Long Beach City Council Member Statements on Governor Hochul's SB6218 VETO

LONG BEACH CITY COUNCILMEMBER STATEMENTS ON GOV. HOCHUL’S SB6218 VETO

LONG BEACH RESIDENTS AND CITY COUNCILMEMBERS CHEER FOR GOVERNOR HOCHUL’S VETOING OF LEGISLATION

ALLOWING FOR CONTINUED PARKLAND PROTECTION FOR LONG BEACH BEACHES

 

LONG BEACH, NY – With the stroke of her pen on Friday morning, NYS Governor Kathy Hochul all-but killed the controversial wind project being developed by Equinor saying “Wind companies need to build positive relations with host communities” which is something many in Long Beach believe Equinor did not do.

Long Beach City Council President John Bendo said “I commend Governor Hochul for doing right by Long Beach and our residents. This project failed because Equinor thought they could steamroll their way over Long Beach and do as they please. Our Council was proud to stand with our residents in opposition to this, and we are grateful to Governor Hochul for standing with us. We look forward to continuing to keep an open dialogue with her office about this, and many issues facing our residents.”

“We have been in close communication with the Governor’s office throughout this process and appreciate her willingness to listen to the community” said Long Beach City Council Vice President Elizabeth Treston. “We fully suppor the Governor’s renewable energy goals, including offshore wind, but this proposal and this company were wrong on just about every level. In case this veto doesn’t send a strong enough message to Equinor, I’ll take it a step further by calling on them to withdraw their proposal immediately.”

City Councilman Roy Lester added “Thank you Governor Hochul, for protecting our coastline and town. We knew we could depend on you to do the right thing.”

City Councilwoman Tina Posterli said “For a little under two years, Long Beach residents felt unheard, unseen, and uncared for by Equinor – who for their part made no attempts to bridge that divide. Today’s decision by Governor Hochul should be reassuring to all Long Beach residents: your voice matters. Our Council worked diligently, hand-in-hand with Governor Hochul to relay your concerns and ultimately deliver this result. Thank you, Governor Hochul for listening and putting communities first.”

City Councilwoman Karen McInnis said "I am grateful all voices have been heard and the process worked. Time to get back to focusing on how to minimize fossil fuel consumption via renewable energy sources that don’t adversely impact the community."