Cornell University
PAE-24: Sustainability Policy Advocacy

1. New York State Clean Water policy
Cornell Extension and research faculty provided testimony for the Hearing on Clean Water conducted by the New York State Senate Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation. This testimony also was made available on public Web sites.

2. Federal climate briefings
Cornell Cooperative Extension contributed to a series of policy briefings for U.S. House and Senate members on sustainability themes, including natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale, climate change and agriculture, cap-and-trade and other policy responses to climate change, and emerging carbon sequestration technologies, including geologic sequestration and biochar. Providing science-based information on sustainable agriculture and land use, climate change mitigation and adaptation, was the focus of the series. Development of the briefings was lead by Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station on behalf of the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future.

3. Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement on hydrofracturing of gas-bearing shale formations
Cornell University faculty, including Extension faculty, submitted written input to New York State on the Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement on hydrofracturing of gas-bearing shale formations. The documents submitted were made available for the public on several websites, including the Cornell Cooperative Extension Natural Gas Development pages (http://cce.cornell.edu/EnergyClimateChange/NaturalGasDev/Pages/MarcellusShaletheEnvironment.aspx) and the NYS Water Resources Institute pages (http://wri.eas.cornell.edu/).

4. Service on state and federal partner advisory bodies
Extension faculty represent Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences on the New York State Soil and Water Conservation Committee, bringing research-based input to conservation practices and implementation from campus research and Cornell Cooperative Extension educators working with agricultural producers and related constituents and participating in review of applications for conservation funding.

Extension faculty from Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences serve on the USDA – Natural Resources Conservation Services Technical Committee (New York State), providing input on national and state conservation practices and implementation.

Cornell Extension faculty served on the former New York State Task Force on Invasive Species and currently serve on its successor, the New York State Invasive Species Council, providing input for development of state-wide plans to monitor, prevent, and control invasive species threatening New York State resources. The Council is hosted by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

County-based Cornell Cooperative Extension educators serve on local committees such as county water quality coordinating committees, emergency response teams, Farm Bureau boards, and environmental management councils, bringing research-based input and stakeholder concerns to decision making.

5. Local energy policy: influencing what local governments are doing
Energy issues particularly relevant to upstate New York include the broad issue of energy transitions which includes both energy conservation and renewable energy and the role of existing and emerging energy production scenarios. Cornell Cooperative Extension Associations are working with municipalities on the many variables including public and private decisions, the land use base, technology, costs, greenhouse gas emissions, workforce development, and transportation options. The possibility of natural gas development in the Marcellus Shale has led to a broader discussion of how we responsibly meet the energy needs of our communities.