EnviroPolitics Blog

Sewage discharge forces emergency closing of NY clam beds

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced shellfish harvesting in the Port Jefferson Harbor Complex, including the tributaries of Setauket Harbor, the Narrows, and Conscience Bay, within the town of Brookhaven, is designated as uncertified (closed) for shellfish harvesting effective immediately Monday, April 14, 2025.

DEC implemented this temporary closure due to a sewage discharge event which occurred in the town of Brookhaven that resulted in a release of partially treated waste without disinfection into Port Jefferson Harbor in the morning of April 14, 2025. The incident lasted for approximately 2 hours and discharged approximately 30,000 gallons. DEC’s Division of Water is communicating with Suffolk County and confirmed the plant is now operating normally.

Effective immediately, and continuing until a determination is made that conditions no longer exist that may make shellfish hazardous for use as food, the following areas are designated as uncertified, and the harvest of shellfish is prohibited until further notice:

Town of Brookhaven (North Shore): Port Jefferson Harbor and its tributaries.

This action affects approximately 1,639 acres of shellfishing beds in the NS5 harvest area and is necessary to protect public health. Without disinfection, partially treated sewage effluent carries high levels of pathogenic bacteria and viruses. When water quality in the enclosed harbors and bays is adversely affected by sewage, shellfish in these areas have an increased potential to be hazardous for use as food.

A recorded message advising harvesters of the status of these shellfish areas may be heard at (631) 444-0480. The message will be updated throughout the temporary closures. For a more detailed description of the closed areas, call DEC’s office of Marine Resources during normal business hours at (631) 444-0492. Additionally, information about temporary closures is available on DEC’s website.

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Documents reveal Trump’s plan to gut funding for Nasa and climate science

Critics say Nasa faces ‘extinction-level event’ with budget plan, with climate research funding also to be slashed

By Gabrielle Canon, The Guardian

Donald Trump shows no signs of easing his assault on climate science as plans of more sweeping cuts to key US research centers surfaced on Friday.

The administration is planning to slash budgets at both the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (Noaa) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), according to internal budget documents, taking aim specifically at programs used to study impacts from the climate crisis.

Craig McLean, a longtime director of the office of oceanic and atmospheric research (OAR) who retired in 2022, told the Guardian that the cuts were draconian and would “compromise the safety, economic competitiveness, and security of the American people”.

If the plan is approved by Congress, funding for OAR would be eviscerated – cut from $485m to $171m – dismantling an important part of the agency’s mission.

All budgets for climate, weather and ocean laboratories would be drained, according to the document reviewed by the Guardian, which states: “At this funding level, OAR is eliminated as a line office.”

“The elimination of Noaa’s research line office and all of its research capabilities is a crushing blow to the ability of our country to protect our citizens and also to lead the world,” said the former Noaa administrator Rick Spinrad, adding that the document included “an extraordinarily devastating set of recommendations”.

Read the full story here

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Pa state police arrest arson suspect in torching of Shapiro’s mansion

38-year-old suspect to be charged with attempted murder

*The fire caused significant damage at the state-owned mansion early Sunday morning, and the Shapiro family was evacuated*.

By Mike Wereschagin, Ford Turner and Megan Tomasic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

An arsonist armed with homemade incendiary devices slipped past security, broke into the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence while Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were sleeping, and set a fire in the room where the state’s first family had celebrated the beginning of Passover with a Seder just hours earlier, officials said Sunday.

Police arrested a 38-year-old and planned to charge him with attempted murder, arson and aggravated assault, officials said during a news conference late Sunday afternoon just outside the Harrisburg mansion. The southwest exterior of the brick building was visibly scorched, with windows broken and the interior of the corner room blackened and heavily damaged by the fire.

Mr. Shapiro, his voice by turns cracking with emotion and rising with anger, recounted the moments when State Police officers pounded on the doors to wake him, his wife, their children and the family members who were staying with them as the blaze spread through a portion of the building.

“This type of violence is not OK. This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society,” Mr. Shapiro said, flanked by state and local law enforcement officials. “I don’t give a damn if it’s coming from one side or the other. It is not OK and it has to stop.”

Read the full story here

Related fire news:

Police announced late Sunday that a person is in custody after the home of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was set on fire while he and his family were inside. NBC News’ Maya Eaglin has the latest. Click arrow in image above

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Pa governor’s home torched as he and family slept inside

By Philadelphia Channel 10

State Police officials announced that they have begun an arson investigation after a fire was reported at the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg in the early hours of Sunday, April 13, 2025.

According to police, members of the Harrisburg Bureau of Fire were dispatched to Governor’s Residence, located on North Front Street in Harrisburg, at about 2 a.m. on a report of a fire.

