>> HELLO, AND WELCOME TO

"METROFOCUS."

I'M RAPHAEL P. RAMON.

IT WILL BE A STORMY NIGHT FOR

THOUSANDS AS HURRICANE MICHAEL

MOVES NORTH.

IT'S BEEN OVER 100 YEARS SINCE A

HURRICANE OF MICHAEL'S STRENGTH

HAS MADE LANDFALL ON THE FLORIDA

PANHANDLE AND ONLY THE THIRD

HURRICANE TO HIT THE PANHANDLE

SINCE THE 1950s.

THE DAMAGE OF WHAT IS EXPECTED

TO BE A STORM SURGE IN MICHAEL'S

WAKE WILL BE DETERMINED IN THE

COMING HOURS.

HURRICANE MICHAEL HITS JUST DAYS

AFTER THE OTHER UNITED NATIONS

RELEASED AID DIRE PREDICTION.

ON MONDAY THE WORLD'S BODY INTER

GOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE

CHANGE SHARED ITS RECENT

FINDINGS THAT WARNED THAT UNLESS

IMMEDIATE CHANGES GO INTO EFFECT

ACROSS THE GLOBE, THE WORLD WILL

SEE FOOD SHORTAGES, COASTAL

FLOODING, WORSENING WILDFIRES

AND A MASS DIE OFF OF OUR CORAL

REEFS BY 2040.

ITS A AUTHORIZES WARNED ALL OF

US MAY, QUOTE, MAY REACH RAPID

IN FAR REACHES IN ORDER TO SAVE

THE PLANET.

THE NEW YORK LEAGUE OF

CONSERVATION VOTERS CONSIDERS

THE ENVIRONMENT A PARAMOUNT

ISSUE WHEN ENTERING THE VOTING

BOOTH.

PERIL AND PROMISE, THE CHALLENGE

OF CLIMATE CHANGE, JACK FORD

RECENTLY SPOKE WITH THE LEAGUE'S

PRESIDENT MARCY A BISTRAND.

HE BEGAN BY ASKING ABOUT HER

ORGANIZATION.

>> IT'S AN ORGANIZATION THAT'S

BEEN AROUND ABOUT 25 YEARS.

AND IT'S A STATEWIDE

ORGANIZATION, SO WE'RE INVOLVED

ACROSS THE STATE.

AND WE WORK TO ELECT STRONG

CANDIDATES ON THE ENVIRONMENT.

WE HAVE AN ADVOCACY AGENDA.

WE WORK TO SUPPORT PEOPLE WHO

MOVE THAT AGENDA FORWARD.

>> AS I SAID IN THE

INTRODUCTION, NONPARTISAN?

>> NONPARTISAN.

>> SO, HOW, THEN, DO YOU -- AND

I'M GOING TO GET TO SOME ISSUES

IN A SECOND.

BUT TAKE ME THROUGH THE PROCESS,

THEN, OF IDENTIFYING CANDIDATES,

OF QUESTIONING CANDIDATES, AND

THEN ULTIMATELY AN ORGANIZATION

SAYING THIS IS SOMEBODY THAT WE

CAN GET BEHIND?

>> WE HAVE A VERY TRANSPARENT

PROCESS.

I THINK THAT IS EXTREMELY

IMPORTANT ON ISSUES LIKE THIS.

EVERY YEAR -- LET'S JUST TAKE

THE STATE LEGISLATURE.

EVERY YEAR WE LAYOUT WHAT OUR

AGENDA IS FOR THE LEGISLATURE.

WE ADVOCATE FOR IT.

WE TRACK PERFORMANCE OF THE

LEGISLATORS ON THAT AGENDA.

WE ISSUE A SCORE CARD AT THE END

OF THE SESSION THAT RANKS THE

LEGISLATORS ON THE BASIS OF

WHETHER THEY ADVANCE THAT AGENDA

OR NOT.

THEY SUBMIT A QUESTIONNAIRE IF

THEY WANT OUR ENDORSEMENT.

WE LOOK AT THE QUESTIONNAIRE.

WE MEET WITH THEM.

WE INTERVIEW THEM.

AND ON THE BASIS OF ALL OF THAT,

OUR BOARD DECIDES WHETHER

THEY'RE GOING TO ENDORSE THEM OR

NOT.

AND WE ENDORSE CANDIDATES.

AND THEN THERE IS ANOTHER LEVEL

OF THE UNIVERSE OF CANDIDATES WE

ENDORSE, A SUBSET WE INVEST IN.

IN OTHER WORDS, WE HAVE A PAC AS

WELL.

>> OKAY.

LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME ISSUES

THAT ARE OUT THERE.

>> SURE.

>> THAT IMPACT FOLKS WHO LIVE IN

THIS AREA.

WE'VE SEEN THE NOTION OF BANNING

PLASTIC BAGS, SORT OF BATTED

ABOUT IN THE POLITICAL ARENA.

WHAT'S YOUR THOUGHT ON THAT AND

HOW IT SHOULD BE HANDLED?

>> WELL, I DON'T THINK SAM AND

THE LEAGUE ADVOCATED FOR THIS,

OF PUTTING A FEE ON BAGS.

