The New York League of Conservation Voters and New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCV/EF) released their regional policy agendas last week for Long Island and New York City. These agendas will focus much of NYYLV/EF’s work and advocacy throughout the next 12 months, including guiding which bills get included in the Legislative Scorecards and directing League’s educational programming.
Read the policy agendas here:
In New York City, the Leagues top priorities are broad and comprehensive – for a reason. With an historically warm winter upon us, New Yorkers are feeling the impact of climate change every day, and there is a tremendous amount of work to do.
The priorities laid out in the agenda cut across all aspects of city life, from implementing a comprehensive and equitable citywide waste reduction plan, to investing one percent of the budget in parks and green spaces, to passing a City zoning amendment to make it easier to install EV charging stations, solar panels and battery energy storage systems. NYLCV/EF stresses that environmental justice and equity must be centered in all of these areas.
“To achieve our ambitious climate goals, New York City needs to get stuff done when it comes to fighting climate change and protecting our environment – and our policy agendas calls for actions that will improve public health and reduce harms, especially in disadvantaged communities,” said NYLCV/EF President Julie Tighe. “When it comes to investing in green jobs, parks and open spaces, resilient infrastructure, decarbonizing the transportation sector, and reducing overall emissions, NYLCV will fight to ensure that environmental justice is integrated into every aspect of climate policy.”
On Long Island, while communities have made substantial progress recently in moving towards a greener future, it’s clear that there is still much work to be done. The League’s top priorities will help the communities in Nassau and Suffolk counties drastically reduce their carbon footprints and move toward a greener, healthier, more environmentally sustainable Long Island.
Those priorities include increasing reliance on offshore wind; constructing new clean energy buildings and converting old buildings to clean energy use; streamlining the permit process to make it easier to use solar power; passing laws to require more EV charging stations; taking aggressive steps to protect Long Island’s drinking water; revamping Long Island’s waste management system; and protecting and expanding parks.
These policies are crucial to reducing Long Island’s carbon footprint and necessary if the state is to achieve its nation-leading climate goals,” said Tighe. “The League looks forward to working with elected officials from Long Island as well as New York City and at the State level to ensure that all residents have an environmentally sustainable and healthy future.