Crews were able to extinguish the fire, but, officials said, it caused “a significant amount of damage” to a portion of the home.

Police officials said that, when the fire occurred, Pa. Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were present at the home. However, they were all evacuated and no one was injured, officials said.

On Sunday morning, police officials said the incident is being investigated as an arson.

In a statement on the fire, Shapiro said he was grateful for first responders’ help in keeping his family safe.

“Last night at about 2 a.m., my family and I woke up to bangs on the door from the Pennsylvania State Police after an arsonist set fire to the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg. The Harrisburg Bureau of Fire was on the scene and while they worked to put out the fire, we were evacuated from the Residence safely by Pennsylvania State Police and assisted by Capitol Police,” Shapiro wrote in a statement. “Thank God no one was injured and the fire was extinguished. Every day, we stand with the law enforcement and first responders who run towards danger to protect our communities. Last night, they did so for our family – and Lori and I are eternally grateful to them for keeping us safe. Pennsylvania State Police is on the scene leading this investigation and will keep the public updated.”

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How the Trump tariffs could impact recycled plastic markets

*Recycling industry analysts say high-level trends affecting markets and manufacturing will affect recyclers as trade wa*r uncertainties continue.

By Megan Quinn, Senior Reporter, WASTEDIVE, April 9, 2025

Uncertainty around the operational and market impacts of the Trump administration’s latest round of tariffs is expected to continue in the near future as plastics recyclers and related industries wait for ripple effects on global trade and domestic markets.

On April 2, President Donald Trump enacted baseline 10% tariffs on goods from most other nations, plus a range of additional country-specific duties. Numerous trade partners then responded in recent days with retaliatory tariffs. On Wednesday, Trump announced a 90-day pause on the country-specific tariffs but said a near-universal 10% tariff would stay in place. Canada and Mexico will still be subject to a 25% tariff for certain goods not covered under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the White House later clarified. However, China which will now face a tariff rate of 125%.

The status of these tariffs is ever-changing, and recyclers expect the frequent changes will result in numerous consequences for commodities markets, as well as costs for equipment and infrastructure projects.

Here are some facets of the plastics recycling industry they’re monitoring in the early days of the trade war.

Read the full story here

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Philly region transit system in crisis. Public reacts to proposed cuts

The transit agency says it’s looking at dramatic service cuts and fare hikes if it doesn’t get more help from the state.

By Carmen Russell-Sluchansky, WHYY

Hundreds gathered at Dilworth Plaza Friday morning for the “We’re Not Getting There Without SEPTA” rally, voicing their opposition to proposed cuts and fare increases by the public transit agency.

State Sen. Nikil Saval, D-Philadelphia, led the group in a chant: “No cuts. No way. We ride SEPTA every day.”

“We are clear-eyed about what brings us together today,” Saval told the crowd under the north arch of City Hall. “The future of our communities, of our city, of our entire region, are dependent on SEPTA. We stand at the edge of service cuts and fair hikes that will tumble into a cascading death spiral that advocates and officials have warned about for so long.”

The rally, occurring just one day after SEPTA announced what many are calling a “doomsday” budget, brought together a coalition of transit workers, elected officials and riders facing what Saval described as “the deadly seriousness” of a crisis that threatens to reshape life in America’s sixth-largest city.

On Thursday, SEPTA unveiled a budget proposal to address a $213 million deficit, which includes a 45% reduction in service and a 21.5% fare increase. The plan would eliminate dozens of bus routes, shut down five Regional Rail lines and stop service at 9 p.m. on all rail services starting Jan. 1, 2026. Disabled riders would also be significantly affected, with 40,000 annual trips no longer served by SEPTA ACCESS and fares increased by 35%.

The rally underscored the role SEPTA, which serves nearly 800,000 riders daily, plays in the region’s economy and daily life. Speakers highlighted the disproportionate impact the proposed cuts would have on working-class communities, people with disabilities and those without alternative transportation options.

Read the full story here

Philly region transit system in crisis. Public reacts to proposed cuts Read More »

Sewage discharge forces emergency closing of NY clam beds

Documents reveal Trump’s plan to gut funding for Nasa and climate science

Critics say Nasa faces ‘extinction-level event’ with budget plan, with climate research funding also to be slashed

Pa state police arrest arson suspect in torching of Shapiro’s mansion

38-year-old suspect to be charged with attempted murder

Pa governor’s home torched as he and family slept inside

How the Trump tariffs could impact recycled plastic markets

Philly region transit system in crisis. Public reacts to proposed cuts

The transit agency says it’s looking at dramatic service cuts and fare hikes if it doesn’t get more help from the state.

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