NEWS RELEASE
On Annual Earth Day Advocacy Day Advocates Call for Action to Protect People and the Planet
Advocates Urge Legislators to Take Action on Priority Superbills Including: Lead Pipe Replacement Act, Beauty Justice Act, Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act, Ban on PFAS in Consumer Products, Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power Act
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 22, 2026
CONTACT: Jasmine Phillip, Clean+Healthy, jasmine@cleanhealthyny.org
Albany, NY - Today, advocates took to the Capitol for their annual Earth Day Advocacy Day; in honor of the 56th anniversary of Earth Day. This year, Earth Day priorities align with a new slate of five “Superbills” which will be given extra weight in scorecards issued by Environmental Advocates NY and the NY League of Conservation Voters. Over 100 advocates met with 43 legislative offices to urge rapid passage of these top priorities: the Beauty Justice Act, the Ban on PFAS in Consumer Products, the Lead Pipe Replacement Act, the Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act, and the Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power (ASAP) Act.
"The path to affordability is embracing renewable energy and forward-looking policies like the Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act,” said Environmental Conservation Committee Chair, Senator Harckham. These solutions lower costs, create jobs, and protect public health. At a time when federal leadership is stepping back from environmental action, New York must lead the way and show what effective policies can really do. Thank you to my colleagues for their legislative contributions and Clean + Healthy for pushing this critical work forward.”
The morning program included remarks by Environmental Conservation Committee Chairs, and Earth Day Advocacy Day Sponsors, Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Deborah Glick. They spoke about why it is important for lead to finally be addressed in our pipes that bring us drinking water, PFAS and other toxic chemicals to be removed from our personal care and consumer products, for New York to have a waste management system that puts responsibility on the companies that exacerbate our waste problem rather than on taxpayers, and for making clean energy to be more accessible.
This year’s Earth Day emphasizes the growing need for states to take the lead in protecting public health and the environment. New York must do just that by advancing legislation that addresses everyday exposures to harmful chemicals that damage our communities, including these critically important Superbills,” said Environmental Conservation Committee Chair, Assemblymember Deborah Glick. “As the sponsor of the Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act, the Beauty Justice Act, and the ban on PFAS in consumer products bill, I am committed to seeing these important bills be passed and signed into law this year. I look forward to working with my colleagues in and outside of government to move these and other measures forward and ensure that New Yorkers live in a clean and safe environment.
During the press conference, Environmental Conservation Committee Chair, Assemblymember Glick joined the conversation again along with other legislators like Senator Rachel May, Assemblymember Amy Paulin, and 100+ advocates, all raising their voices to bring attention to this year's Earth Day “Superbills.” With environmental protections at the federal level under attack, this year, advocates highlighted the urgency of New York State's leadership taking on the responsibility of protecting their constituents.
"This year's Earth Day theme is 'Our Power, Our Planet'," said Sophia Longsworth, Toxic Policy Director for Clean+Healthy and coordinator of Earth Day Advocacy Day. "Our planet is suffering because of the toxic chemicals that continuously go unregulated in the products we use every day. Our power is our voice and that's why we are at the Capitol today to fight for the health of our planet, our families, and our future. Every year we are thrilled to join our partners to put on Earth Day Advocacy Day. This year's Superbills allow New York a great opportunity to continue to lead the nation in environmental policy."
The Beauty Justice Act S.2057B (Webb) / A.2054B (Glick)bans the toxic chemicals from personal care products that are sold in New York, while advancing environmental justice.
“Right now, with no label or warning, New Yorkers are purchasing personal care products such as soap, shampoo, makeup, and other items containing toxic chemicals linked to serious health risks. Additionally, these products are often marketed disproportionately towards marginalized communities. The Beauty Justice Act is a long-overdue step towards protecting our health and advancing environmental justice efforts in New York,” said State Senator Lea Webb. “People can’t protect themselves from what they can’t see. My bill would end the silent harm caused by chemicals in products marketed to us that we use every day by requiring companies to disclose their full ingredients.”
Across the country, products like shampoo, body lotions, make up, ect. cantain toxic chemicals that cause irreversible conditions like infertility, asthma, cancer, and more. Many of the most harmful products are disproportionately marketed to people of color.
“Phthalates. Parabens. PFAS—so-called ‘forever chemicals.’ These are not abstract terms—they are ingredients found in everyday beauty products used by women every single day,” said Debra Hare-Bey, Natural Hair Braiding Coalition. “This is not beauty, this is harm. Science links these chemicals to hormone disruption, infertility, and cancer, yet these products including synthetic hair continue to be sold under a false narrative of care— a bait and switch of sorts. Standing with over two dozen organizations across New York State in support of the Beauty Justice Act, we are calling for transparency and accountability."
