“The election results are a serious setback for environmental progress, with Donald Trump returning to the White House and an anti-environment Senate now standing in the way of urgently needed climate action.” said NYLCV President Julie Tighe. “This year has been a stark reminder that the cost of inaction—intensifying storms, rising sea levels, health impacts from pollution, and more—is only growing. New Yorkers understand these stakes, and over 91% of NYLCV-endorsed candidates won their races, underscoring a demand for bold state action. But this demand alone isn’t enough.
“Now, more than ever, our state leaders must step up and commit to decisive policies that protect clean air and water, safeguard public health, and drive a rapid transition to a clean energy economy,” added Tighe.
The incoming administration has promised they will withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, increase fossil fuel drilling, cut funding for environmental protections, weaken pollution rules and cut financial contributions to developing countries trying to fight climate change.
Environmentalists from around the globe have reacted, most with anguish and despair, referring to the return of “dark days” and the “drill baby drill mentality,” a climate-change denier who is, once again, a “wrecking ball” to the environmental movement.
But there are things that the administration may find difficult to accomplish. For one – and this is a big one – the new administration may have difficulty rolling back the green spending spurred by the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). That’s because much of the spending is in parts of the country with Republican congressmen and governors, and they are not going to want to jeopardize the jobs and investment spurred by the IRA.
“Both Republican-led and Democratic-led states are seeing the benefits of wind, solar, and battery manufacturing and deployment thanks to the billions of dollars of investments unleashed by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act,” said Dan Lashof, U.S. director of the World Resource Institute. “Governors and representatives in Congress on both sides of the aisle have come to recognize that clean energy is a huge moneymaker and a job creator. President Trump will face a bipartisan wall of opposition if he attempts to rip away clean energy incentives now.”
There were several bright spots out of New York. Both chambers of the State Legislature elected environmental champions to office. New York also flipped multiple congressional seats, including Josh Riley beating Rep. Marc Molinaro, State Senator John Mannion defeating Rep. Brandon Williams, and U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito going down in defeat to Laura Gillen.
This election cycle, through NYLCV Gives Green – NYLCV’s political action committee – League staffers made over 30,000 phone calls for candidates for the State Senate and Assembly and were canvassing throughout Election Day in support of environmental champions. NYLCV Gives Green also supported candidates with $52,500 in direct donations.
Separately, the League’s independent expenditure political action committee, NYLCV Victory Fund, ran a six-figure advertising campaign targeting anti-environment legislators for their history of opposing fundamental protections for the environment and public health. The Fund’s targeted ad buy, which helped elect Senator Lea Webb and Assembly member-elect Judy Griffin, included a robust digital and mail campaign to reach voters in each district.
“The NYLCV Victory Fund is proud of the impact this campaign had in educating voters about environmental champions and accountability,” said NYLCV Victory Fund Senior VP Josh Klainberg. “We’ll continue to hold all elected officials accountable for advancing common-sense environmental policies.”
As we look to what comes next, one thing is very clear. With federal environmental protections under threat, we must double down on state-level action to protect the progress we’ve made and prevent massive rollbacks that put our communities at risk. We cannot afford to delay. We need an unwavering commitment from Albany to prioritize climate action, and we need our leaders to recognize the gravity of this moment. New York State must:
- implement congestion pricing, so we can fix and fully fund our mass transit system and reduce air pollution;
- create a robust cap and invest program to help fund our clean energy transition;
- pass a clean fuel standard, which would reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector on Day 1;
- pass NY HEAT, which will enable gas utilities to comply with New York’s Climate Act and it will help customers switch to affordable and reliable zero-emissions heating and cooling; and
- continue to fund the clean energy transition.
Gina McCarthy, former climate advisor to President Biden and co-chair of the America Is All In coalition of climate-concerned states and cities, sounded an optimistic and defiant tone in The Guardian:
“No matter what Trump may say, the shift to clean energy is unstoppable and our country is not turning back,” she said. “Our coalition is bigger, more bipartisan, better organized, and fully prepared to deliver climate solutions, boost local economies and drive climate ambition. We cannot and will not let Trump stand in the way of giving our kids and grandkids the freedom to grow up in safer and healthier communities.”
The path forward may be steeper than ever, but we are resolved to continue the fight. New Yorkers demand a future built on climate resilience and environmental justice, and we will hold our leaders accountable to deliver it.
Peter Aronson is a volunteer writer at the New York League of Conservation Voters since September 2022, is a former journalist and retired attorney. He is the author of Mandalay Hawk’s Dilemma: The United States of Anthropocene, a novel for middle-grade readers about kids fighting global warming. Kirkus Reviews, in a starred review, wrote: “A scathing work and an essential blueprint for youth battling climate change.” To read more about Peter, visit his website www.peteraronsonbooks.com or to purchase his book, click here.