“We applaud Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Speaker Heastie for making significant environmental investments in this year’s budget, most notably a massive $1 billion for climate action – including support for thermal energy networks, electric school buses, renewable energy, and clean energy upgrades for New Yorkers – in addition to a fully funded MTA Capital Plan and a record-high $425 million Environmental Protection Fund,” said NYLCV President Julie Tighe. “At a time when Washington is rolling back standards and seeking to claw back funding, we are glad to see New York standing firm in its commitment to environmental, transit and climate investments that will deliver cleaner air, better transportation and good paying union jobs”
NYLCV budget wins include:
- The $1 billion “Sustainable Future Program,” including:
- $450 million for building decarbonization projects, including at least $200 million for thermal energy networks
- $250 million for zero emission transportation, including up to $100 million for electric school buses and related infrastructure
- $200 million for renewable energy projects
- Fully funded MTA’s Capital Plan at a record $68 billion
- Increasing the Environmental Protection Fund to $425 million, which gets us closer to the goal of a $500 million EPF
- Reauthorization of the State Superfund program
- Expansion of the geothermal tax credit
- Exempting land acquired for open space preservation from the mansion tax
Failing to include a sales tax exemption for utility-scale battery storage and expand tax credits for rooftop solar projects are both major missed opportunities. And while the $500 million for the Clean Water Infrastructure Act is a good baseline, it falls short of the $600 million needed to protect our water.
During the remainder of the legislative session we will continue to work with the governor and state legislature to address critical measures that were left on the table during budget negotiations, including the NY HEAT Act, a Clean Fuel Standard for transportation, and Advanced Automatic Voter Registration.
Want to learn more? RSVP for our State Budget Recap Lunch and Learn here: https://actions.nylcv.org/a/budget25