"The Beauty Justice Act is fair for businesses to comply with. Many large retailers already sell safer versions of the same personal care or cosmetic product to European Union consumers while trying to make a quick buck off of U.S. consumers by selling unsafe formulations. We're not asking for the gold clean standard in our personal care and beauty products, we're asking companies to not intentionally add toxins to them," explained Briana Carbajal, State Legislative Manager at WE ACT for Environmental Justice. "Safety is very affordable for retailers in an industry where profit margins are extremely high. The Beauty Justice Act is also an opportunity for small businesses to thrive because many already use safer ingredients in their products. This bill is a win for our environment and environmental justice communities across New York State."
The Beauty Justice Act passed the Senate last year, and is awaiting another vote on the Senate floor; it is currently in the Ways & Means committee in the Assembly.
Research continues to show that PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals”, are harmful to our health and environment. These forever chemicals have been known to cause reproductive harm, endocrine disruption, cancer, and more. The Ban on PFAS in Consumer Products S.9073A (Harckham) / A.7738A (Glick)bans PFAS in everyday products like rugs, textiles, cleaning supplies, fabric treatments, ski waxes, cookware, dental floss, architectural paints. This bill is currently in the Codes Committee in the Assembly and has already passed the Senate.
"Everyday more and more studies prove the argument that NO level of PFAS exposure is safe. These bioaccumulative "forever chemicals" are linked to severe health risks, including reproductive challenges, developmental delays in children, compromised immune function, elevated cholesterol, obesity, and cancer,” said Jennifer Rawlison, Newburgh Clean Water Project. “Now, more than ever, is the time for our NYS lawmakers to follow the science and heed the call from healthcare advocates to protect communities across the state. No New Yorker should live in fear that their tap water or everyday household products are tainted with toxic PFAS chemicals. Families like mine living in the City of Newburgh and having already endured decades of extreme contamination from the Stewart Air National Guard Base, should not be forced to shoulder the added burden of further exposure from consumer goods—a risk that our lawmakers can and must prevent through decisive legislation."
As of now, California, Maryland, and Washington have stepped up to protect their consumers by banning more chemicals than the federal government. New York could be the next state to set a new standard for the rest of the country to ensure that safe products are made available to consumers.
"This year Earth Day has renewed importance in light of all the federal environmental rollbacks that are threatening our climate, drinking water, and the air we breathe,” said Kate Donovan, Director, Northeast Environmental Health at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). “Many environmental priorities have languished in the legislature over the years, and this is the year to change that course. Legislators must pass S.9073A/A.7738A, which bans intentionally added PFAS found in common household products. This important policy will not only protect from exposures to these toxic chemicals in our homes but will help alleviate the drinking contamination crisis that is costing the state billions in clean up and deferred health care costs.”
Across the state, millions of New Yorkers are exposed to lead, a neurotoxin, through lead service lines, contaminating our drinking water. The Lead Pipe Replacement Act S.6892 (Rivera)/ A.7878 (Paulin), would replace all lead pipe service lines in New York State by November 1, 2037.
“Lead pipes pose a serious threat to drinking water and can cause severe, often irreversible harm to children. This bill addresses the urgent public health emergency posed by lead service lines and affirms the state’s responsibility to remove them with urgency,” said bill sponsor State Senator Gustavo Rivera. “On this Earth Day, I call on my colleagues in the Legislature to pass this bill so that we enforce our constitutional duty to eliminate toxic infrastructure, protect communities from lead contamination, and ensure New Yorkers have access to clean water once and for all."
"Yes, lead is still a “thing”. New York State is number one in the country for childhood lead poisoning cases. My son, Cooper, was diagnosed with lead poisoning when he was 9 months old,” said Shannon Burkett, lead poison affected advocate. “He has had to live with multiple side effects from his lead exposure as a baby including anemia, asthma, and the worst case of PICA our pediatrician has seen in her 20-year history. The GERD and pain in his stomach became so bad that he barely ate and became “failure to thrive”. His short-term memory loss, processing issues, and difficulty regulating his emotions still haunt him today. Lead exposure is 100% preventable. We can end this. I call upon Governor Hochul and the NYS legislature to pass the bills proposed so we can lead this state, this country, and the world in ending childhood lead poisoning."
The Lead Pipe Replacement Act is currently in the Health Committee in both the Senate and Assembly.
