DEC Mission and Issue Priorities
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) was created on July 1,1970 to bring together in a single agency all state programs directed toward protecting and enhancing the environment.
DEC Mission
"The quality of our environment is fundamental to our concern for the quality of life. It is hereby declared to be the policy of the State of New York to conserve, improve and protect its natural resources and environment and to prevent, abate and control water, land and air pollution, in order to enhance the health, safety and welfare of the people of the state and their overall economic and social well-being." - Environmental Conservation Law, Article 1
DEC's goal is to achieve this mission by embracing the elements of sustainability - the simultaneous pursuit of environmental quality, public health, economic prosperity and social well-being, including environmental justice and the empowerment of individuals to participate in environmental decisions that affect their lives.
Issue Priorities
DEC's Greenprint for a healthier, safer environment and stronger New York:
Combat Climate Change
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Encourage low-carbon design technologies
- Elevate climate change awareness, research and adaptation ability
- Foster carbon sequestration and sustainable forestry
- Lead state agencies' efforts to tackle climate change
Foster Green and Healthy Communities
- Use DEC's program areas to encourage smart growth
- Clean up contaminated land, especially in urban centers
- Reduce local waste generation and maximize recycling
- Promote community greening and urban forestry
- Preserve open space and working landscapes
Connect New Yorkers to Nature
- Promote environmental education and outdoor experiences for all age groups
- Increase participation in hiking, camping, fishing, hunting and trapping
- Provide state-of-the-art facilities and high-quality and unique outdoor experiences
- Preserve and provide access to green space close to where people live, work and play
Promote a Toxic-Free Future
- Reduce waste and use of toxics
- Promote green alternatives and technologies
- Support alternatives to the use of hazardous pesticides
- Promote product stewardship
- Enhance public access to information on toxics
Safeguard New York's Unique Natural Assets
- Conserve, protect and restore watersheds and coastal resources
- Apply state-of-the-art management techniques, including ecosystem-based management
- Ensure sufficient water management infrastructure for New York's future
- Promote sound land use and planning
- Add unique and valuable ecosystems to the Forest Preserve
- Protect biodiversity and unique ecosystems across New York
Work for Environmental Justice
- Reduce environmental and health impacts on communities overburdened by pollution
- Ensure equal access to environmental decision-making
- Promote urban greening, open space access, and other environmental benefits in overburdened areas
- Increase community-based enforcement
