Long Island

LONG ISLAND

In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which aims to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions through a rollout of clean energy infrastructure, in 2018. The Long Island Power Authority’s board voted in May 2020 to authorize community choice aggregation, allowing municipalities to decide how they electricity it procures is derived.

Preparing for Climate Change in Eastern Long Island, New York

CURRENT NEWS

Long Island Sound protection would continue under new legislation

By Tracy Tullis 09/15/23
Legislation to continue funding water quality and coastal habitat projects in the Long Island Sound has been introduced in the U.S. House and Senate. The Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Act would provide $65…
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NYers seeing increases in auto, homeowner insurance rates

By Michael Gormley 09/08/23
If you noticed that your premiums for auto and homeowner insurance jumped hundreds of dollars over the last couple years, you’re not alone. In the last two years, auto insurance premiums increased in New York…
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Join Long Island @ March 2 End Fossil Fuels with All Our Energy and friends

09/01/23
Join the Long Island contingent at the March to End Fossil Fuels in New York on September 17th,* 2023! With wildfire smoke choking the air we breathe, hurricanes and floods threatening our homes, and toxic…
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Feds Okay New Wind Farm

By Christopher Walsh 08/24/23
The federal Department of the Interior announced its approval on Tuesday of Revolution Wind, a 704-megawatt offshore wind farm about 15 nautical miles southeast of Point Judith, R.I. It is to provide electricity sufficient to…
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NOAA’s Hurricane Forecast Intensifies

By Christopher Walsh 08/17/23
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center, citing factors including record-high sea surface temperatures, has updated its prediction for the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season from “near normal” to “above normal.”
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Hurricane season: What to know when buying a house in a flood zone on Long Island

By Arielle Dollinger 08/10/23
On days when road turned to river, Lisa Ludwig donned hip waders for walks to the bus stop with her school-aged children. With a kid on her back, she sloshed up the street, then turned…
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Wind Farms Here Hit Milestones, While Others Hit Turbulence

By Michael Wright 08/02/23
The construction of the South Fork Wind Farm reached another milestone last week, while a second offshore wind farm that will send power to Long Island took its first concrete step toward construction — even…
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Long Island air quality: Unhealthy smoke conditions could return on Thursday

By Nicholas Spangler 06/27/23
Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday warned that smoke rolling down from Canadian wildfires could bring unhealthy air conditions to much of the state by Thursday, and the state’s top environmental official said that the haze…
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State backs $3.3 billion cable plan to carry offshore wind power from Long Island to upstate

By Mark Harrington 06/21/23
P Parts of western and central Long Island are slated to become the backbone of a sprawling new network of high-voltage cables for offshore wind energy in a $3.26 billion project that officials said also…
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The ‘Sisyphus of Trash’ Struggles to Clean Relentless Waves of Plastic From a New York Island’s Beaches

By Devin Speak 06/20/23
In just three years, Michele Klimczak has picked, hauled, weighed, documented and sorted more than 32,000 pounds of garbage from the shores of Fishers Island, New York. She finds plastics stamped with product expiration dates…
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Smoke casts ‘very unhealthy’ pall over Long Island as flights delayed, events canceled and masks recommended

By John Asbury and Others 06/08/23
A thick haze of smoke from Canadian wildfires settled over Long Island on Wednesday, delaying flights, canceling outdoor events and casting an ugly — and unhealthy — burnt-orange pall over the region.
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NYPA Reenergizes Long Island Sound Cable Following $70 Million Modernization

05/31/23
The New York Power Authority has completed a $70 million upgrade and modernization of its Long Island Sound Cable (Y-49), an underground transmission line that transverses the Long Island Sound from Westchester County to Nassau…
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KEY RESOURCES

Lazy Point Farms

05/24/22
Lazy Point Farms are created to provide the structural, educational, and logistical support needed to advance the future of sugar kelp farming on Long Island. Whether you are an aspiring kelp farmer, an existing shellfish…

What Can and Can’t Be Recycled?

