In December, Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, center, helped open an eco-themed playground at Juniper Valley Park. This month, she was one of 22 council members to receive a perfect environmental rating from the New York League of Conservation Voters. Forum Newsgroup Photo by Jeremiah Dobruck.
Queens council members are scoring high on green issues, according to rankings released last week by the New York League of Conservative Voters (NYLCV).
Based on their votes on environmental legislation in 2010 and 2011, the glowing report scored each councilperson from 1 to 100.
The Queens delegation averaged a 93, trailing only Manhattan representatives who averaged a 95. Representatives from Brooklyn, Staten Island and the Bronx averaged a 92, 88 and 76, respectively.
“The current City Council is one of the most, if not the most, pro-environment Councils that has ever served New York,” said NYLCV President Marcia Bystryn. “Our Environmental Scorecard reflects the strong environmental leanings of individual Council members, but just as importantly, the willingness of this body to work closely with the executive branch of city government on critical sustainability issues that will benefit the lives of New Yorkers for years to come.”
The scores were measured based on council members votes on 10 pieces of legislation and their sponsorship of one yet to be voted on. They ranged from bills on illegal dumping, air and water quality, to green infrastructure.
Among those bills was a lighting efficiency bill introduced in 2010 by Ozone Park Councilman Eric Ulrich.
The legislation let property owners install automatic lighting sensor controls in stairwells, hallways, mechanical equipment and storage rooms instead of keeping lights on constantly.
Ulrich scored a 100 in the report, supporting all 11 conservation-focused bills.
Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village), Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills) and Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Woodside) also netted perfect scores.
“The residents of Sunnyside, Long Island City, Woodside, Astoria and Maspeth care a lot about the environment. I am very proud of our collective efforts to make Queens and New York City some of the most environmentally responsible places in the country,” Van Bramer said. “Helping keep our borough clean and green has always been a high priority for my office. I thank the NYLCV for recognizing me and my colleagues’ efforts to make our city greener.”
He and others are following a trend in the entire council, the NYLCV said. A record 22 members scored a 100.
“The Scorecard shows that the Council has made tremendous gains on sustainability issues,” the report states.
In the previous report, covering 2008 and 2009, the average score was 68. In 2005 to 2006, the average score was 45—exactly half the average in the most recent report: a 90.
The report also lauds City Council Speaker Christine Quinn as “an environmental leader.”
“The sheer amount of environmental legislation adopted by the Council, as well as the high individual member scores in this Scorecard, reflect the high priority that the Speaker has placed on sustainability. The Speaker and her committee chairs deserve enormous credit not only for the quality of their work over the past few years but also for their professionalism, traits rarely seen in government these days,” the report states.
“Congratulations to the Council and to Speaker Quinn on a job well done,” Bystryn said.
By Jeremiah Dobruck
j.dobruck@theforumnewsgroup.com
