STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The 2025 Environmental Scorecard shows where Staten Island elected officials in the New York State Legislature landed in their voting records to aid in the fight against climate change.
Staten Island has six, state-level elected officials split between the New York State Senate and New York State Assembly.
Our representatives from North Shore to South Shore are: Democratic Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton; Republican Sen. Andrew Lanza; Democratic Assemblymember Charles D. Fall; Republican Assemblymember Michael Reilly; Republican Assemblymember Sam Pirozzolo; and Republican Assemblymember Michael Tannousis.
Each was scored by the New York League of Conservation Voters, or NYLCV, based on 13 bills that were introduced to the Senate and 12 bills introduced in the Assembly.
The Bills
The bills that were considered in the methodology, as listed by the NYLCV, are as follows:
- Repeal of the 100-foot rule: Signed into law
- Appraisal of renewables: Signed into law
- Automatic solar permitting: “Died” in both the Senate and Assembly
- Automatic voter registration: Passed in the Senate but “died” in the Assembly
- Beauty Justice Act: Passed in the Senate but “died” in the Assembly
- Clean fuel standard: Passed in the Senate but “died” in the Assembly
- E-bike battery EPR: Signed into law
- Home Utility Weatherization Jobs Act: Passed in the Senate but “died” in the Assembly
- Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act: Passed in the Senate but “died” in the Assembly
- PFAS in menstrual products: Signed into law
- Road salt reduction task force: Passed in the Senate but “died” in the Assembly
- Septic system replacement fund: Signed into law
To read more about each law, click here.
The Results
Scarcella-Spanton led the way among all the elected officials graded on Staten Island with a final score of 77%. She voted against three of 13 Senate bills.
Fall followed her with a score of 58%. He voted against five of the 12 Assembly bills.
Lanza rounded out the top three with 38%, voting against eight of the 13 bills.
Pirozzolo and Reilly tied at just 17%, each voting in favor of just two bills: PFAS in menstrual products and the septic bills.
Tannousis only scored 13%; he missed four votes and only voted in favor of the septic bill.
The Comments
The Advance/SILive.com reached out to each of the elected officials for comment on their scores.
“I know that sometimes the questions or the things that they’re scoring on are so over the top conservationally that they expect people to go live in an ice hut sort of thing or raise the price of electricity to where people can’t afford to stay in their own homes,” Pirozzolo said. “I am definitely for working with the environment. There’s no doubt about it, but we cannot be foolish about it or overzealous.”
Tannousis said that he did not “appreciate being rated or lectured” by the NYLCV.
“Any Staten Island elected official or candidate that seeks their endorsement should be ashamed of themselves,” Tannousis added.
Lanza also berated the organization. When seeing that the automatic voter registration legislation was counted in the methodology, he said: “What the heck does that have to do with the environment?”
He continued on to say, “I’m against bans on gas stoves. I’m against congestion pricing, and I’m proud of my actual environmental record where I have in my tenure in office created more green space and preserved more natural areas on Staten Island than, I dare say, any other Staten Island elected official.”
“The community I represent always guides my votes on environmental policy. With much of Senate District 23 along the coastline, strengthening our shorelines is my main priority and essential to protecting our homes and infrastructure from natural disasters,” Scarcella-Spanton said. “As we continue building a greener New York, we must also ensure these investments create good-paying union jobs that strengthen our workforce and help preserve Staten Island and Southern Brooklyn for generations to come.”
Fall and Reilly did not immediately respond to a request for comment before publication.