Agency focus: New York state Department of Environmental Conservation

All across the country, states are dealing with mounting concerns about water quality and the impact of climate change, such as increasingly common natural disasters in recent years. In New York, the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s mission is to conserve and protect the state’s natural resources and environment while combating water, land and air pollution.

It’s no small task. For example, New York is the home to Adirondack Park, the largest publicly protected area in the continental U.S.

And in the last few years, the state has taken momentous steps – banning high-volume hydraulic fracturing, moving toward greater reliance on green energy and dealing with fallout of the high-profile water contamination at Hoosick Falls – which have put the state agency at the forefront of several high-profile political discussions. Just this past summer, Gov. Andrew Cuomo set an ambitious target to generate 50 percent of the state’s electricity from renewable energy by 2030.

In this section, City & State takes a close look at the environmental issues facing the state with a Q&A with DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos, an infographic displaying the state’s superfund sites and an analysis of the DEC’s budget and finances.

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