NYLCV has partnered with the Alliance for Clean Energy and several other environmental and industry stakeholders to push for the Governor to include legislation that allows for the direct sales of electric vehicles in her 30-day budget amendments.

The state legislative session has officially commenced! Our elected state representatives have the opportunity to get bold and progressive legislation passed that will protect generations of New Yorkers from adverse public health impacts and climate change. Our agenda specifically highlights environmental justice priorities that ensure equitable distribution of resources to communities that have been historically under-resourced and underserved while on the frontlines of climate related impact. We will be advocating for our top priorities, released earlier this month in our New York State Policy Agenda. Below are the main highlights. 

Late last week City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams announced her appointees for committee chairs. The most important chairs to keep an eye on for sustainability, and building a greener city, are those for environmental protection, transportation, parks, sanitation, and resiliency. Housing, health, and finance are also important chairs that can help facilitate environmental legislation. 

As New York City begins strategizing for the new year, our new administration and Council Members have the opportunity to start making transformative investments in our environmental infrastructure and resiliency. NYLCV’s newest Policy Agenda lists what issues should be made top priority in the transportation, energy, public health, conservation, and environmental justice sectors, and highlights the legislative opportunities that will get us there. We hope to build upon our progress made last year and continue making bold policy decisions for the good of our community. Below are some of the main points made in this year’s Policy Agenda.

Read more about The New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV) and NYLCV Education Fund (NYLCVEF) 2022 State Policy Agenda.

As we ring in the new year, New York City welcomes a new City Council to preside over its districts. Bills that did not pass in 2021 were filed for end of session, and must now be reintroduced to the new City Council this month. These bills are crucial to preserving the health and prosperity of its people and environment for decades to come, and must be the top priority of each and every council member.

While the next Speaker of the New York City Council is not officially solidified, Adrienne Adams of District 28 confirmed that she has enough votes to secure her victory.  She is set to be the first Black Woman to be speaker of the 51 member body and will bring unique viewpoints and priorities to the office coming from an outer borough district.

With the incoming class of new Councilmembers set after the 2021 general election, the city is turning its attention to the City Council Speaker’s race. The speaker is an incredibly important role, able to control what legislation is voted on in the council, appoint committee chairs, and have a major say in the NYC budget among many other powers. Therefore, the future of the environment and our fight against climate change in NYC will lie heavily on the shoulders of the next speaker. NYLCV strongly believes that the next speaker will need to be an environmental champion that takes bold and progressive actions to help us reach many of the goals and commitments we have made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect open spaces and natural resources, value public health, and expand transportation alternatives to automobiles.