I live in New York, and much of my work is here too.  Even when I’m working with EPA on national fuels and vehicle policies, I’m thinking about how they will play here on Broadway.  Today, I posted my wish list on the Gotham Gazette, which Switchboard readers may recognize as my alter-site on the web, since I write a monthly environment column there.  (Yes, you can subscribe, and it’s free!) 

But it’s worth reprising it here too…  

So, as we head into the new year, here is my list of wishes for New York’s environment.   

PlaNYC 2030 

Mayor Bloomberg ’s incredibly ambitious PlaNYC 2030 proposal of 127 different housing, transportation, energy, open space and other initiatives offers a fine starting point. Most of the goodies in it don’t require state legislative approval to move forward. 

But the cornerstone of the plan is congestion pricing -- charging $8 to drive a car into the business district of Manhattan during the workweek.  Implementing this system will be important to reduce traffic, improve air quality and raise funds for critical transit infrastructure investments throughout the region. 

And, if it works here, congestion pricing is likely to be adopted in other cities that are struggling with increased traffic and unmet infrastructure needs. Congestion pricing, though, does require approval in the State Capitol as well as by the City Council. 

My 2008 wish: The city and Albany should make their compromises and enact a congestion pricing plan that raises even more net revenue for transit improvements than the mayor’s original proposal.  

Transit Funding 

If New York City gains another million residents, as the 2030 plan anticipates, it will need the transit infrastructure to get them around the city. And that means more than the connecting the Long Island Rail Road to the east side’s Grand Central Terminal (the so-called East Side Access plan), building the Second Avenue Subway and the extending the Number 7 line to the soon-to-be-developed far west side of Manhattan—as important as all three projects are. 

We need more service for all five boroughs—service that reflects the development patterns of the future, rather than the commuting patterns that existed decades ago when the original IND and IRT subway systems were built.  We also need to fix the chronic under-funding of the system from Albany (we have 84 percent of the state’s transit riders, but get only 63 percent of the state transit funding).  

My 2008 wish:  In addition to implementing the congestion pricing program, the city and the state should find ways to increase their funding contributions to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s five-year, $32 billion capital program that will be presented next March.  And I hope that they do it in a way that doesn’t add more burdens to the already taxed (in more ways than one) straphangers.   

E-Waste 

Old televisions and computers contain a slew of toxins (including lead, mercury and cadmium) that should never get buried in landfills or burned in incinerators.  But the city’s current electronic recycling program requires people to lug their electronics to odd locations on random days.  No wonder most New Yorkers throw this stuff in the trash.  

My 2008 wish:  The city should adopt Intro. 104, the “Electronics Collection, Recycling and Reuse Law,” which would require manufacturers to take certain electronic products back for recycling after consumers are  done with them. Not only would this help take toxics out our waste stream, but it also will save money for the city by reducing the burden on the City’s Department of Sanitation and keeping some garbage out of landfills.  

Stormwater and Sewage Overflows 

Every year, roughly 27 billion gallons of untreated sewage gets mixed with stormwater runoff, and ends up bringing pathogens and other pollution into the city’s waterways.   These combined sewer overflows (“CSOs”) put the public’s health at risk, damage our marine ecology, and frequently make our waters unsuitable for recreational activities. 

Over the long haul, PlaNYC 2030 boldly aims to remake the urban landscape by keeping sewage and polluted stormwater out of our waters.  But, in the short run, we need legislation to help us reach this goal. 

My 2008 wish: The City Council should pass three bills (Intros. 628, 629 and 630) that, collectively, would help ensure that future administrations follow through on PlaNYC 2030’s ambitions.  Together, the bills call for a sustainable stormwater plan for each of the city's waterways; mandate that new city capital projects use environmentally friendly technology and take stormwater issues into account; and require trees to be planted to help absorb stormwater before it goes into the sewage system. 

Jamaica Bay   

One of the great things about New York is its proximity to amazing outdoor environments.  Here’s a great example:  Jamaica Bay, home to the only federal wildlife refuge accessible by subway, sits right under the flight path to Kennedy airport. This gem hosts nearly 20 percent of North America’s bird species each year, along with an amazing array of fish and shellfish. But Jamaica Bay is jeopardized by water pollution — most dangerously, nitrogen pollution from four city wastewater treatment plants.  

My wish for 2008: Six years ago, the stars aligned to create an ambitious pollution plan for Long Island Sound.  The state Department of Environmental Conservation should adopt a comparable plan to protect Jamaica Bay for generations to come.  

And one final wish: As environmentalists and other concerned New Yorkers work for these goal, may we all have a safe, happy, and healthy 2008!