Environmental Report Card: Carl Heastie

After nearly 20 years as Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver was a known quantity in Albany. After Carl Heastie was elected as his replacement in February, environmentalists have been watching carefully to see if they’ll have a champion in the new speaker, like his predecessor.

“Well, it’s obviously very early,” said Peter Iwanowicz, executive director of Environmental Advocates of New York. “I think the Assembly has been a place where traditionally members have really high scores on our sister-organization scorecard.”

Both Heastie and Silver received a score of 100 on the annual EPL/Environmental Advocates 2014 scorecard, which evaluates each state lawmaker’s voting record on environmental issues.

“I think the speaker really has a value for protecting the environment, because so many members of the conference have value in protecting the environment,” Iwanowicz said. “I think it’s a relationship that will continue to exist in that house.”

Iwanowicz told City & State he expects environmental advocates will have a friend in Heastie, but noted some concerns about plans in the state budget to take funds from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and put them in the Environmental Protection Fund.

“It’s a little bit odd to see the Assembly going along with the governor’s raid of the climate program. Still trying to sit down and meet with the speaker and figure out why,” Iwanowicz said. “But we’re expecting a fairly robust agenda as usual from the Assembly on Earth Day: Child Safe Products Act, dealing with climate change, and some other issues. So I think we’re hopeful the speaker will really put together a head of steam to tackle climate change.”

Source: EPL/Environmental Advocates 2014 Environmental Scorecard