While the $1 billion in infrastructure investments Governor Hochul announced last week will help address critical needs, it falls far short of delivering the lasting solutions New Yorkers deserve to tackle pollution, improve air quality, and hold corporations accountable for worsening air and extreme weather.
We were glad to hear of the funding commitments for decarbonization projects, including thermal energy networks, but one-off projects will not suffice. The state needs a durable, recurring funding source to finance the transition to a clean energy economy. That’s where Cap-and-Invest comes in.
No action is more critical to fighting climate change than implementing a robust Cap-and-Invest program that will at once fund our clean energy transition and ensure energy affordability for New Yorkers.
Similarly, New York’s gas pipeline system is an increasingly outdated, non-renewable heating source, linked to air pollution and safety hazards. That’s why we need improved infrastructure, and lower costs, which the NY HEAT ACT will provide.
The Governor’s State of the State book said they needed “time and space” before they could act. But we don’t have the time or space to delay. If the impacts of climate change we’re already experiencing – which are exceeding predictions – aren’t enough to catalyze bold action, then what are we waiting for?
Governor Hochul’s FY26 Executive Budget is due on January 21, and it’s not too late for her to rise to the occasion and show the state and country what bold environmental leadership looks like by advancing both Cap-and-Invest and NY HEAT.
[Click here to tell Governor Hohcul to support Cap-and-Invest and NY HEAT in her executive budget.]
In addition to Cap-and-Invest and NY HEAT, as budget negotiations get underway, we will advocate for a fully funded MTA Capital Plan, $600 million for the Clean Water Infrastructure Act and at least $500 million for the Environmental Protection Fund, a Clean Fuel Standard for transportation, and increasing offshore wind energy targets, among other funding priorities outlined in our 2025 State Agenda.
“If the state takes all these actions, we not only are taking steps to fight the increasing impact of global warming,” said NYLCV President Julie Tighe, “we also are creating multiple positive ripple effects: creating good-paying jobs, injecting billions of dollars into the state’s economy, improving the health of our residents, improving the health and lives of individuals living in disadvantaged communities, and otherwise sending a message to the nation that New York is a continued leader in fighting climate change.”