04/21/22
A simple guide to what can and can't be recycled

Organic Soil The Natural Alternative

02/18/22
Long Island Compost has made a name for itself in the organic soil industry by crafting custom blends from natural materials and doing its part to repurpose compost into sustainable substances.

Long Island Green Homes – Long Island Green Homes

07/09/21
Long Island Green Homes is a non-profit collaborative partnership of Long Island Towns, community organizations and Molloy College funded primarily with a grant awarded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to help…

Become a USGBC-LI Member

06/14/21
Yearly membership is as little as $25 a year for students. Your membership entitles you to discounts, free materials and many opportunities to meet others in the Long Island Green Building community.

Visit this dairy farm turned carbon-neutral Conservancy preserve and office

03/17/21
True to its name, Uplands Farm Sanctuary in Cold Spring Harbor, New York, retains the appearance of an old dairy farm, complete with a silo and open meadows that were once cattle pastures. Today, the…

South Fork

02/15/21
BOEM has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the South Fork Wind Farm and South Fork Export Cable Project. The following documents are available for your viewing.

Why Wind?

08/04/20
The local case for offshore wind energy.

NYSERDA Clean Energy Communities

04/06/20
On August 3, 2016, Governor Cuomo announced the launch of the Clean Energy Communities program, a $16-million initiative to help local governments across the state reduce energy consumption and drive clean energy use in their…

Clean Energy Communities Grants – Remaining Awards

04/06/20
This dashboard provides regularly updated information on the number and amount of remaining grants in each region by community size. Select your region to view the grants available for your community. Grants are available to…

Governor Cuomo Announces 30-Day Amendment to Accelerate Renewable Energy Projects and Drive Economic Growth as Part of Nation-Leading Climate Agenda

02/21/20
Legislation to Create Office of Renewable Energy Permitting Office Will Streamline Process for Environmentally Responsible and Cost-Effective Siting of Large-Scale Renewable Energy Projects Across the State Legislation to Speed Up Progress Towards the State Mandate…

HOW SOLAR-FRIENDLY ARE LONG ISLAND MUNICIPALITIES?

02/06/20
An in-depth evaluation of 19 municipalities and solar policies on Long Island.

New York State Announces First Ever Offshore Wind Energy Awards

07/18/19
Nation-leading Program Sends Powerful Message To Launch Offshore Wind Industry.

Our Forum on Coastal Resiliency on Long Island

12/13/19
On Monday, December 9th, the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCVEF) and Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) hosted an educational forum on coastal resiliency strategies.

MORE NEWS

Orsted to buy out wind farm seabed rights from Eversource Energy

05/25/23  
Orsted A/S, one of the world’s largest developers of offshore wind energy, announced Thursday that it had agreed to buy the interests of its partner Eversource Energy LLC for the uncontracted federal offshore wind lease…
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Proposed Calverton Air Cargo Facility May Impact South Fork

By Denise Civiletti   05/24/23  
Jet planes carrying cargo for delivery across the Long Island region may be landing on the East End for the first time, if an application now pending in Riverhead Town...
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Communities take steps to overcome Long Island’s food scrap dilemma

By J.D. Allen   05/17/23  
The Town of Riverhead partnered with nonprofits Long Island Organics Council and Green Inside and Out to launch the drop-off site in Calverton where organic waste will be converted into compost.
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Urgent Long Island trash study headed up by veteran Stony Brook researcher

By J.D. Allen   05/12/23  
The weight of the 14 million tons of waste that Long Island generates yearly might be said to rest on the shoulders of one Stony Brook University researcher.
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Long Island’s First Food Scrap Drop-Off Site in Riverhead, NY

05/11/23  
We are finally here!! Today, Thursday, May 11, the Long Island Organics Council, partnered with the Town of Riverhead, is finally launching the first food scrap drop-off site on Long Island! 🥳 Join us for…
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Happy International Compost Awareness Week!

