News Roundup

May
15
2014

The sale and use of liquid waste from hydraulic fracturing will be banned in Suffolk County under an aquifer-protection bill expected to be signed by the county executive this month.

The legislation, sponsored by Legis. William Spencer (D-Centerport), is aimed at the byproducts of the hydraulic fracturing process, used to extract natural gas from rock formations using chemicals, water and pressure. The bill passed unanimously at the...read more ››

May
14
2014

The RCPP, created under the 2014 Farm Bill that President Obama signed into law in February, authorizes $1.3 billion in spending over five years to help farmers adopt conservation practices in regions of the country facing significant environmental challenges. Officials noted that designating the Long Island Sound and Peconic Estuary as one of eight national critical designation areas would help fund agricultural conservation efforts, habitat...read more ››

May
12
2014

First District Congressman Tim Bishop and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone are calling for the L.I. Sound and Peconic Estuary to be designated as a region of critical importance under the U.S. Regional Conservation Partnership Program. The designation would provide the region access to federal funding intended to help farmers adopt conservation practices that will protect the surrounding bodies of water.

The Regional Conservation...read more ››

May
12
2014

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone is expected to sign a bill today completing the purchase of 16 acres of land in Selden for a long-awaited county park.

Bellone is scheduled to sign the bill during a ceremony at Brookhaven Town Hall. The county has agreed to buy the parcel for $1.2 million from the Middle Country School District.

The new park, which does not yet have a name, will be combined with an adjacent town park to...read more ››

May
9
2014

As Suffolk Democrats, we owe a great deal to the legacy of Congressman Otis G. Pike. He was a trailblazer for us for many years.

To this day, I think that we all can identify with him when he once said: “I’ve always said I’m surrounded on three sides by water and on the fourth by Republicans.”

His legacy of public service will not be lost on us. He was a decorated Marine pilot in WWII, a Riverhead Town Councilman and Justice and...read more ››

May
6
2014

Steve Bellone, meet Riverside.

The Suffolk County Executive was given a bus tour of one of Southampton Town’s poorest, most crime-ridden, rundown neighborhoods Wednesday morning in hopes of getting his support for a number of ongoing efforts to revitalize the area.

And judging by Mr. Bellone’s comments following the tour, the plan may have worked.

“My overall impression is that it’s one of the more exciting planning...read more ››

May
5
2014

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, accompanied by Suffolk County Legislator Jay Schneiderman, toured the East End last Wednesday, declaring that “the county’s role should not be to second guess decisions made at a local level.”
Mr. Bellone’s day began with a question-and-answer session with government officials from Southampton, Southold, Shelter Island, Riverhead and East Hampton. Issues like public transportation and affordable...read more ››

Apr
24
2014

Mount Sinai, NY - April 2014 - Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker today submitted legislation that will require all nicotine retailers to provide product information and warnings on the dangers of liquid nicotine (also known as e-liquid) on all liquid nicotine products. Used in smokeless cigarette devices, the liquid is available in many flavors and is typically smoked with a special electronic cigarette that burns the nicotine into a...read more ››

Apr
17
2014

Brentwood, NY - April 17, 2014 - On Wednesday night, more than one hundred Suffolk County residents from Latino, African-American, and immigrant communities joined Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone for a forum hosted by Make the Road New York, New York Communities for Change, the Long Island Civic Engagement Table, and the NAACP. Residents who came together at the Brentwood Public Library posed questions about the most pressing issues...read more ››

Apr
16
2014

Suffolk County, NY - April 16, 2014 - On Wednesday night, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone will join scores of residents to answer questions about the most pressing issues facing Suffolk’s diverse communities: jobs, housing, and diversity. The event will feature remarks from the County Executive, who will then respond to questions from a wide cross-section of local residents on issues including Long Island’s foreclosure crisis, the need...read more ››