Group warns NY budget cuts may put drinking water at risk

As the state budget deadline looms, an Albany conservation group has warned that environmental spending cuts proposed by Gov. David A. Paterson would put drinking water at risk and leave the state largely reliant on polluters to self-report toxic spills.

A report by Environmental Advocates of New York said the governor's budget would cut state responses to oil spills by more than half and reduce inspections of chemical and petroleum storage tanks. The cuts would also eliminate inspections at some hazardous waste cleanup sites, it said.

Those predictions - based on internal memos from the state Department of Environmental Conservation - could be bad news for Long Island's drinking water if they come to pass. Much of the pollution fouling local groundwater stems from spills and leaking tanks. Last year 2,306 oil and chemical spills were reported here, DEC records show.

"Fewer staff and fewer resources mean fewer inspections and greater chances for our drinking water supplies to be contaminated," said Alison Jenkins, Environmental Advocates' fiscal policy director.

DEC spokeswoman Maureen Wren said it was "premature" to forecast how proposed cuts would affect particular programs at the agency. "Like all state agencies, DEC is continuing to evaluate the options available to meet the required budget reductions," Wren said.

Budget resolutions passed this week by the Senate and the Assembly would restore some of the cuts. But Jenkins said it was unclear whether the increases would survive the budget process.

The governor wants to reduce DEC appropriations to $1.01 billion - down from $1.5 billion last year, although that money included several millions in federal stimulus grants. Those grants aside, Paterson's 2010-11 budget would cut DEC resources by 15 percent from last year, the group said.

The Senate and Assembly budget resolutions would increase DEC funding to $1.23 billion and $1.037 billion, respectively. A three-way agreement must be reached before the April 1 budget deadline.

Environmental Advocates' report, released last week, was based on DEC memos written earlier this year on the agency's response to the governor's budget, Jenkins said. Wren did not address the specific plans described in the report but said, "We are committed to continuing to respond and address oil spills to protect public health and the environment."