Waterkeepers across NY call for restoration of DEC staff

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In a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo sent yesterday, waterkeepers across New York State requested increases to staffing in the Department of Environmental Conservation. Riverkeeper and seven fellow waterkeepers called for Gov. Cuomo to build on his legacy of leadership on clean water issues, exemplified by the 2017 Clean Water Infrastructure and Emerging Contaminant Monitoring Acts.

Staff levels, over 10 years, have dropped by 170 individuals – 15% – in DEC divisions that support clean water, remediation and wildlife programs.

Proposed cuts to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency budget also threaten as many as one in three state DEC jobs devoted to clean water.

We are asking Gov. Cuomo to provide a backstop against these anticipated federal cuts, and enhance the DEC’s ability to react to increasingly complex water challenges, including unregulated contaminants and Harmful Algal Blooms.