In Queens, New Yorkers Call on Governor Hochul to Make Polluters Pay and Invest Revenue in Clean Air Programs

Gov. Hochul has the opportunity to release the regulations for Cap and Invest, generating billions per year to lower energy costs and reduce pollution 

See here for photos and a livestream from the event. 

Queens, New York — Today, legislators, advocates, and community members gathered at New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation offices in Long Island City to testify and urge Governor Hochul to release the regulations for the state’s cap-and-invest program. This is the last of three in-person hearings throughout the state this month, giving New Yorkers the chance to advocate for a program that would make polluters pay for their toxic and climate-warming emissions while raising between 6 and 12 billion dollars every year to help lower energy bills, upgrade homes and small businesses to clean energy with modern heating and cooling technologies, and create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs. 

“In this critical moment when Trump is reversing climate progress, Governor Hochul must deliver on her climate promises by releasing the full cap-and-invest regulations,” said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander. “Cap and Invest is one of the strongest tools we have to put corporate polluters on the hook for causing climate change, while investing in climate protection, good green jobs, and a greener future. New York should lead on bold climate action now more than ever.”

As the Trump administration cuts clean technology rebates and tax credits for businesses and individuals, energy affordability initiatives, and illness prevention resources, New Yorkers are being left with skyrocketing energy bills and fewer options to protect their health. Meanwhile, clean air policies are being slashed by Congress and the President, putting the lives of millions of people with respiratory issues at risk. Now, Governor Hochul has an opportunity to “Trump-proof” the state by releasing the draft regulations for Cap and Invest (C&I) ASAP, allowing New York to start reducing pollution from fossil fuels and providing investments for clean, healthy homes.

“With the Trump administration slashing environmental protections, raising energy costs, and decimating human rights to make the country’s billionaires even richer, New York’s leaders must be bold and protect our people and planet,” said NY Renews Executive Director Stephan Edel. “Governor Hochul can put New York on the path to justice by launching Cap and Invest. It’s time to hold polluting corporations accountable for their toxic emissions so we can raise money from polluters to lower energy costs, protect our air, create tens of thousands of good jobs, and build robust clean energy projects here in Queens and throughout New York State.”

Through Cap and Invest, New York can rapidly reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. Research shows that families across income groups will pay less to operate electrified homes than the current costs to run on fossil fuels, offering an alternative to the costly gas that every utility in the state has raised rates on since 2022. An ambitious C&I program can help 46% of New York households upgrade to a highly efficient heat pump by 2035, delivering $1,022 in annual energy savings to the median household. Additionally, the revenue can be invested in community-directed projects, such as green affordable housing, rooftop solar, electric buses, and bike lanes.

Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, Founder and CEO of Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action, said, “As a New Yorker, a mother, and a rabbi, I implore Governor Hochul to cap pollution, make corporate polluters pay for their emissions, and invest billions of dollars back into our communities so we can have clean air and water, affordable energy bills, and good, green jobs. With the federal government fully captured by corporate polluters, it is imperative for states to act quickly and boldly.”

For the 1.2 million New Yorkers who are two or more months behind on their energy bills, cap and invest is a common-sense policy to counter economic and political crises, while reducing climate emissions from the most polluting sector in the state: buildings. Had a properly regulated cap-and-invest program already been in effect, state agencies NYSERDA and DEC estimated revenue to be between $3 and $5.1 billion in 2025, with untold benefits to our air and health due to reduced pollution. Now is the time to ensure that the companies that produce carbon pollution are the ones who are held accountable to pay for that pollution, not New Yorkers. Governor Hocul must release the regulations for ‘cap and invest’ now. 

Felipe Idrovo of Make the Road New York said:

English: "These climate changes are affecting my health and that of many New Yorkers. It will get worse if we don't minimize the emissions that cause global warming. We need the New York State government to pass the cap-and-invest program to reduce emissions and get polluting corporations to invest in our communities." 

Spanish: "Estos cambios climáticos están afectando mi salud y la de muchos neoyorquinos. Va a empeorar si no minimizamos las emisiones que causan el calentamiento del planeta. Necesitamos que el gobierno del estado de Nueva York pase el cap-and-invest programa para reducir emisiones y hacer que corporaciones contaminadoras inviertan en nuestras comunidades."

Background 

For the last two years, Gov. Hochul has dragged her feet on implementing Cap and Invest — a policy that would require corporate polluters to pay for their fossil fuel pollution and then invest the proceeds into a fund providing energy efficiency and building upgrades for residents and small businesses, with at least 35% of those investments going to historically marginalized and disadvantaged communities.

At Gov. Hochul’s State of the State address in January, she was widely expected to announce steps to implement the ‘cap and invest’ program, then unexpectedly further delayed it. Instead,  Hochul subsequently announced a draft greenhouse gas emissions reporting rule that would require polluting entities to report on, but not actually lower, their emissions. 

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NY Renews is a coalition of nearly 400 climate, labor, youth, and community groups, and the force behind the nation’s most progressive climate law. We fight for clean energy, good jobs, and a healthier, more affordable New York. Learn more about our Fund Climate Campaign.