As we enter a new year and new era in Washington, we accept the challenge that the New York League of Conservation Voters and other advocates will need to step up their game in the fight against climate change and in favor of environmental conservation.
To that end, we have an aggressive 2025 federal agenda that involves maintaining or increasing funding for clean energy, clean water, land conservation, climate-smart agriculture, sustainable transportation and all federal agencies, including the EPA, that impact the government’s fight against climate change.
“We will work with our senators and Congress members on both sides of the aisle to make sure federal funds and programs are at least maintained, if not enhanced,” said NYLCV President Julie Tighe. “What’s at stake is too important to let political differences impede the work that needs to be done. We will be encouraging and working with all our elected officials to come together on these crucial issues.”
Read the full agenda here. Here are our top priorities:
Clean Energy
For clean energy funding, we look first to the $369 billion Inflation Reduction Act. We are urging the federal government to protect these funds and make sure they continue to be spent in a timely manner through federal tax credits and grants, allowing manufacturers to continue to invest in much-needed clean energy projects. Likewise, we urge the continuation or enhancement of the Investment Tax Credits for solar and wind-energy projects, which provide rebates up to 30 percent for some projects. We urge federal agencies to maintain staffing and to prioritize offshore wind projects, so permits can be issued in a timely fashion. We urge Congress to pass legislation to support more wind energy projects.
We also urge the federal government to implement a Clean Fuel Standard, requiring fuel producers to subsidize low-carbon fuels, such as electricity, hydrogen and biofuels. Taking this important step will cut pollution from the transportation sector.
Clean Water
We urge the federal government to increase funding for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds. This federal-state partnership provides low-cost financing for water quality infrastructure projects to communities across the country. These fund programs to provide clean drinking water for New Yorkers, including removing lead and other contaminants from our water. Other water projects we support: Maintaining the recent Lead and Copper Rules that requires replacement of all lead copper lines in the country within 10 years, prioritizing environmental justice communities. We also urge Congress to allocate an additional $30 billion, on top of the $15 billion already allocated, to ensure all lead service lines are replaced.
Food and Farms
We urge Congress to renew the Farm Bill, which provides funds for environmentally critical programs, including land and water conservation, bio-energy and nutrition. Continuing to fund the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which provides financial and technical assistance to farmers with annual income of less than $900,000, is crucial to developing small-scale farming for future generations and protecting our natural resources in a sustainable way.
With a climate-smart Farm Bill, we urge that 80 percent of the EQIP funds be dedicated to practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prohibit use of funds that would increase such emissions.
Sustainable Transportation
Federal funds are crucial to the continued development of a reliable and affordable low-carbon transportation system. The Department of Transportation budget should not be cut, so that the DOT can maintain funding for the Highway Trust Fund (HTF). The HTF, sourced from a federal fuel tax, is a Federal Highway Administration Program that funds the development of highways and mass transit systems.
In addition, programs being funded through or on the horizon for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (aka, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) must go forward. These programs and projects are helping America rebuild its infrastructure and public transportation systems. Likewise, we urge the federal government to increase funding for mass transit projects, because we know this will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create much-needed middle class jobs.
And of course, our federal priorities for 2025 include regional projects. We urge that funding be either maintained or increased for the following projects:
- The Delaware River Basin Conservation Initiative, to insure safe drinking water for the New York region;
- The National Estuary Program, which includes the restoration of the New York/New Jersey harbor. This would have significant environmental health benefits and aid coastal resiliency;
- The Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Act, which would allocate $65 million to, among other things, improve water quality and fund shore restoration projects;
- The Plum Island Protection and Preservation, to ensure that the valuable biodiversity on the 840-acre island is protected in perpetuity; and
- The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, to preserve the $368 million in current funding for protection and restoration projects in the Great Lakes.
And, finally, we urge Congress to pass and fund the Environmental Justice for All Act. This legislation was drafted through an inclusive, community-led process. This comprehensive bill prioritizes the voices, health, and safety of communities most impacted by pollution from fossil fuels, toxic substances, and exploitative practices by allowing them to hold polluters accountable, restructuring permitting processes to consider cumulative impacts and ensure community consultation, investing in these communities, and enacting other policy shifts that seek to achieve environmental justice. This is a necessary step towards an equitable resolution to our current environmental crisis: fighting and overcoming climate change.
Peter Aronson, 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.