NY Renews Calls on Gov Hochul to Fully Fund the Climate Action Fund Amid Historic NYC Flash Flooding
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***: September 29th, 2023
Contact: Marie Scarles, marie@nyrenews.org
Web: @NYRenews | www.nyrenews.org
NY Renews Calls on Governor Hochul to Fully Fund the State’s Climate Action Fund as New York City Faces Historic Flash Flooding
To prevent increasingly frequent and predictable climate disasters, New York State must fully fund the newly minted Climate Action Fund in the 2024-2025 budget
New York City – As New Yorkers in the 5 boroughs face up to 6 inches of flash flooding that’s left cars and trucks stranded on the road, inundated apartments and small businesses, flooded schools, and shuttered much of the city’s public transportation network, the NY Renews coalition calls on Governor Hochul to fully fund the state’s Climate Action Fund.
"How many ‘emergencies’ do we need to respond to before we start proactively investing in protecting our communities?” said Stephan Edel, Executive Director at NY Renews. “Our State is not preparing for the reality of deadly destructive weather that puts homes, lives, and livelihoods at risk. But if New York were to fully fund the Climate Action Fund, we’d have the money we need to invest in infrastructure to better protect people and properties from weather events fueled by the climate crisis. Each successive storm, wildfire, and heat wave shows the increasing severity of weather now."
"In the wake of 'historic flooding,' which has sadly become an annual reality for New Yorkers, it is abundantly clear that the time for action is now,” said Rami Dinnawi, Environmental Justice Campaign & Policy Manager at El Puente. “The climate crisis is no longer a distant threat but a present reality, and its consequences are felt disproportionately by our most vulnerable communities. Today, we call upon Governor Hochul and our elected representatives to prioritize funding for the Climate Action Fund to address the climate crisis head-on and ensure that we invest in a resilient and adaptive climate future. It's not just about protecting our environment; it's about safeguarding the future of every New Yorker."
Today’s state of emergency isn’t the first—two years ago, 13 people died in New York City when Hurricane Ida flooded basement apartments and streets, exposing the harsh reality: without significant investments in public infrastructure, New York City is not prepared for the climate emergency.
Then, Governor Hochul and countless elected officials pledged to not let such a tragedy happen again, and upgrade our roads, bridges, waterfronts, and public transportation networks to protect New Yorkers. Today, we’re seeing the impacts of broken promises: a shuttered subway system and flooded homes and streets—and likely, as reports roll in, dire long-term consequences for small businesses and families.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Last year, New York State created the Climate Action Fund, a first-of-its-kind climate fund to help kickstart the state’s transition to clean energy and upgrade our state’s energy grid complete with transparency, accountability, and gold standard labor standards. In the upcoming budget, New York State can fully fund the Climate Action Fund and protect New Yorkers from the increasingly devastating climate crisis while creating green, family-sustaining jobs in the renewable energy sectors and more.
While the State and City haven’t risen to the challenge of protecting New Yorkers since Hurricane Ida, NY Renews and its nearly 400 coalition members know that greedy fossil fuel corporations are ultimately responsible. Polluters created this mess—and they should pay to clean it up. Governor Hochul, do the right thing: fully fund the Climate Action Fund and include the Climate Change Superfund Act (S2129-A/A3351-A) in your upcoming Executive Budget. Stop letting these inevitable disasters happen year after year.
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NY Renews is a coalition of nearly 400 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.