NY Renews Coalition Proposes Climate Justice Spending Plan for New York State
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***: January 18, 2023
Contact: Marie Scarles, marie@nyrenews.org, (646) 389-8429
Web: @NYRenews | www.nyrenews.org
NY Renews Coalition Proposes Climate Justice Spending Plan for New York State
NY Renews’ proposed Climate and Community Protection Fund will direct climate funding from any source, including Governor Hochul’s Cap and Invest plan, into programs that serve workers, communities, and climate justice
Albany, New York – On January 18, 2023, the NY Renews coalition held a press conference with elected officials to announce a spending plan that, when passed, will guide state dollars into climate justice programs. NY Renews’ proposed Climate and Community Protection Fund (CCPF), one component of the coalition’s multi-pronged Climate, Jobs & Justice Package (CJJP), will allow the state to direct money raised by any climate funding mechanism—including Governor Hochul’s recently announced Cap and Invest plan—into programs that will serve New Yorkers and fund climate justice. This year, the coalition is calling on Governor Hochul to pass the CJJP bills and include $10 billion in climate funding in the state budget to capitalize the CCPF as quickly as possible and launch the implementation and funding of New York’s Climate Act. The nation-leading Climate Act was passed in 2019 but remains unfunded today.
At the press conference, legislative supporters of the CJJP spoke on the need for immediate funding for climate justice in the 2023 budget. Speakers included Senator Samra Brouk, Assemblymember Michaelle Solages, Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas, Assemblymember Kenny Burgos, and Senator Rachel May. The event was MC’d by Eddie Bautista, Executive Director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance.
Speakers also underscored the urgency of passing NY Renews’ proposed Climate and Community Protection Fund in 2023. The fund would direct state dollars into programs to update New York’s energy infrastructure, increase building efficiency, reduce low- and moderate-income families' energy bills, provide direct support and job training to impacted workers, expand public transit, fund community organizations in grassroots-led energy planning, and more.
The CCPF is one of eight components of the Climate, Jobs & Justice Package. Taken together, the bill package would generate over $40 billion annually to be invested directly into frontline communities, workers, small businesses, and the just transition to a renewable-energy economy. The CJJP would also create tens of thousands of family-sustaining, union jobs in clean energy, accessible to communities across the state.
NY Renews’ press conference took place in conjunction with a coalition-wide lobby day at the Capitol, which brought together more than 150 advocates from 81 of the coalition’s 340 member organizations for over 35 lobby visits. This was the first of the semi-monthly lobby visits planned by NY Renews for the 2023 legislative session.
You can find event photos here and livestream here.
“We are behind when it comes to addressing climate change and the substantial investment needed in this moment should not fall on hardworking families. I urge passage of the Climate, Jobs & Justice Package to invest in our communities while sending the check to those who were knowingly responsible for this crisis. No other issue deliberated by this legislature matters if our climate is uninhabitable for our families—we must act now,” said Senator Samra Brouk.
"The climate crisis affects all communities. And if you visit my Bronx district, you will see it firsthand. The constant air pollution has caused my home borough to have one of the nation’s highest asthma rates and where children have the lowest life expectancy. It is unacceptable and we cannot wait. I fully support the Climate, Jobs & Justice Package, and I look forward to joining my colleagues in pushing it across the finish line," said Assemblymember Kenny Burgos.
"Whether it's Hurricane Ida or the heatwave during last summer or the recent snow storm in Buffalo, New Yorkers are feeling the very real consequences of climate change. These natural occurrences are not a coincidence. They are not happening later or somewhere far off. My constituents and New Yorkers at large are feeling the devastating impact of the inaction of government. It is time that New York acts as the leader it should be and pass the Climate, Jobs & Justice package of legislation and fully fund the pivotal work of environmental justice. Let's do it for the generations after us," said Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas, Chair of the Subcommittee on Climate Action and Environmental Justice for the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus.
“Investing in environmental justice and sustainability is crucial for creating a fair and equitable society. Global warming disproportionately harms communities of color and low-income communities, exacerbating existing social injustices. To address the root causes of the climate catastrophe, we must move toward a renewable future to ensure that all communities have the opportunity to thrive. I look forward to supporting the Climate, Jobs & Justice Package.” —Assemblymember Michaelle Solages
“New York State is the second largest state economy in the country. We can not do this without New York. Climate justice can’t just be rhetoric. We need to close every power plant, and electrify every building,” said Assemblymember Anna Kelles.
“This is about climate, but it’s also about public health. We need to protect our communities, our families, our farms, and our iconic maple trees from toxic pollution and extreme weather,” said Senator Rachel May.
“It is crucial that New York State’s Climate Law is sufficiently funded to guarantee a viable pathway for renewable energy and storage to replace fossil fuel infrastructure. The Climate, Jobs & Justice Package (CJJP) will support the implementation of the final scoping plan, which ensures the reduction of greenhouse gases and co-pollutants that poison our air and water and sickens our families. Frontline and environmental justice communities are calling on our elected officials to support the CJJP to further investments in communities most burdened by the climate crisis. This comprehensive package of legislation will help New York’s low-income communities of color not just to survive, but thrive, for generations.” —Eddie Bautista, Executive Director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance
"The Climate, Jobs & Justice Package offers a solution to the current dual crises of climate change and economic recession by proposing a just transition to a clean energy economy and providing opportunities for green job creation. It also seeks to protect marginalized communities from the detrimental effects of climate change. We cannot delay action on these pressing issues any longer. We urge all stakeholders to support this crucial package and work towards a brighter, healthier, and more prosperous future for all New Yorkers. As the lead sponsor of the Progressive Income Tax, I stand with the NY Renews and the Invest In Our New York coalitions and with my colleagues in the Senate to make this vision a reality,” said Senator Robert Jackson via email.
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NY Renews is a coalition of more than 340 environmental justice, community, faith, labor, and multi-issue organizations fighting for just climate policy for New Yorkers. We are the force behind the nation's most aggressive climate law, the NY State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, enacted in 2019. The Climate, Jobs & Justice Package is the next step in our fight for climate justice in New York.