Climate State of the State Defines $1 Billion Program & Legislation Necessary for NYS to Meet Its Climate Mandates
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***: January 8, 2024
Contact: Marie Scarles, Communications Director, NY Renews
marie@nyrenews.org | Work cell: (646) 389-8429
Web: nyrenews.org | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Seven State Legislators & 370-member NY Renews Coalition Call on Gov. Hochul to include the Climate, Jobs & Justice Package in her State of the State and Budget
Watch the Zoom presser here. Passcode: 6&^85WLA
Photos available on Twitter.
New York State – Seven State legislators, including sponsors of the Climate, Jobs & Justice Package bills (NY HEAT, Just Energy Transition Act, and Climate Change Superfund Act), joined the 370-member NY Renews coalition in presenting a virtual Climate State of the State report, defining the minimum budget and legislative action necessary this year for New York to meet the climate goals mandated by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), one of the nation’s most progressive state climate laws.
“Declaring New York’s Climate Week in September, Gov. Hochul talked about ensuring that ‘New York remains at the forefront of climate action with a focus on environmental justice to achieve a cleaner, greener, and healthier environment for all New Yorkers.’ This package is the absolute minimum we need to put in place this year to start to achieve that goal,” said NY Renews Executive Director, Stephan Edel.
The budget demand and Climate, Jobs & Justice Package include:
$1 billion for the People’s Climate Justice Budget, which will provide funds for the already established Climate Action Fund for 30 shovel-ready, critical climate, transportation, housing, and energy programs developed by communities, for communities all around the state. (Follow link to see list of projects.)
The State government has determined that NY will have to spend $10 billion each year to address the climate crisis at scale. $1 billion is a downpayment to launch critical climate programs in 2024.
This money would update NY’s energy grid, shore up our coastal regions, make our homes safer, lower our energy bills, and improve roads and public transportation vulnerable to rising seas and worsening storms.
The NY HEAT Act, which eliminates the costly requirement that ratepayers pay for the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure, lowering utility bills by about $75 a month for those least able to pay, while fighting climate change. It makes so much sense, even utilities like ConEd support it.
The Climate Change Superfund Act, which collects money from the biggest climate polluters to fund infrastructure improvements, upgrade stormwater and sewage systems, and improve grid stability and public health across New York City and State.
And the Just Energy Transition Act, which will turn fossil fuel-powered facilities into renewable energy plants, creating jobs and improving air quality in nearby communities. JETA directs state agencies to design a plan to redevelop these sites in a way that makes sure the lights stay on and affected workers get to keep their jobs or are trained for new ones.
By taking these actions this year, New York will be able to:
Fulfill the mandates of the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act which requires New York to reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and no less than 85 percent by 2050 from 1990 levels.
Provide funding and legislation to implement the completed final Scoping Plan called for by the CLCPA.
Sen. Liz Krueger said, “The Governor has signaled that her State of the State will focus on the issue of affordability, and the two bills I carry in the Climate, Jobs & Justice Package are about just that: affordability for regular New Yorkers. The status quo of high gas prices and utilities raising rates across the state to double down on outdated fossil infrastructure is not only unsustainable, it’s also unaffordable. New Yorkers deserve a break - and that's just what NY HEAT will deliver. Meanwhile, New York State faces billions of dollars in damages over the next three decades from baked-in climate-driven weather events. The question we face in Albany is who should pay to deal with those threats – taxpayers and New York businesses, or the biggest oil companies that got us here in the first place? The Climate Change Superfund Act will ensure that the biggest multinational oil companies will foot the bill to clean up their own mess.”
Sen. Pete Harckham said, “Our residents want meaningful action on the climate crisis, environmental protections and stormwater mitigation. To do so, we need to put as much effort as possible into passing the Climate, Jobs & Justice Package of legislation this year. The level of commitment and investment required to safeguard our communities statewide cannot be delayed; the time to meet the challenges ahead—with renewable energy projects that lead to a decarbonized future—is now.”
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said: "Hurricane Sandy cut power to millions of New Yorkers, took the lives of 43 New York City residents, and cost an estimated $19 billion in damages to New York City according to former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Administration. Hurricane Ida set the New York City record for the largest single-hour rainfall, killed 13 people, and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. The New York floods from 3 months ago affected all the New York City subway lines. They caused the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue a ground stop for LaGuardia Airport, causing flight cancellations and delays at JFK airport. The climate change we are now experiencing is the new normal. The oil companies and their products are the primary reason we are facing this current climate disaster. The biggest oil companies have made astronomical profits, and it is time for them to be held accountable by ensuring the Climate Change Superfund becomes law. Big Oil made this mess; they should be responsible for helping clean it up."
"Thank you to NYRenews for elevating the conversation around funding for the most critical components of our environmental needs in New York and for rallying support around the key legislation that will help advance our climate goals and transition to a clean energy future. This year’s priorities are passing the NYHeat Act, the Bigger, Better Bottle Bill, and funding the Cap and Invest program. Getting these bills passed will help move our state toward a sustainable future and a circular economy," said Senator Rachel May (D-Onondaga, Cayuga).
"Our new climate ‘normal’ is here in the form of annual 1,000-year flood events and increasing extreme weather events, including right here in the Capital Region," said Assemblymember Patricia Fahy (D—Albany), sponsor of the NY HEAT Act. "Our clean energy transition is incomplete without my NY HEAT Act with Senator Liz Krueger, which ends ratepayer subsidization of fossil fuel infrastructure by removing the 100-foot-requirement and codifies our climate mandates into New York's public service law to support our long-term clean energy transition. New York is leading the nation's clean energy transition with ambitious policies that prioritize affordability, building decarbonization, and environmental justice in communities across the state. I urge Governor Hochul to include NY HEAT in this year’s executive budget proposal and cement our commitment to phasing out fossil fuels, reversing devastating climate effects, and transitioning to a clean energy future. Just this year, an Albany Times Union report highlighted the immense cost of climate-driven extreme weather events — the longer we wait to aggressively tackle climate change, the more expensive it will become."
“If this summer’s extreme weather and recent devastating flooding, has taught us anything, we need to do everything we can to mitigate climate change. Key to this effort is passing the Climate, Jobs & Justice Package of bills” said Assembly Member Harvey Epstein. “Additionally, we have to establish state and municipal composting and create publicly available charging stations across our great state, among many other bills to address the climate crisis this session.”
“The climate crisis is here and now. Every day New Yorkers are witnessing the ramifications of inaction in Albany including historic flooding, heat waves, and a higher pollen count than in years prior. The Climate, Jobs, and Justice package of bills contains critical legislation to implement the CLCPA and secure a healthier, cleaner climate future for New York. We must pass it this session and make the investments necessary to ensure our future generations have a habitable planet,” said Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas, Co-Chair of the Climate Action and Environmental Justice Subcommittee of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Caucus.
###
NY Renews is a coalition of nearly 400 environmental justice, community, faith, labor, and multi-issue organizations fighting for just climate policy for New Yorkers. We are the force behind the nation's most aggressive climate law, the NY State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, enacted in 2019. The Climate, Jobs & Justice Package is the next step in our fight for climate justice in New York.