Environmental Legislation Awaiting Governor's Signature
The bills, passed by the New York State Senate and Assembly in the 2023-24 legislative session, are rather straightforward. Two deal directly with our collective efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as we fight climate change and strive to meet our state goals of reducing emissions from 1990 levels 40 percent by 2030 and 85 percent by 2050. We urge Gov. Hochul to sign a bill (S1535A/A4871) that would require the state to install and maintain EV charging stations in all New York state owned and operated parking facilities, including all lots and garages. This would include the 58 park-and-ride lots it operates across the state, many along major highways. Recently, major car manufacturers have announced that they are cutting back on EV manufacturing, as sales have declined. A common consumer fear is that there are not enough EV charging stations to make long-distance travel convenient, or even possible. This needs to change - and change quickly - and having the governor sign this bill is a significant step in the right direction as we push to reduce our carbon emissions. Vehicle transportation in the state accounts for almost a third of all greenhouse gas emissions, the second highest sector. In order to meet our climate goals, this needs to be reduced.
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