Tag: <span>NYSDEC</span>

Q&A with NYSDEC Commissioner, Basil Seggos: On Leading NYS’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act

Passed with a majority vote in both the State Senate and Assembly, Governor Cuomo signed the historic Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (The Climate Act) into law in July of 2019.   As perhaps our country’s most comprehensive and aggressive state-level response to the climate crisis, the Climate Act requires …

Stocks and Flows: Navigating NYC Water Policy

Over the course of my internship at the New York City Council, I’ve been able to spend some time at City Hall and at the 22nd district office of Chairman Constantinides. I even had the chance to attend a public hearing on proposed energy efficiency laws in Council Chambers at City …

Searching and Researching Down By the Riverside

There is a tendency for estuarine environments–where the river meets the sea–to hold a “nutrient trap” along the stark gradient between the estuary’s upper flow of freshwater and the lower, more dense “salt wedge” of seawater.  This middle portion of the water column tends to be the most ecologically productive–where …

Protecting the Environment of New York State: The Legal Arm of the NYSDEC

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) is tasked with the environmental protection of the entire state of New York. This protection comes in many forms, including environmental laws, permitting of activities, and cleaning up contaminated sites. The NYSDEC is divided into 9 regions. Region 2, located in …

Adapting and Improving

Climate change is often thought of purely a problem, and a scary one; but what if we reimagine climate change as a challenge, an opportunity to improve our built environment? There is much work to be done to prepare and protect ourselves from climate-related hazards. Let’s use this chance not only to protect ourselves …

Women Leaders in Federal Agencies: Their Challenges and Recommendations

Even in the twenty-first century, there is a gender gap in both the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math) and the U.S. government.  As a female government employee, graduate student in environmental policy, and an engineering degree holder, I have personally witnessed disparity in the representation of women in …