Roughly 30% of American waste and 11% of climate emissions come from packaging. A lot of that packaging is made with toxic chemicals and materials. The Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act S.1464 (Harckham) / A.1749 (Glick) shifts financial responsibility from municipalities to the companies that produce the packaging in the first place.
The bill creates incentives for companies to reduce packaging and develop infrastructure for reusable packaging. It also bans key toxic chemicals like: PVC, formaldehyde, BPA, heavy metals, and more.
“This Earth Day, we’re calling on New York to pass a group of priority bills that will reduce waste, expand clean, renewable energy, reduce our exposure to toxic chemicals in products, and get lead out of our drinking water,” said Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director at Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE). “The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act will not only reduce packaging waste and help address New York’s solid waste crisis, it will save taxpayers and local governments hundreds of millions of dollars every year. As the federal government continues to abandon its responsibility to protect our health and environment, New York can stand up as a national leader by passing these critical bills into law. The Earth needs us to stand up and fight to protect our environment and our health. That is what we are doing once again!”
The Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act is in the Environmental Conservation Committee in the Senate and is awaiting a floor debate in the Assembly.
New York’s clean energy plan must expand to combat the growing concern of climate change. The Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power Act (ASAP ACT) S.6570A (Harckham) / A.8758A (Barrett) increases the State’s distributed solar goal, streamlines regulations and improves the interconnection process for distributed solar, and continues the NY-SUN program.
The ASAP Act is in the Energy & Telecommunications Committee in the Senate and the Environmental Conservation Committee Assembly.
Earth Day is a reminder that protecting our environment is inseparable from protecting our health, and with the federal government working to dismantle decades of environmental protections, it is critical that New York steps up to fill the void,” Said Alisha Deen-Steindler, Legislative Advocate, New York League of Conservation Voters. “From replacing lead pipes and banning dangerous ‘forever chemicals,’ to reducing waste and accelerating affordable solar, this package of Superbills is exactly the kind of bold action we need, and we urge the Legislature to act with urgency and pass these measures to safeguard New Yorkers today and for generations to come.
EARTH DAY ADVOCACY DAY QUOTE SHEET:
“Earth Day is a reminder that from toxic chemicals in everyday products to dangerous lead in our drinking water, too many New Yorkers are still exposed to preventable harms,” said Vanessa Fajans-Turner, Executive Director at Environmental Advocates NY. “Our priority Superbills are practical and proven responses to real dangers, which will protect children and families, advance environmental justice, and hold polluters accountable. By passing them, the Legislature can deliver us a safer, healthier future.”
“A strong economy depends on a healthy environment and citizenry. The 2026 Earth Day Superbills stand to protect the climate, improve water quality, reduce toxic chemicals, and reduce packaging waste,” said Bob Rossi, Executive Director of the New York Sustainable Business Council. “These measures would drive innovation and strengthen local economies by safeguarding New Yorkers. Our business leaders call on the State Legislature to take action now.”
"Earth Day is an amazing opportunity to prioritize public health policies that improve environmental health for New Yorkers," said Charles Moon MD, FAAP, Environmental Health & Climate Change Policy Coordinator for the New York State American Academy of Pediatrics. "These bills will help reduce toxic chemicals exposures, take lead out of our communities, and reduce plastic pollution. The ASAP Act is an important step forward in continuing to decarbonize our society, improve energy affordability and security, and helps us continue to build more resilient and healthy communities. This legislation will improve child health and we urge the legislature to send a strong message by passing them in their Earth Day package."
“This Earth Day, NY legislators can honor Mother Earth by passing legislation that advances gender justice while making New York residents safer and healthier,” said Debra Erenberg, Co-Executive Director of Weaving Voices for Health & Justice. “It’s a perfect day to pass the Beauty Justice Act, eliminating harmful chemicals from personal care products, and the Ban on PFAS in Consumer Products, which would ensure that cookware, cleaning supplies and other products sold in NY do not contain toxic forever chemicals.”
“New Yorkers are exposed to toxic 'forever chemicals', like PFAS, each and every day, and in ways that most people don't even realize," said Caitlin Ferrante, Conservation Program Manager, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter. "This Earth Day, it is essential that New York lawmakers address this contamination crisis by advancing key environmental 'Super Bills'. By banning harmful chemicals from the products we use each day, we will be taking these now ubiquitous toxins out of our environment, improving public health and reducing the costs associated with downstream pollution (like contaminated sewage sludge, tainted drinking water, etc). The Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter urges passage of these environmental ‘Super Bills’ on Earth Day."
