Environmental Advocates Action (EAA) has released its annual Environmental Scorecard, which reports the environmental voting records of all New York State Senators on legislation found to have a positive or negative impact on New York’s environment.
EAA notes that, this year, the Senate passed measures that protect streams and wetlands to ensure that wildlife has protected habitats and reduce solid waste by supporting recycling programs and requiring carpet manufacturers to take their products back instead of being disposed of in a landfill or burned in an incinerator.

Locally, Senator James T. Skoufis scored a 94, up one point from a year ago. According to EAA, he had one incorrect environmental vote on a bill titled “Eco-Friendly Ending.” This legislation establishes a program to allow for natural organic reduction as an alternative to cemetery burial or cremation, which are currently the two options for processing human remains after death in New York.

Senator Mike Martucci earned a 71 from EAA, up from 68 a year ago. His incorrect environmental votes, according to EAA, included the “Advanced Building Codes, Appliance and Equipment Efficiency Standards Act” that establishes new criteria for updating the state building code to align it with New York’s Climate Law, eliminates automatic exemptions from the code and adopts a lifecycle cost-benefit analysis for new construction and renovations to existing structures. He also reportedly voted against a bill requiring that at least 25 percent of the state’s vehicle fleet are zero emission vehicles (ZEV) by 2025 and 50 percent by 2030.

Local senators voted in favor of legislation that bans use of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in clothing, an “enhanced public participation plan” for major projects located within or adjacent to disadvantaged communities and “Green Transit,” a bill that requires public transportation systems to purchase zero-emission buses and related equipment, starting in 2029.

All of these measures show a critical level of environmental awareness.