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NEW YORK—The potential layoff of over 200 Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) employees has raised concerns of lowered environmental standards and the resulting effects on human health, and may also create roadblocks to economic development.
The layoffs are part of Gov. Paterson's statewide workforce reduction plan that is expected to save the state $250 million by the end of the year, according to Erik Kriss, spokesman for the New York State Budget Division. They are not set in stone, but he expects that with the current financial situation of the state government, “over the next three years, it is likely that more sacrifice will be necessary.”
An unsigned internal DEC memo outlining the cuts was leaked to the media Tuesday of last week. Former DEC Commissioner Peter Grannis, is the suspected author of the memo, according to Albany newspaper the Times Union. Grannis was dismissed from his position as commissioner two days after the memo was released.
Environmental Advocates of New York, along with other environmental, conservation, and public health organizations are calling for Grannis's reinstatement, who they say is an important figure in safeguarding New York’s environment and its citizen’s health.
New York Residents Against Drilling (NYRAD) are especially concerned that hydrofracking, the controversial method of forcing gas to the surface by blasting water and chemicals at well heads may proceed without proper supervision. They say Grannis's dismissal is a setback in ensuring the carcinogenic chemicals are not injected into the earth at Marcellus Shale in an irresponsible manner.
The manpower necessary to oversee such projects and safety regulations is already spread thin. The memo attributed to Grannis is highly critical of the governor's proposed layoffs in this light.
“We have offices or sections responsible for important permitting and monitoring functions staffed by only one or two people,” states the memo. “No significant economic development project of any kind can occur without DEC review or permitting.”
The memo claims that the DEC has been hit especially hard. “DEC accounts for approximately two and a half percent of the New York state workforce subject to executive control, yet DEC’s layoffs will comprise more than 10 percent of the 2,000 positions that the governor plans to eliminate.”
The memo states that layoffs will have to be focused, leaving the most crucial bodies of the DEC intact, namely those that address risks to human health and immediate environmental degradation. The memo warns that although these basic concerns may still be taken care of, many projects that depend on the permitting and DEC review may fall through the cracks.
“Priority infrastructure initiatives such as a replacement for the Tappan Zee Bridge, a second Peace Bridge in Buffalo, high speed rail corridors, and major renewable energy projects will be adversely affected by reductions in permitting staff,” states the memo.
Obtaining the proper permits is a bureaucratic process that can slow down many projects. A recycling plant that broke ground in Brooklyn on Monday after six years in the planning is an example of how such a process can slow down industry and economic growth.
“The time between the announcement [of the planned plant construction] and now, first of all involved permitting, which as anyone who has done development along the waterfront knows can be very complicated. You’re dealing with not just city, but state, and federal agencies as well,” said Robert Kelman, president of Communications and Business Development for Sims Metal Management, the developer of the new plant on Brooklyn’s waterfront.
The plant is part of an overarching plan to create jobs by fostering maritime industry in the city. DEC permits were only part of the process, says company spokesperson Daniel Strechay, who declined to comment further on the subject as their DEC permits are still pending.
Gov. Paterson expressed his regret about the statewide layoffs in an interview with Don Weeks of 810 WGY on Tuesday morning:
“I’m having trouble conforming to a plan that is very unfortunate, and that I don’t want to do, and that is: laying off workers.” The governor did not speak much on this issue, but made it clear that the state is “loath to spend money on anything right now, even on very good causes.”
