Riverkeeper Opposes Mandate of Governor Paterson's Executive Order 25
March 1, 2010
Riverkeeper Team
Contact:
Tina Posterli, 914-478-4501 x 239
For Immediate Release:
New York's leading clean water advocate calls on Department of Environmental Conservation to open regulatory review process to public scrutiny
Tarrytown, NY - March 1, 2010 -- Riverkeeper has submitted comments to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), opposing the mandate of Governor Paterson's Executive Order 25 (“the Order”) and urging the DEC to fully include the public in all stages of the review of its regulations mandated by the Order.
The Order, signed by Governor Paterson on August 6, 2009, grants almost unlimited power to a small group of political appointees led by Secretary to the Governor Larry Schwarz to remake the state’s regulatory system to serve their own political interests. It mandates the following:
- The DEC, Department of Health and other agencies must gather public comment on regulations that are deemed “unduly burdensome” and submit a report to the “Review Committee’ listing which regulations should be revised or eliminated.
- The Order is biased in favor of business and anti-environmental interests, because it does not require DEC to consider or solicit comment on strengthening current regulations that do not adequately protect the state’s environment.
- If the DEC declines to recommend any changes, the Review Committee claims the authority to direct agencies to “reappraise or repeal” regulations.
- The Order does not require further public comment until regulations are actually proposed for repeal or revision—Riverkeeper is calling on the DEC to publicly disclose its draft report to the Review Committee for public comment.
