Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) today announced that he has been selected to serve as a member of the newly created New York State Assembly’s Climate Change Work Group. The work group will explore policy initiatives, at both the state and federal level, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a known cause of climate changes. The work group will also present recommendations to amend existing laws and regulations to help combat and better plan and prepare for climate change.

Assemblyman Thiele, a member of the Assembly’s Environmental Conservation Committee, is no stranger to addressing climate change and sea level rise as he represents one of the most vulnerable regions in the State. In 2013, a bill sponsored and introduced by Assemblyman Thiele was signed into law (Chapter 423 of the Laws of 2013) to allow Peconic Bay Community Preservation Funds to protect shorelines at risk of coastal flooding due to projected sea level rise and storms. And in 2014, Thiele helped pass the Community Risk and Resiliency Act (Chapter 355 of the Laws of 2014) to require that climate risk, including sea level rise, be a factor considered in the planning of certain state-funded projects.

Thiele noted, “I am extremely excited to have been selected to participate in this new initiative. I think we are at a very critical stage in terms of developing both short and long term planning efforts and strategies. We need to take immediate steps to strengthen New York State’s preparedness for the effects of climate change and help protect communities against severe weather and sea level rise.”