THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR

WPCNR COUNTY CLARION LEDGER. From the Westchester County Department of Communications (EDITED).

Earlier this week Latimer announced other measures taken by the County to ease the burden facing County residents’ wallets.

These actions include:

·         Funding for Feeding Westchester: Increasing funding to Feeding Westchester by $700,000, which doubles what is included in the 2022 budget and covers the increased cost of food and fuel.

o   Feeding Westchester has experienced an increase this year to $0.71 per pound across the foods they provide, compared to $0.60 per pound last year. Overall, they are seeing an 18% year over year increase in food costs. The additional $700,000 for Feeding Westchester will enable them to support 883,838 people. In addition, the average food package provided by a food pantry has a value of approximately $60 saving a family $240/month.

Beginning Tuesday, July 5, Glen Island Beach fees will be waived, Monday through Thursday, through Thursday, September 1.  The latest move to ease inflation costs for residents will be at Glen Island Beach in New Rochelle and also at the County’s pools, Saxon Woods Pool in White Plains and Sprain Ridge and The Brook at Tibbetts in Yonkers. Croton Point Beach in Croton-on-Hudson is open weekends only, and Willson’s Woods in Mount Vernon is currently free daily.

Westchester County Executive George Latimer said: “As costs continue to rise, the County is taking measures to ease the burden facing residents. Visiting pools and beaches during the summer should be a stress-fee experience, and I look forward to families coming out this summer to enjoy their time together.”

Commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation, Kathy O’Connor said: “Our pools and beaches are a local destination our residents look forward to visiting each summer. I’m happy we are able to take these steps to ensure our residents don’t miss out this year.”

The beaches and pools are accessible by the Bee-Line Bus, which is free to ride this summer, through Labor Day, Monday, September 5. 

·         Free Commuter Parking: Westchester County will be providing free parking at the North White Plains Commuter Lot, and the County Center parking lot from July 1 – August 31.

·         Sales Tax CUT TO COME: 

Westchester County has the ability to lower/eliminate the sales tax on residential energy on a quarterly basis. The County needs to adopt a local law and notify NYS Tax and Finance 90 days ahead of implementation. The County is proposing eliminating the sales tax for the quarter beginning December 1. This time period would cover the start of the heating season. The sales tax elimination covers home heating oil, propane, natural gas, electric, coal and wood for residential heating purposes. It covers homeowners as well as rental units. Renters or landlords would be eligible depending on the structure of the unit’s heat and electric use.

·         Civil Service Exams: The County will waive the fees for civil service exams through December 31.

All four pools and Glen Island Beach are open daily, 11 a.m. through 6:30 p.m.; last admission at 6 p.m.; proof of residency is required. Croton Point Beach is open weekends only and Mondays, July 4 and Labor Day, Sept. 5. Parking fees at Glen Island and The Brook at Tibbetts still apply during the time admission fees are waived. For additional information, visit parks.westchestergov.com or call: 914-864-PARK.

WPCNR WASHINGTON LAW JOURNAL. By John F. Bailey. June 30, 2022:

The Supreme Court Tuesday ruled to uphold the Trump Administration ruling to raise levels of carbon dioxide emissions from the lower standards, the Environmental Protection Agency had created in 2015 as part of the Clean Air Act to lower the climate warming, ozone destroying carbon emissions levels power plants could emit as future targets. The vote was 6 to 3, all Conservative Justices voting approval, the Associated Press and Yahoo News reported.

The Supreme Court limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants in a 6-3 ruling handed down Tuesday that will have far-reaching implications on the federal government’s ability to fight climate change. It is probably the last of decisions announced by the court until they resume their work in September.

In West Virginia v. EPA the court decided the EPA in the Trump administration did not violate the Clean Air Act raising permitted limits on carbon emissions from power plants.

The Justices in an ancillary observation in the decision that the EPA did not have the power to dictate what the power industry must do (or manuafacturers, for that matter) must do to move from fossil fuels to clean energy (from wind, solar, water generated electricity).

The reasoning as described in initial Associated Press and Yahoo News reports, is the head of the EPA is a political employee so therefore, the EPA does not have the authority to do regulate conditions in states under the Clean Air Act. The upshot of that significant commentary in this decision is unclear at this time, but the most obvious is states, or congress would have to make laws proscribing clean air policies from now on.