On April 22, 1970, the world celebrated the first official Earth Day. The idea for a day to celebrate our planet and the need for environmental protection began small, but today over one billion people in more than 193 countries will mark the observance. The 1970s were a decade of significant environmental legislation, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Superfund, Toxic Substances Control Act, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. It saw the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the banning of DDT and of lead in gasoline. These efforts were and continue to be especially relevant to us in Western New York. Many people here recall the tragedy of Love Canal, when a neighborhood was built on a chemical dump in the days before major environmental regulation and oversight.

During my time in the NYS Assembly, we have continued the legacy of that era and have fought to make sure that our state has a clean and healthy future. Our goal has always been to protect what makes New York so beautiful – from the shorelines of Lake Erie, to the high peaks of the Adirondacks, and the beaches and bays of Long Island. This year, our proposed budget includes $125 million for a reauthorized 10-year Hazardous Waste Superfund, $50 million to support New York's ongoing efforts to reduce its own carbon footprint, $500 million in clean water infrastructure funding to bring New York's total clean water investment to $6 billion since 2017, and $400 million for the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), just to name a few of the major investments. It is vitally important at this moment to take a leading role among states in how we protect our water and air while looking toward the future of energy, especially as the federal government guts the EPA and tries to return us to the days of free-for-all pollution by major corporations and oil companies. We want to look forward to and create a future environment that will be safe for all New Yorkers.

Today, Earth Day is accompanied by a call to action for everyone who can get involved and volunteer in their communities with activities including, but not limited to, community cleanups, planting trees or pollinator gardens, and reducing plastic use. This can be done on Earth Day, during the Earth Day Week of Action or truly, at any time of year. To do my part, I will be participating in New York State Parks and the Department of Environmental Conservation’s “I Love My Park Day.” On Saturday, May 2, people across NYS will volunteer to participate in beautification and cleanup events at over 100 state parks, historic sites, and public lands in all corners of the Empire State. From beach clean-ups to trail restoration and tree and flower plantings, hundreds of events are planned to spruce up our parks and get them ready for summer. I am proud to co-host our own local “I Love My Park Day” event with the Town of Amherst and Senator Jeremy Zellner at Amherst State Park on May 2 from 9am to 11am. If you are interested in getting involved in weeding flower beds, planting flowers, garbage clean-up, and other activities, visit my website: nyassembly.gov/McMahon to register for this free event. We hope to see you there.

As always, if you have any questions about these or any community issue, please don’t hesitate to contact my office at McMahonK@nyassembly.gov or 716-634-1895.