Ready New York?
November 24, 2009
On December 1st, I will be hosting, along with the American Red Cross of Greater New York and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, a free emergency preparedness presentation that aims to teach New York City residents how to create a plan, build a supply kit, and keep loved ones safe and informed in the event of a disaster.
All participants will receive an interactive CD that can be used at home to create a customized evacuation plan. The first 100 people to register will receive a complimentary Red Cross Go Bag at the event packed with the essentials you and your family need to have on hand in case of an emergency.
The event will be held Tuesday, December 1st, from 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. in Rockefeller Research Laboratories auditorium (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center) located at 430 East 67th Street between York and First Avenues. Please call 212-860-4906 or e-mail kellnerm@assembly.state.ny.us to RSVP for this important event.
“Oreo’s Law” Would Give Dogs a Second Chance at Life
November 18, 2009
The kennel at Pets Alive Animal Sanctuary, where Oreo would have been rehabilitated.
The case of Oreo, an abused dog who was put down after her rescue by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (APSCA), brought to light a tragic loophole in our animal protection laws. This week, I am introducing legislation to close that loophole and save the lives of thousands of abused and injured animals in New York State.
This new legislation will allow animal welfare organizations the right to request animals be given to their care when a shelter is planning to euthanize them. The bill will be sponsored in the State Senate by Senator Tom Duane.
The bill, modeled on an existing law in California, is named Oreo’s Law in memory of the pit bull mix who became well-known after she survived abuse at the hands of her former owner, including a fall from a six-story building, but was eventually euthanized after the ASPCA determined that she was untreatably aggressive. Pets Alive Animal Sanctuary, a no-kill animal shelter located in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains, specializing in the rehabilitation and care of abused animals, offered to take Oreo, but the ASPCA refused the request.
As a dog owner and a foster parent for an animal rescue group, I was heartbroken to learn that Oreo was euthanized. When humane organizations volunteer their expertise in difficult cases, shelters should work with them to the fullest extent possible. This legislation will give tragically abused animals like Oreo another chance at life.
Please click here to download the press release announcing this legislation.
Kill the Drill: Protect New York City’s Drinking Water
November 10, 2009
It is difficult to overemphasize the importance of the New York City Watershed to the
City and State of New York. The Watershed is the largest unfiltered drinking water supply in the
nation, providing 1.3 billion gallons of affordable, high-quality drinking water daily to more
than 9 million consumers in New York City — half the population of the entire state of New
York.
I testified before the Department of Environmental Conservation today at a public hearing on the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement on Gas Development in the Marcellus Shale. (My testimony is below.) In my testimony, I opposed any move to allow natural gas drilling in the Watershed, and I have called upon the Department to issue a moratorium on drilling and am a co-sponsor of A.8748, which would set strict standards for protecting drinking water throughout the state, and prohibit drilling in and around the watershed.
The Department of Environment Conservation has extended the public comment period
related to this application until December 31st. Clean water is one of our most precious resources, and the extension of the public comment period is an important step in assuring that decisions regarding drilling in the Marcellus Shale will not be rushed. I encourage everyone to express their opposition through the comment submission process. As a member of the Kill the Drill Coalition, I urge you to visit Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer’s Kill the Drill webpage to find out other things you can do to make the call for environmental justice issue known and heard.
11.10.09 DEC Testimony Re SGEIS Opp to Drilling in Marcellus Shale
