Who’s Eco-Friendliest?

Three State legislators who represent Downtown in Albany have been given high marks by the New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV), the only statewide environmental organization in New York that campaigns for clean water, clean air, renewable energy and open space through political action.

In its annual State Environmental Scorecard, the NYLCV evaluated every member of both houses of the State legislature according to how they voted on 13 separate packages of legislation that the League viewed as crucial during the 241st session of the lawmaking body, which ended in June.

	Yuh-Line Niou

These bills ranged from measures requiring the creation of programs to take back unused industrial paints and prescription medications (to prevent both from being discarded and thus entering the soil and water), to laws banning off-shore drilling and prohibiting the distribution by retailers of single-use plastic bags — with an accompanying fee of ten cents for all other kinds of shopping bags.

Assembly member Yuh-Line Niou received a perfect score of 100 percent from NYLCV, for supporting the League on each of the 13 measures.

Brian Kavanagh

State Senator Brian Kavanagh received a score of 92 percent, indicating that he voted as NYLCV hoped on 12 of the 13 bills. His sole contrarian stance was on a measure that would have allowed limited development on land preserved for agricultural use, provided that the new structures were limited to barns and irrigation systems. The League supported this bill, but Mr. Kavanagh voted against it.

	Deborah Glick

State Assembly member Deborah Glick also received a grade of 92 percent, for supporting NYLCV’s stances on 11 of the 13 bills, while she had a excused absence from voting on another, and opposed a plan to create a community preservation fund in the upstate town of Bethlehem, which is located in Albany County.

Ms. Glick’s and Mr. Kavanagh’s score put them in precise alignment with the averages for all State Assembly members and Senators representing Manhattan, both of which groups tallied a collective 92 percent.