2013 Sound Guardian Awards Ceremony

NEW YORK – A time-tested coalition of leading conservationists, construction industry contractors and union labor organizations presented its 15th annual Sound Guardian Awards to a government official who has focused most of his career on advancing green initiatives to improve water quality and create jobs and a leading trade union with a stellar record of advancing environmental restoration projects. Thomas P. DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller, and James T. Callahan, General President of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), were honored at the Coalition’s awards ceremony at the Water Club in Manhattan. 

State Comptroller DiNapoli has been an environmental champion for Long Island Sound for decades.  During his 20 years with the New York State Assembly and, as Chairman of the Environmental Conservation Committee, he sponsored and helped enact ground-breaking legislation that promoted water quality. As State Comptroller, he has made promoted the restoration of water resources, most notably though thorough analyses of the unmet infrastructure needs facing New York.

A 32-year member of IUOE, Mr. Callahan was elected the General President in 2011.  Prior he had served as President and Business Manager of IUOE Local 15 in NYC since 2003.  IUOE has been a leader in training their members for safe work on hazardous waste remediation and other environmental projects, including projects that have benefitted water quality and created jobs throughout the region.  Most recently IUOE has been a leader in advocating for increased infrastructure funding and led the immediate relief efforts and obtaining necessary funds to over 500 IUOE members impacted by Superstorm Sandy, helping to jumpstart sustainable recovery efforts in the region. 

The Clean Water/Jobs Coalition presents the Sound Guardian Awards annually to outstanding public and private sector individuals and organizations who have made a difference in the protection, restoration and stewardship of the Sound. The awards ceremony held on June 13 was presented at a most appropriate location, the Water Club, which is perched on the shore of the East River in Manhattan.

The Coalition is a partnership of Audubon New York, the Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley, Inc., and the New York State Laborers. Formed in 1991, the Coalition has lobbied and advocated for funding for public works projects such as wastewater treatment plant upgrades that have helped revive the Sound’s habitat, made the Sound safer for recreation, and stimulated the local economy.

“The dedication and perseverance of these distinguished honorees to develop and implement creative solutions to improve water quality and keep New Yorkers working are exemplary,” said Erin Crotty, Executive Director of Audubon New York.  “Their actions have made it clear to the leaders in Washington and New York that Long Island Sound is an ecosystem not only critical for birds, marine life, and the people who live on its shores, but is a vital ecological and economic treasure that must be protected.”

Construction Industry Council President Ross J. Pepe said, “Born from initial contrasting views over public policy, the Clean Water/Jobs Coalition was created 22 years ago to fuse the strengths and best qualities of our group in order to champion pollution control, environmental improvements and restoration of our important habitats along this miraculous estuary we call Long Island Sound.”

James Melius, administrator of the New York State Laborers’ Tri Funds, said, “Our union members not only benefit from the jobs associated with these construction projects to clean up the Sound, many of them and their families also benefit from the cleaner water and recreational opportunities.”

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli said, “New York State’s coastal waters are a critical resource that supports jobs, world-class recreational opportunities and a unique way of life for countless New Yorkers,” “Having spent my lifetime near the North Shore, I have a special appreciation for the Long Island Sound.  I am greatly honored to be recognized by Audubon, New York and the Clean Water Jobs Coalition.” 

IUOE President James Callahan said, “I am honored to receive this award on behalf of our dedicated staff and members that have lead the way on many important clean water projects.  We are proud to be putting people to work assisting in the recovery of Long Island Sound and other waterways throughout this country, and applaud the work of the Clean Water Jobs Coalition for all their efforts to secure the necessary resources to undertake this important work.”

Long Island Sound contributes more than $8.5 billion annually to the region’s economy, and 10 percent (28 million people) of the nation’s entire population lives within 50 miles of its shores.  The restoration of its water quality and the protection of its shores has been the joint mission of the Clean Water/Jobs Coalition. 

This broad coalition has achieved many important milestones including passage of the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act, which established a stewardship initiative to identify, protect, and enhance significant open space, ecological and recreational sites along the Sound, and passage and reauthorization of the Long Island Sound Restoration Act which provides funding for projects to protect the water quality of the Sound through wastewater treatment plant upgrades, and projects to meet the goals of nitrogen reduction.

Through the work of the Coalition and others, the Sound has seen noticeable improvements in recent years, including the reopening of 2,500 acres of clamming beds in Hempstead Harbor that had been closed for nearly 40 years.  Though recent funding cuts to the program threaten to undermine the progress at improving the Sound’s health at a time when demand for projects is outpacing available funding by more than two-to-one.

Previous Sound Guardian Award recipients include Governor George E. Pataki, Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano, U.S. Representative Nita Lowey, U.S. Representative Christopher Shays, U.S. Representative Sherwood L. Boehlert, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, U.S. Representative James T. Walsh, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Erin Crotty, U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton, U.S. Representative Steve Israel, U.S. Representative Maurice Hinchey, U.S. Representative Tim Bishop, Christopher O. Ward as Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis, the New York State Laborers, Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley President Ross J. Pepe, CEO Carl Petrillo of Yonkers Contracting Company Inc., U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens, NYC DEP Commissioner Carter Strickland, and the organization Skanska Northeast.

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