The New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV) today released its 2024 NYC Council Environmental Scorecard, in which Council Members and the body as a whole are evaluated based on their support of environmental bills in the previous year and whether those bills passed.

As a member of New Yorkers for Clean Water and Jobs – a broad coalition of conservation, environmental justice, labor, business, local government, outdoor recreation and public health groups – we are requesting that lawmakers advance the following budget items: Appropriate at least $500 million for the Environmental Protection Fund, $600 million for the Clean Water Infrastructure Act; at least $200 million in capital funding for the New York State Parks; and at least $100 million in capital funds for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC); in a timely fashion, utilize the billions still available under New York’s $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act to help all New Yorkers, including those living in disadvantaged communities; appropriate funds so that the DEC can hire approximately 225 new full-time employees; and appropriate funds so that the New York State Department of Health (DOH) can hire additional staff to effectively implement and monitor new clean water standards.

Our position at the New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV) is that nothing is more important than the health of our children. That’s why the NYLCV has signed on to the proposal called the Coalition for Healthier Schools. The coalition, established by our long-time partner, the Health Schools Network, based in Saratoga Springs, NY, sets forth federal and state goals for making our nation’s schools healthier for students and staff. The numbers show us how much is at stake. Every school day, 55 million children and seven million adults - about 20 percent of the American population - attend one of the 130,000 public or private schools somewhere in our country.

While the $1 billion in infrastructure investments Governor Hochul announced last week will help address critical needs, it falls far

Do you thrive on keeping projects and teams organized? Can you manage multiple priorities while maintaining meticulous attention to detail? Are you excited to support meaningful environmental advocacy through fundraising and events?

Major Focus Includes Developing a Cap-and-Invest Program, Decarbonizing Buildings, Passing a Clean Energy Fuel Standard and Other Clean Transportation Policies, Increasing Offshore Wind Energy, and Achieving Zero Waste

On Sunday, January 5, New York City took a monumental step toward a cleaner, greener, and more efficient future with the official start of congestion pricing. For the first time, drivers entering the heart of Manhattan—south of 60th Street—will pay a toll, with most vehicles charged $9 during peak hours. This historic change has been years in the making and marks a turning point in the city’s efforts to tackle gridlock, air pollution, and underfunded public transit.

The expansion of this successful program will divert some of the estimated 4 million tons of excess food produced in New York State annually, a number that accounts for approximately 17% of the state’s municipal solid waste stream. Instead of going to landfills, where it decomposes and releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas, it will be donated to New Yorkers who lack access to sufficient food.