note: Any person wishing to provide a public statement must register in advance of the hearing no later than 4 PM on Friday, February 11, 2022. Any person may listen to the hearing by phone without pre-registration. Also please note: If you spoke at one of the previous hearings conducted on August 23 and 25, 2021, you will only be called if time allows.

To register online:

• Visit webex.com and click "Join a Meeting."
• Input the meeting number listed above, click "Register," and fill in the requested information.
• You will be asked whether you wish to make a public statement or not.
• After registration is complete, you will receive a confirmation by email with information about how to join the hearing.

To register by phone:

• Call-in participants must register to speak in advance by calling the DEC at (518) 402-9003 no later than 4 PM on Friday, February 11, 2022.
• Please provide your first and last name, address, email address (if any), and telephone number, and reference the Danskammer public comment hearing.
• On the day and time of the hearing, use the phone access phone number (518-549-0500) and the appropriate access code listed above to join the hearing.

Submit a written public comment to voice your support for the DEC's decision!

Mail your public comment:

• Comments must be postmarked by Tuesday, February 22, 2022.
• Mail comments to Administrative Law Judge Michael S. Caruso at DEC's Office of Hearings and Mediation Services, 1st Floor, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY, 12233-1550.

Email your public comment:

• Comments must by emailed by 5 PM on Tuesday, February 22, 2022.
• Email comments to Administrative Law Judge Michael S. Caruso at DanskammerEnergy@dec.ny.gov.

Thank you for your help!