Issue Position: Liuba on the Environment

Issue Position

I grew up swimming in and sailing on the Great South Bay. Over the years, however, we've seen more instances of brown tide affecting our beaches and our fishing industry. Sea levels are rising, storms have increased in strength, and downpours have become more frequent. Flooding has become more of a common occurrence. Long Islanders are facing drastically increasing flood insurance premiums. These are just some of the effects of climate change and outdated practices that have affected our coastal district, and will only get worse if we do not address them now. For those of us who lived through Superstorm Sandy, we know the dangers of more intense and frequent storms, and we know the effects they have had on our homes, our lives, and our economy. Protecting our island's natural environment and coastal economy, and enacting policies to combat the effects of climate change are critical to our community.

That is why I support smart investments in renewable energy to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, create good green jobs, and make energy more affordable for Long Island families.

We must work to improve our water quality and infrastructure, reduce nitrogen pollution in our waters, and mitigate brown tides. Protecting our drinking water from contamination, and cleaning up any groundwater contamination that already exists, such as the plume emanating from the Northrop Grumman plant in Bethpage, is critical.

It is also crucial that we commit to fully funding the Environmental Protection Agency, and demand that this agency be at the forefront in protecting our drinking water, the air we breathe, and the land on which we live from the hazards of pollution and the effects of climate change.

I unequivocally support bills that will protect environment which our Republican controlled House will not let reach the floor, such as H.R. 3533, which will better prepare coastal states like New York to have coherent response plans to climate change.

Representative Peter King has consistently voted for measures favoring the production and use of dirty fossil fuels over clean energy alternatives, and against stricter regulations to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases that exacerbate global warming and climate change. He also voted to allow coal waste and toxic pesticides to be dumped into our waters, and against legislation to protect our military bases against rising sea levels. The Northrop Grumman groundwater plume has been allowed to migrate into this Congressional District over the years Rep. King has spent in Congress. We must protect our water, wildlife refuges, parks, estuaries, and natural resources to ensure that our children will be able to enjoy Long Island for generations to come. We need a representative who will fight for common sense environmental solutions.

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