Riverkeeper to Testify at Hearing on Proposed 2014 DEC Budget
Trend in declining spending continues; misses important opportunities to reduce water pollution, protect public health, create jobs and support tourism in NY State
OSSINING, NY – January 29, 2014 – Riverkeeper will provide testimony today at the New York State Senate & Assembly Environmental Conservation Committees hearing on the impacts of the proposed 2014 State Budget on the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) urging increased funding for: water infrastructure projects statewide, CSO overflow monitoring and prediction for communities that do not already have the technology in place, and additional DEC staff positions, setting the course to pre-recession levels within the next three years.
Water Quality Advocate Tracy Brown, who will deliver Riverkeeper’s testimony, stated: “DEC has become a shadow of its former self with three times the staff cuts of the average state agency. We are living in a climate where our wastewater facilities are operating up to 30 years past when they were designed to, and budget cuts over the past several years have led to the complete elimination of routine water pollution permit compliance monitoring. New York State must reverse this trend and deal with our mounting environmental challenges today before we end up paying much more in the end in recovery and repair.”
