This week, Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (D-Sag Harbor) announced the inclusion of $550,000 in the SFY 2023-24 final budget for the Peconic Estuary Partnership. Last year, as in years prior, the Peconic Estuary Partnership received $450,000 in funding through the state budget. This significant funding increase will assist in essential environmental protection and programming.

Dubbed one of the "Last Great Places in the western hemisphere” by the Nature Conservancy, the Peconic Estuary is situated between the North and South Forks of Long Island. The watershed begins at Brookhaven National Lab with the headwaters of the Peconic River, spans the several bays from Flanders to Gardiners, and ends in Block Island Sound between Plum Island and Montauk Point. More than 125,000 land acres and 158,000 surface water acres are included in the Peconic Estuary.

Assemblyman Thiele said, “On the East End of Long Island, our environment is our economy. Since its inception, the Peconic Estuary Partnership has worked diligently to protect our water, habitat and wildlife, and to support coastal resiliency projects throughout the estuary. The work of the Peconic Estuary Partnership in protecting water quality on the East End has been unmatched, and this funding is essential to ensuring it can continue this vital work on behalf of our environment and our community. I thank my Assembly Majority colleagues for recognizing the importance of this program and supporting this funding in the final budget.”

Other environmental provisions enacted in this year’s state budget include the creation of the Climate Action Fund, which will help ensure New York is on track with the goals of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA); the Build Public Renewables Act, to expand the New York Power Authority’s ability to build, own and operate renewable energy projects; $400 million to fund the Environmental Protection Fund; and $500 million for clean water infrastructure.