05/07/23  
Some exciting compost-related things happening on Long Island this upcoming week, including the Launch of Long Island’s First Food Scrap Drop-Off Site on Thursday, May 11!! 🥳
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ConEdison cuts fossil fuel power plants in Long Island City

By Michelle Ross   05/03/23  
North Queens residents can now breathe cleaner air as conEdison is no longer dependent on fossil fuel-burning power plants in the area. The utility company built a six-mile-long transmission line that runs underground, carrying renewable…
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With a deadline looming, Long Island towns evaluate how they collaborate on trash

By J.D. Allen   05/03/23  
Most residents put their garbage out for collection at least once a week on Long Island. As long as it is picked up on time, their relationship with their trash ends there.
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Clean Energy Transmission Line In Long Island City Completed

By Coral Murphy Marcos   05/03/23  
A new six-mile transmission line that will bring clean energy to Long Island City and Astoria by connecting two substations in Queens was completed on Wednesday, Con Edison announced. The transmission line connects the Corona…
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How some Long Island communities ID’d as ‘disadvantaged’ plan to combat climate change

By Tiffany Cusaac-Smith   05/02/23  
The hamlet has areas with higher-than-average state levels of emergency department visits for asthma — a life-threatening respiratory disease that researchers have long linked to air pollution, according to the state and the U.S. Environmental…
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National Grid seeks 16% increase in average residential gas bills for 2024

By Mark Harrington   05/02/23  
National Grid is proposing to hike average residential gas bills by $28.52 a month next year, citing increased costs for materials, contractors and property taxes.
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National Grid plans to hike gas bills by 17%, files plan with regulators

By Christian Murray   04/29/23  
The company filed its proposed rate increases on Friday with the New York State Public Service Commission, the governing body that must sign off on them before they can go into effect. The proposal calls…
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Climate Exchange hub anchored by Stony Brook University seen as a boost for clean-energy economy

By Carol Polsky and Matthew Chayes   04/29/23  
A little island in New York Harbor long used for military defenses will soon house new defenders of the coastline: researchers, students and workforce trainees looking for solutions to climate change.
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Recuiting underway on Long Island as work on offshore wind farm begins

By Carolyn Gusoff   04/26/23  
The nation's first large offshore wind farms are being built off of New York. It's a fast-growing industry looking to hire thousands of people. CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff went to a forum on Long Island that…
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Stony Brook University selected to lead New York Climate Exchange, a $700 million hub on Governors Island

By Carol Polsky and Matthew Chayes   04/25/23  
Stony Brook University will lead a $700 million effort to build a center for climate research, education and workforce training on Governors ...
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Rising ocean, bay tides could eventually reshape Long Island — and will alter how we live, work and play, experts say

By Carl MacGowan   04/24/23  
In 2080, the historic Montauk lighthouse and Orient Point may be on their own islands, cut off from the rest of Long Island by newly formed rivers.
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Governor Hochul Announces Completion of First Municipal Solar-Plus-Storage Project on Long Island

04/20/23  
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the completion of the first solar-plus-storage project by a municipality on Long Island, now operating in the Town of East Hampton. The rooftop array makes the Parks Department building at…
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Climate Change Solutions: The Big Five

By Jenny Noble   04/12/23  
“We’re walking when we should be sprinting” — Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Chairman Hoesung Lee, describing how insufficient current plans are to tackle climate change.
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What LIPA’s new time-of-use electric rates may mean for you

By Mark Harrington   04/01/23  
In less than a year, PSEG Long Island will begin enrolling electric customers in a new LIPA rate plan that offers discounts for shifting usage to off-peak times, while hiking energy costs during a four-hour…
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These are Long Island’s “disadvantaged communities” set for climate funding

By J.D. Allen   03/29/23  
New York will direct billions of dollars over the next decade to more than 1,700 disadvantaged communities identified in a new map to fight climate change, including 85 on Long Island.
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Scientists Scramble to Help Bay Scallops Survive Climate Change