NOT BANNING THEM, BUT PUTTING A

FEE ON BOTH PLASTIC AND PAPER

BAGS.

THIS IS SOMETHING THEY DO IN

LONDON, THEY DO IN PARIS, THEY

DO IT IN MONTREAL AND SUFFOLK

COUNTY.

WHAT IT IS, IT MAKES CONSUMERS

THINK BEFORE THEY ASK FOR A BAG.

IT IS A WAY OF MINIMIZING THE

WASTE, NOT ONLY WE HAVE TO

DISPOSE OF, BUT THE COST, FOR

EXAMPLE, TO THE CITY OF MANAGING

THAT WASTE.

>> AND THE FEE WOULD GO WHERE?

>> THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TRICKY

THINGS ABOUT NEW YORK STATE.

IF WE CAN GET THE STATE TO PASS

THIS, THEN THE MONEY COULD BE

USED FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL

PROTECTION FUND.

IF THE CITY DOES IT ALONE AND

THE PAC WILL PASS LEGISLATION

ALONG THESE LINES, THE MONEY

WILL HAVE TO GO TO THE RETAILER

BECAUSE NEW YORK STATE WOULD

CONSIDER THAT TAXING WITHOUT

GOING THROUGH --

>> IT WOULD STILL HAVE THE

IMPACT THAT YOU WANT, WHICH IS

TO MAKE PEOPLE THINK.

>> EXACTLY.

ONCE AGAIN, MOST OF THE WORLD

THAT WE TRAVEL IN DOES THIS

ALREADY.

>> WHAT DO YOU THINK THE

PROSPECT IS FOR THAT BEING --

>> IT'S GOING TO DEPEND ON WHAT

THE GOVERNOR DECIDES, QUITE

FRANKLY.

YOU KNOW, NEXT YEAR IS AN

INTERESTING YEAR IN ALBANY,

RIGHT?

THE ODDS ARE THAT THE GOVERNOR

WILL BE GOVERNOR AGAIN -- I'M

NOT PREDICTING, BUT THOSE ARE

THE ODDS.

BUT WHO IS GOING TO CONTROL THE

LEGISLATURE?

WHO IS GOING TO CONTROL THE

SENATE?

SO I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO NEED

STRONG LEADERSHIP.

AND I KNOW THE LEAGUE IS GOING

TO BE PUSHING THIS ALONG WITH A

HOST OF OTHER THINGS.

>> WE TALKED ABOUT ANOTHER ISSUE

THAT GETS A LOT OF ATTENTION

BECAUSE IT POPS UP PERIODICALLY

AND THAT'S THE IDEA OF

CONGESTION PRICING IN THIS CITY.

WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON THAT?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW,

TRANSPORTATION IS AN

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE.

IT'S AN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE

BECAUSE OF EMISSIONS THAT COME

OFF OF CARS.

AND AS WE ALL KNOW, THE MTA IS

POORLY FUNDED AND CONGESTION

PRICING IS A WAY IN WHICH WE CAN

RAISE MONEY FOR THE MTA AND AT

THE SAME TIME MINIMIZE TRAFFIC

CONGESTION.

WE SUPPORT IT.

>> YOU DO?

WHAT DO YOU THINK PROSPECTS ARE?

>> I THINK THAT THE GOVERNOR HAS

TO DO SOMETHING WITH THE MTA.

I THINK HE'S UNDER SO MUCH

ATTACK ON THIS RIGHT NOW.

YOU KNOW, PART OF HIS IMAGE IS

THE CAN-DO INFRASTRUCTURE GUY,

RIGHT?

THE TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE, LAGUARDIA

AIRPORT.

THE FACT HE APPEARS TO BE

FAILING ON MASS TRANSIT IS

SOMETHING I DON'T THINK HE'S

GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET AWAY

WITH ANY LONGER.

SO I THINK THERE WILL BE A STEP.

>> WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE TO

OUR VIEWERS WHO ARE WATCHING,

LISTENING TO THIS CONVERSATION,

WELL, THE GOVERNMENT HAS TO DO

ALL THIS STUFF?

WHAT KIND OF ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE

TO PRIVATE CITIZENS, THINGS WE

CAN DO?

>> I'M NOT GOING TO SAY WHAT YOU

EXPECT MOW TO SAY.

ALL GOOD THINGS, TURN OFF YOUR

LIGHTS, THAT KIND OF THING.

IT'S POLITICS.

YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU

CARE FOR.

YOU HAVE TO FIND OUT WHAT'S

GOING ON WITH GOVERNMENT, WITH

YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AND GET

INVOLVED.

THAT'S WHAT THEY SHOULD DO.

CHECK OUR WEBSITE, WWW.NYL.TV.

>> IT IS A PLEASURE TALKING TO

YOU, GETTING A SENSE OF WHAT

YOU'RE DOING.

WE'LL CONTINUE TO TALK WITH YOU

DOWN THE ROAD AS ALL OF THESE

ISSUES CONTINUE TO PERCOLATE.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

>> THANKS FOR JOINING US.

>> SURE T' BEEN FUN.

THANKS.