Environmental Voters Forum |
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Voters Forum
Environmental News Center:
Many issues that frequently receive little public attention are absolutely
central to the quality of life on Long Island. The Voters Forum is determined
to put these Long Island environmental issues at the forefront of the
political agenda:
Clean Air/Drinking
Water Protection
The air we breathe, and the water we drink, are absolutely critical to
our survival. The preservation of water and air quality must be the highest
items on any political agenda.
Stopping Overdevelopment
What sense does it make for us, as Long Islanders, to tear down our trees
and ruin our scenic landscapes in order to build strip malls and giant
shopping centers that are going to be left largely vacant? If Long Island
is going to grow and develop, it must be smart growth that respects the
need to maintain reasonable population density ― and any such growth
must keep a firm eye on maintaining our environmental quality of life
Improving Environmental
Code Enforcement
Laws are meaningless unless local governments devote the resources
and manpower necessary to enforce them. Too many well-meaning environmental
regulations are being undermined by developer-funded politicians that
simply will not enforce the laws that are already on the books.
Open Space
The Voters Forum supports the goal of preserving 25,000 acres
of open space and 10,000 acres of farmland before final build-out of Long
Island, projected 2015. This initiative would protect drinking water and
preserve habitat while contributing to the economic benefits of tourism,
farming and second-home industry. At the same time, it would help control
over-development.
Current farmers should not be forced to sell their land to developers wanting to build condos on tiny plots of land. We must work intelligently to make farming profitable, so that Long Island can maintain the rural and suburban character that draws so many tourists and visitors to our shores every year.
Broadwater
The Voters Forum opposes the Broadwater Liquefied Natural Gas
factory proposed for the Long Island Sound. The LNG is not needed to meet
Long Island's energy needs, little of it would come to Long Island, it
would be very expensive, would begin the industrialization of Long Island
Sound and would pose a threat of accident or terrorist attack.
Stopping the Privatization
of our Public Parks
Public parks exist for the benefit of the public! Local government
exists to look after the welfare of the local community ― and that
means that public parks must be a public responsibility!
Habitat Protection
Birds and other wildlife are not only intrinsically valuable
― they also are economically valuable for Long Island's tourist
industry (and the many businesses that it supports). Forests and other
natural habitats must be protected and preserved for ourselves and our
childrens' future.
The Long Island Sound, South Shore estuary, and Peconic estuary must be cleaned up and protected from future pollution. This is a public health issue ― our drinking water quality depends on these bodies of water.
Downtown Revitalization
Downtown areas need to be renovated and revitalized to prevent
the type of suburban sprawl that is so harmful to Long Island's environmental
quality of life. Downtown areas that are left unsightly are also bad for
business and likely to promote crime. More action must be taken to ensure
that we do not allow rundown downtown areas destroy the suburban character
of our communities.
Ensuring Sustainable
Levels of Development Density
Zoning laws must be used to prevent high concentrations of populations.
Houses must not be built on tiny plots of land, and farmland should not
be subdivided to build such housing projects.
Final Buildout of
Long Island
The next decade will witness the final development phase on the
East End of Long Island. It's time that we ask ourselves exactly what
kind of island we want to live on, and make decisions about what development
really makes sense for us as Long Islanders.
Superfund Cleanups
More must be done to correct the pollution abuses of the past!
The environment we live in cannot be left to languish because of a lack
of state funding.
Curbing Light Pollution
Light pollution must be reduced to preserve Long Island's suburban
and rural character.
A Sustainable Energy
Future for Long Island
There is a definite lack of vision about what we should be doing
to ensure the future of our energy supply. More power, and greener power,
is absolutely essential to our energy future. Our electricity rates remain
among the highest in the country, and there is no good plan on the table
yet to remedy this situation.