By Hilary Macht   03/27/23  
Researchers begin selective breeding and other initiatives in hopes of saving the East Coast’s last wild bay scallop fisheries.
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Long Island’s warmer winter may bring insects, ticks and other bugs to your house a little earlier than usual

By Joan Gralla   03/24/23  
Long Island's clement winter may have jump-started the arrival of native and foreign critters that fly, crawl or bite as insects from the South are finding the warmth in the North to their liking.
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Brookhaven to get bulk of $169M deal for hosting wind farm cable

By Mark Harrington   03/20/23  
Brookhaven Town will receive the lion's share of a recently inked $168.9 million benefit package from the developers of an offshore wind farm with a power cable that will make landfall at Smith Point and…
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Wind power deal yields $170M in community benefits

By David Winzelberg   03/20/23  
The Town of Brookhaven has announced a Host Community Agreement with Sunrise Wind for enabling 18 miles of real estate access for its cable to carry electricity from the developers planned offshore wind power project.
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Long Island solar installations jump 19% in 2022, bucking national trend

By Mark Harrington   03/10/23  
Solar installations across Long Island were through the roof in 2022, defying a national trend that saw a 16% drop in new sun-power arrays across the country.
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Long Island Sound research projects land $6.3M

By David Winzelberg   03/09/23  
Nine research projects studying Long Island Sound water quality, public beaches and marine life were awarded more than $6.3 million in funding.
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Long Island fourth nationally in potential risks due to climate change, Moody’s report says

By Robert Brodsky   02/27/23  
Long Island ranks fourth among major American population centers for exposure to the physical and economic risks of climate change, behind only San Francisco, Cape Coral, Florida and New York City, according to a report…
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NYC, LI among metropolitan areas most likely to feel negative impacts of climate change, study says

02/24/23  
A new study shows some parts of our area are at risk of facing negative impacts of climate change. Here's a list of the top ten areas most at risk according to "Moody's Analytics"...
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Inside Gov. Hochul’s controversial NYS budget proposal

By Adina Genn   02/09/23  
An $845-million-infusion into economic and community development. Another $2.4 billion for healthcare capital infrastructure. Funds for downtown revitalization and to promote tourism, and investment in childcare, renewable energy, arts and the film industry. Record funding…
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Cornell explores spawning Long Island scallops later in cooler waters

By Jane Montalto   02/06/23  
A change in the reproductive season for Peconic Bay scallops could be the solution to the mass die-offs over the past few years.
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Waters of Long Island Sound: How Local Perspectives Inform Ecological Research

By Shangtong Li   02/01/23  
I took a deep breath to take in the fresh briny smell of Shinnecock Bay while strong winds collided with my face. Standing on the deck of a whooshing 26-foot fishing boat on a clear…
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E-bikes zipping on Long Island, but rules can be murky

By Lorena Mongelli   01/21/23  
The traffic, sprawl and not-so-bicycle-friendly highways on Long Island made commuting by bike an unlikely option for Hank Degamon. But when the 62-year-old first hopped on the saddle of an electric two-wheeler and hit the…
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Building New York’s Offshore Wind Supply Chain

By Timothy Bolger   01/20/23  
Sunrise Wind is bringing jobs, opportunities, and economic growth to New York New York has ambitious goals for reducing its climate footprint – and offshore wind plays a crucial role. Sunrise Wind is one such…
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Climate Change Proves Deadly for Northern Bay Scallops

01/19/23  
A new study by Stony Brook University researchers published in Global Change Biology demonstrates that warming waters and heat waves have contributed to the loss of an economically and culturally important fishery, the production of…
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Suffolk legislators approve funding for 12 electric buses

By Vera Chinese   12/21/22  
Suffolk lawmakers Tuesday authorized $5,375,000 for the county’s first 12 battery-electric buses, part of County Executive Steve Bellone’s plan to transition to an all-electric fleet of vehicles by 2030.
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North Fork Residents Protest Proposed Lithium Battery Storage Facility

