The New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV) and the NYLCV Education Fund has helped drive significant progress for New York’s environment in 2024.
In March, the South Fork Wind farm, New York’s first commercial offshore wind farm, announced that all 12 offshore wind turbines were constructed and the wind farm was successfully delivering power to Long Island and the Rockaways — enough to power over 70,000 homes. The project is now fully functional.
We were also thrilled to see the groundbreaking for the Sunrise Wind farm at an event last month. When completed, Sunrise Wind will be America’s largest offshore wind farm, powering nearly 600000 New York homes. (Sign our petition to show your support for offshore wind!)
Throughout budget negotiations and the legislative session, the League helped advance key pieces of our environmental agenda, like the passage of the Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Act, which will help bring clean water to Long Island. And, because their is no clean energy transition without transmission, we were thrilled to see the passage of the Rapid Act, which will help ensure we will have the capacity to deliver clean energy to homes and businesses throughout the state.
Unfortunately, the Governor’s announcement of an indefinite pause on congestion pricing drew attention away from some important environmental legislation, including NY HEAT, which is meant to help phase out fossil fuel use in buildings.
The other NYLCV Scorecard bills passed by both chambers were:
- Electric Vehicle Charging In Public Lots
- NY Wildlife Crossing Act
- Expansion of the Food Donation and Scraps Program
- NYC Green Roof Tax Abatement
On the electoral front, of the 114 candidates the League endorsed, 24 faced competitive primaries with 23 of them coming out victorious — more than a 95% success rate. The record-breaking performance demonstrates the growing electoral power of the conservation movement in the age of climate change. We are excited to carry this momentum into the November general election and beyond.
On the Education Fund side, we are redoubling our democracy efforts and working to drive voter turnout. We are providing information to voters around the state on early voting, where to find your polling place, signing up to be a poll worker, and more. Visit our voting home page and sign our pledge to vote HERE.
The League continues to be a leading force in the state’s transition to electric school buses. With asthma being the number one cause of absenteeism in our state, no child should have to endure diesel air fumes while riding to school. We are encouraging school districts to pursue state and federal funding opportunities and ensuring that New Yorkers understand the stakes in the lead up to school budget votes. On May 29, the Environmental Protection Agency announced an additional $95+ million in funding headed to New York as part of the third round of funding under its $5 billion Clean School Bus Program, in addition to state funds available as part of the Environmental Bond Act.
Thank you to all of our members for helping to advance clean energy, clean air and water and a healthy future for all New Yorkers. With just about five months to go in 2024, we’re not slowing down.