Atlantic Chapter

Welcome to the Atlantic Chapter's website - learn more about the work we are doing to protect New York's air, water, communities, and remaining wild places!

• Sierra Club Condemns Rollbacks of Climate Law and SEQRA In Fiscal Year 2027 NY State Budget

  • New York lawmakers and the public were given their first look at the Transportation and Economic Development (TED) section of NY’s $268.5 billion state budget, mere hours before voting, concluding a secretive and one-sided negotiation process that delayed the State’s fiscal plan by nearly two months. Among the dozens of Article VII bills within the TED are provisions that dramatically weaken New York’s landmark 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) and language to exempt most housing construction from the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). Both foundational environmental laws took years to enact, and were shaped by the input of tens of thousands of New Yorkers, significant case law, and deliberate, transparent legislative actions. Despite public outcry and initial resistance from the legislature, the governor used her significant leverage in negotiations to undermine both laws that she asserted could negatively contribute to future energy and housing affordability issues. 
  • Read our full statement here.

• Tell Albany: Repair some of the damage done to our Climate Law

  • Because of the late budget, the remainder of the Legislative session has been truncated to just a little more than a week, with the Legislature going home for good after June 4th. Last year, the Senate and Assembly passed collectively more than 800 bills for the Governor to sign. So far, they have passed only 70, meaning that with one week to go, they must coordinate over many late night sessions to pass at least 700 bills to keep pace with previous years. 
  • Despite the bitter setback of seeing our climate law weakened, the Sierra Club is committed to redoubling our efforts to help New York reestablish itself as a global climate leader and show that there is a truly an affordable pathway forward through renewable energy development, emissions reductions and climate justice. Please join us in asking the Senate and Assembly to do the same
  • Will you urge the Legislature to use the remainder of their time in Albany to pass meaningful legislation that helps fill the void created by the climate rollbacks we saw in the late budget? Send your message today!
     

• Big Mess to Clean Up After the Budget: No More Toxic Forever Chemicals!

  • Three bills await passage in the NYS Assembly: The Comprehensive PFAS Ban, The Beauty Justice Act, and The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act. New York has already taken steps in recent years to phase out toxic chemicals like PFAS in firefighting foam, food packaging, apparel, and carpets, but further action is needed to protect public health.
  • These policy pieces can relieve a lot of misery from New York’s future — with the promise of fewer cancer deaths, cleaner drinking water, and greater resources for our communities burdened with the costs of waste disposal and toxic clean ups. Urge Assembly Speaker Heastie to finally pass these bills through his house, and restore the legislature’s commitment to a clean and healthful environment.
  • Take action today!

• New mini-documentary from the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter shows how upstate NY towns are taking the lead in fighting the spread of toxic sewage sludge on farmland in NYS

  • Dangerous PFAS “forever chemicals” are found in sewage sludge, the solids left over from wastewater treatment plants, yet the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation allows big companies to dump them on farmland and golf courses in the state, billing it as fertilizer. Working with the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter's Farm & Food Committee, Documentarian Alexa Tumbarello interviewed neighbors in the towns of Thurston and Cameron, NY (Steuben County), as well as impacted community members in Albany county. These community members took on the big companies like Casella Organics - who spread toxic sewage sludge on nearby farmland - and these community members are continuing to fight for the health of streams and fresh groundwater -- and themselves -- even as some neighbors’ wells are shown to be contaminated.  

• Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter's Statement in Response to Governor Hochul's Plan to Build New Nuclear in Central New York (June 23, 2025)

  • Sierra Club Decries Governor Hochul's Plan to Spend Billions Developing New "Advanced" Nuclear Energy in New York
  • Read full statement here

Click here to take action on important issues in NYS!