By Lisa Finn   11/30/22  
Angry residents are mobilizing to protest a proposed lithium battery energy storage facility that would be sited on bucolic Oregon Road in Cutchogue.
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Environmental Bond Act ‘a Giant Win’ for Long Island

By Christopher Walsh   11/17/22  
New York State’s Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022, which voters passed by a comfortable margin on Nov. 8, will be of greatest benefit to Long Island, an environmental…
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Study calls for sea gates, walls to protect South Shore from storm surge

By Robert Brodsky   11/16/22  
A complex system of sea gates and concrete walls with lifting panels are needed to protect Long Island's vulnerable South Shore communities from storm surges and rising sea levels, according to a study by a…
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Long Island leaders look to Environmental Bond Act to fight climate change in their neighborhoods

By News 12 Staff   11/10/22  
New York voters overwhelmingly approved a $4.2 billion plan to protect the environment on Election Day. Island Park Mayor Michael McGinty says the funding is very important because his village is surrounded on three sides…
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Bridgehampton Child Care Center Offers Program on Wind Farm Work Opportunities

By Elizabeth Vespe   09/27/22  
Currently, three offshore wind projects are slated to be constructed off the eastern end of Long Island. With that in mind, program managers and mentors from the Bridgehampton Child Care...
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Grid natural gas customers may see 29% hike in bills this winter

By Mark Harrington   09/07/22  
Long Islanders who heat their homes with natural gas are expected to see a 29% increase in their heating bill this winter, National Grid said Tuesday, as volatility in the natural gas market continues to…
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Decade-long SoMAS Study Shows Shinnecock Bay Successfully Restored Using Novel Approach

09/02/22  
Scientists from Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) announced the culmination of a decade of science in a paper published in Frontiers in Marine Science, which describes a novel restoration approach…
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South Shore gets ‘severe’ drought status; officials seek help to keep pumping

By Bart Jones and Others   08/19/22  
The entire South Shore of Long Island has been upgraded to severe drought status by national officials after summer rainfall in the region was half of what is considered normal. The U.S. Drought Monitor, part…
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LIRR shelves battery power, cites cost, reliability issues

By Alfonso A. Castillo   08/06/22  
Battery-operated train technology, which the LIRR hoped would revolutionize how it operates nonelectrified tracks, has turned out to be too costly, inconvenient and risky to implement any time soon, the railroad said. Long Island Rail…
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The Johnny Appleseed of Sugar Kelp

By Charity Robey   06/10/22  
When Michael Doall was a teenager, he hated seaweed, and so did everybody else he knew on Long Island. It was an icky nuisance that brushed against your legs at the beach, fouled your fishing…
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Stony Brook University Study Shows Benefits Of Growing Kelp Near Oyster Farm Beds

By Julia Heming   06/02/22  
Scientists from Stony Brook University, led by Dr. Christopher Gobler, have discovered that the growth of kelp reduces ocean acidification, an effect of climate change. “Kelp can raise the pH of seawater from acidification conditions…
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Rising panel costs hit solar power as electric-rate hikes boost appeal

By Mark Harrington   05/13/22  
In recent weeks and months, a U.S. Commerce Department investigation has short-circuited a key supply source of solar panels from Asia, and one major supplier to the United States, LG Electronics, has exited the market,…
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New York lawmakers weigh a budget plan for a fully public Long Island electric utility

By Molly Ingram   03/17/22  
The New York State Legislature included in its budget proposals a measure that would create a state committee that would explore restructuring the Long Island Power Authority.
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L.I. contractors group opposes all-electric bill

By Tom Carrozza   03/10/22  
A seismic shift in construction could be on the horizon for contractors throughout New York if state lawmakers pass the so-called “all-electric building” acts.
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Suffolk announces $1 million for coastal resiliency projects

By Rachelle Blidner   03/02/22  
Suffolk County officials announced Wednesday they will spend $1 million to plan coastal resiliency projects to counter the impact of stronger storms and increased flooding resulting from climate change.
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