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As New Yorkers return from summer vacations and commuters flood back into the city after Labor Day, traffic congestion is surging and once again reminding us of the urgent need for congestion pricing, a policy designed to alleviate the traffic chokehold on Manhattan’s streets while improving air quality and funding our public transit system.

New York State generates a staggering 4 million tons of excess food annually. This surplus, which accounts for roughly 17% of the state’s municipal solid waste stream, often ends up in landfills. There, it decomposes, releasing methane—a greenhouse gas with 25 times the heat-trapping potential of carbon dioxide. Organic waste in landfills is the largest source of methane emissions in New York. The good news is that the state is not without tools to address this. By diverting food waste from landfills, New York’s Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Program has not only reduced methane emissions but has also reallocated food to those in need, addressing both climate change and food insecurity. But as we move forward, it’s clear that more must be done.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has confirmed that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) Congestion Pricing Initiative, which was set to begin on June 30th, will significantly benefit the environment and reduce traffic congestion by 17%. This significant reduction in traffic volume would lead to improved air quality not just in New York City, but across the entire region, benefiting 10 counties in New York State and two in New Jersey. 

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. 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.

This position will support the programs team in community outreach, canvassing, and advocacy efforts related primarily to offshore wind, clean water, and voting.

The area encompasses Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and the Great Lakes region and has a population of a little more than 3.5 million people. Our overall environmental goals for the region are to increase renewable energy, decarbonize buildings, clean up toxic waste, provide safe drinking water for all residents, and reduce waste going to landfills. 

After three rounds of federal funding, New York State has received $369 million for lead service line inventory and pipe replacement projects and at this rate is likely to receive at least $645 million in total.  This funding is coming from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) that was signed into law by President Biden in October 2021. In total, BIL is providing $15 billion to all states -- at a rate of $3 billion a year over a five year period -- the largest amount of funding ever invested by the federal government for this purpose.

The plan – which was developed through a collaborative community planning process with local organizers and 29 state agencies – provides a roadmap for the entire New York State government to improve extreme heat resiliency and mitigation, especially in vulnerable and disadvantaged communities.