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Push to ban energy drink marketing

Jul
30
2013

Dr. William Spencer, Chairman of the Suffolk County Health Committee, is headed to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to testify about the dangers of energy drinks and to press for a ban on marketing the drinks to minors.

A law passed in Suffolk County restricts the sale of energy drinks in parks and prevents companies from couponing and marketing towards teenagers.

"(In doctors' offices) we've seen an increase of 10-fold over ten years with children with issues (related to the consumption of energy drinks.) If it is too much caffeine they come in anxious, heart racing and for children with heart issues this is life threatening, said Dr. Spencer.

Spencer adds that the $9B energy drink industry is advertising these drinks...| read more ››

Suffolk County enacts stricter standards for installing and maintaing backyard pools

Jul
18
2013

Legislation requiring new standards for those who install and maintain residential pools and spas and mandating stiffer penalties for those who break those regulations was signed into law Wednesday by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone.

Bellone was joined with Legis. William Spencer (D-Centerport) at a Halesite home to announce the county’s pool safety and consumer protection program, which include two resolutions passed by the county legislature in April.

“This represents a great model for how we should be operating in government: A partnership between industry and government to come up with commonsense regulations that help protect the safety and the health and welfare of constituents,” Bellone said.

The law will create a registry for pool maintenance businesses and expand the...| read more ››

Northport Sewage Plant Gets $1.5M for Upgrade

Jun
21
2013

Northport Harbor should see less red tide after the village sewage treatment plant completes its upgrade (Daniel Barcelona)

Northport village has received a $1.5 million grant to fund federally mandated upgrades to its 83-year-old sewage treatment plant that has been blamed for causing red tide in Northport and Centerport harbors.

Local lawmakers and environmentalists touted the New York State funding that will go toward an estimated $10-million renovation project that the Environmental Protection Agency has required be completed by 2014, although it is unclear if Suffolk County will fund the rest.

“Our water quality has been a significant issue in Northport, and upgrading our sewer treatment facility is a big piece of the puzzle,” Suffolk County Legis. Dr. William Spencer...| read more ››

Nassau, Suffolk seek to create aquifer council

Jun
21
2013

Legislators in Suffolk and Nassau counties want to create a regional council focused on protecting the drinking water supplies for more than 2.8 million Long Islanders.

A resolution to create the Long Island Commission for Aquifer Protection was introduced in the Suffolk County Legislature on Tuesday, sponsored by Democrats. A similar piece of legislation is expected to be introduced to committee July 1 in Nassau County, sponsored by the Republican majority.

Legislators and advocates want to create a commission because currently no central agency monitors the water supply and recent reports show that the quality of the water in some areas has degraded.

MORE: Special series: The Future of Long Island -- Environment

PHOTOS: If sea levels rise on LI...| read more ››

Northport gets $1.5M grant for sewer plant

Jun
21
2013

Waves from Long Island Sound, roiled by Hurricane Sandy photos in Huntington A demolished boardwalk at Field 5 at Robert Long Island destruction immediately after Sandy The Village of Northport is located in the Northport photos

Freeport was one of the areas on Long Sandy coverage by town

The Village of Northport has received a $1.5 million state grant to help pay for its sewage treatment plant.

Legis. William Spencer (D-Centerport) obtained the grant by working with county and state legislators. The village has also applied for an additional $7.5 million grant from the county, which would pay for the remaining cost of the $9 million project.

"The money involved in upgrading this plant is the biggest hurdle," said Northport...| read more ››

AMA: Stop marketing energy drinks to minors

Jun
20
2013

The American Medical Association has endorsed a ban on marketing energy drinks to minors, citing Suffolk County's action on the issue as an influence.

Leaders of the lobbying group, which represents 225,000 physicians nationwide, adopted the resolution Tuesday at its twice-annual policy meeting in Chicago. The resolution notes that Suffolk's board of health last year urged county lawmakers to prohibit the sale of the caffeine and stimulant-loaded beverages to people younger than 19. The association pointed to health dangers such as "elevated heart rates, high blood pressure and possible death."

"Banning companies from marketing these products to adolescents is a common-sense action that we can take to protect the health of American kids," AMA board member Alexander Ding said.

BLOG:...| read more ››

Town OKs $1.5M for Cold Spring Harbor land

Jun
6
2013

The public-private partnership working to buy and preserve 28 acres in Cold Spring Harbor took a step forward this week, after the Huntington Town Board authorized spending up to $1.5 million for its share of the bill.

Huntington, Suffolk County and the Old Westbury-based North Shore Land Alliance want to buy 28 acres of the DeForest Williams estate for about $6 million. Under the current plan, the alliance and town would each pay 25 percent of the property's purchase price and Suffolk would pay the rest.

"This significant coastal woodland property has been on the town's potential acquisition list for many years," Town Supervisor Frank Petrone said in a statement. The land sits above Cold Spring Harbor and consists of...| read more ››

Bellone signs bills to curb energy drinks

Apr
19
2013

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone Friday signed two bills to limit the availability of energy drinks to minors, making the county among the first in the nation to regulate the popular caffeinated products.

The measures, approved by the county legislature last month, ban the sale or distribution of energy drinks to people younger than 18 at county parks and beaches and prohibit the mailing of free samples and coupons to minors.

Beverage industry lobbyists had pressured Bellone to veto the measures, arguing that they unfairly targeted safe products that have less caffeine than similar-sized coffees. But health advocates, including the measures' sponsor, Legis. William Spencer (D-Centerport), said research shows that drinking more than recommended amounts of the drinks can lead...| read more ››

New Legislation Prohibits Suffolk Kids From Purchasing Energy Drinks

Mar
21
2013

Despite fierce resistance by the beverage industry, Suffolk lawmakers Tuesday night approved three bills, sponsored by Legis. William Spencer (D-Centerport) that will prohibit the sale of energy drinks to kids under 18 at county parks and beaches.

The legislation, that Spencer is calling the “nation's first comprehensive energy/stimulant education and protection plan,” would also limit direct marketing efforts of these products to minors.

The ban on the sale of energy drinks at county parks and beaches passed 11-4, with several abstentions; the ban on marketing the drinks to minors through coupons and free-samples passed 16-0; and a measure that encourages local students to submit videos about the alleged health dangers of the drinks was approved 14-1.

“Far too many people...| read more ››

Suffolk Limits Energy Drinks for Kids

Mar
20
2013

Suffolk lawmakers are trying their hardest to keep energy drinks like Red Bull out of the hands of minors.

Red Bull may give you wings, but the energy drink companies’ attempts to reach minors may soon be grounded on the eastern half of Long Island.

Suffolk County lawmakers approved three controversial bills Tuesday aimed at keeping energy drinks out of the hands of minors, citing health concerns, over objections of beverage industry lobbyists who called it unfair. County Executive Steve Bellone has not signaled whether he will sign the bills into law.

The proposals include legislation prohibiting the sale and distribution of energy drinks to minors at county parks, prohibiting energy drink companies from mailing energy drink coupons and free...| read more ››

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