November 17, 2023 – The New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV) is deeply disappointed in the budget cuts announced by Mayor Adams yesterday. The November Financial Plan Update for FY24 cuts nearly 300 Parks positions and—in what amounts to a big fat meal for the rat population—it eliminates city funding for community composting programs, cancels a temporary build-out site for the LES Ecology Center’s composting operation, delays the expansion of the citywide residential organics program to Staten Island and the Bronx—a borough too often neglected—and more.
With the climate crisis growing more urgent by the day, this is no time for New York City to cut funding for parks workers, community composting, flood protection programs, electric vehicle purchases, or any other environmental initiatives. We understand the fiscal challenges facing the city today, much of which is beyond the mayor’s control, but we should no sooner retreat from policies that will protect our environment, fight climate change, and clean up our streets than we would from any other existential crisis. The next major flooding event and the next record breaking heat wave will not wait for perfect economic conditions, and you better believe the bill will come due in the form of unavoidable costs that mount during and following extreme weather events. NYLCV urges the mayor to find other ways to generate or save revenue instead of trading on our climate future.