“On Earth Day, New York faces a clear choice: keep accepting environmental and public health crises, or meet the moment with strong, forward-looking solutions,” said Rob Hayes, Senior Director of Clean Water for Environmental Advocates NY. “Our Superbills lay out a commonsense path to protect families, lower costs, and build healthier communities — but only if the Legislature acts. We urge the Senate and Assembly to include in their Earth Day packages bills like the Lead Pipe Replacement Act, which will make sure New York gets the lead out of drinking water affordably, equitably, and efficiently."
“New York cannot landfill its way out of a waste crisis that is actively harming communities like ours in the Finger Lakes,” said Yvonne Taylor, Co-Founder and Vice President of Seneca Lake Guardian. “The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act is a critical step toward holding corporations accountable for the waste they create, while reducing the toxic burden on communities that have been treated as our state’s dumping grounds for far too long. By cutting waste at the source and investing in a more circular system, PRRIA will protect public health, reduce pollution, and move New York toward a more sustainable future.”
"The PRRIA is a big first step to stopping more plastic pollution in our environment. ADK is proud to be supporting this important legislation and the suite of bills on this Earth Day of Action," said Cortney Koenig Worrall, ADK Executive Director. "Addressing climate change as quickly and efficiently as possible is an urgent need. The goals of the ASAP Act to expand distributed solar capacity in NY are critical as we race against the clock to help slow down the warming planet."
"We are all breathing in and swallowing small shards of plastics, which is negatively affecting our health,” said Judith Enck, former EPA Regional Administrator and President of Beyond Plastics. “The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act will protect our health and save millions in tax dollars by requiring big companies to use less packaging and banning the most toxic chemicals used in packaging. It is imperative that this bill be adopted before this legislative session adjourns."
“This Earth Day, we’re using the power of the people in Albany to call on the Legislature to pass the Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act,” said Claudia Braymer, Executive Director of Protect the Adirondacks! Inc. “The Adirondack Park is counting on State Legislators to advance meaningful legislation that will reduce climate pollution that is threatening the park’s air, lands, waters and cultural resources. We urgently need action to make measurable reductions in plastic packaging, plastic waste, and carbon emissions.”
“We urge the Assembly to pass the ban on PFAS in consumer products, as these 'forever chemicals' threaten the environment and people’s health,” said Jeremy Cherson, Associate Director of Government Affairs for Riverkeeper. “We also call for the final passage of the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act this session, despite industry efforts to muddy the waters and delay. At a time when the federal government is repealing environmental protections and blocking clean energy, these Earth Day Superbills offer a path for New York to lead and create a healthier, more affordable future.”
“We are producing more packaging than our ecosystems and our bodies can handle. Much of this packaging is plastic, which ends up polluting our communities and our oceans, maiming sea creatures and shedding microplastics that enter commercial seafood species and contaminate our food chain,” said David Ansel, Vice President of the Center for Water Protection at Save the Sound. “We are all exposed to toxic chemicals that leach out of packaging into the products we buy. The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act would ban some of the most toxic chemicals from packaging and demand that big producers reduce their packaging by 30% over 12 years and pay for the disposal of the remaining packaging. This is a common-sense step to creating a healthier, more circular economy and protecting our water resources."
"ACE NY thanks all the elected officials across the great state of New York who remain committed to our environment and making New York a healthier place for us and for future generations to call home,” said Marguerite Wells, Executive Director at the Alliance for Clean Energy New York. “We know the ASAP Act advances this mission by accelerating our transition away from fossil fuels and utilizing more solar power, a technology New York is already using with great success."
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THANK YOU TO OUR EARTH DAY ADVOCACY DAY SPONSORS:
Adirondack Council, Adirondack Mountain Club, Alliance for Clean Energy (ACE), Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE), Beyond Plastics, Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester (BCCR), Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE), Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning, Earthjustice, Environmental Advocates New York (EANY), JustGreen Partnership (JGP), Lead-Free Kids NY (LFKNY), Newburgh Clean Water Project, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), New York Sustainable Business Council (NYSBC), NY League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV), NYS American Academy of Pediatrics (NYSAAP), Protect the Adirondacks, Richman Law & Policy, Riverkeeper, Save the Sound, Seneca Lake Guardian, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, Waterfront Alliance, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Weaving Voices for Health & Justice.
Please note: This is a slate of issues collectively identified by sponsors of Earth Day Advocacy Day 2026 as representing a wide swath of the key environmental, environmental justice, and environmental health issues facing New York State. Not all coalition partners have taken positions on every bill including on this slate. Please reach out to individual organization for their position/s
