NY Renews Response to Governor Hochul's 2025-2026 State of the State

Governor Hochul chose affordability, health, and public safety as cornerstones of her State of the State address and 2025-2026 agenda, yet failed to connect these issues to the climate crisis that endangers families, homes, and businesses in New York and across the country.

“Our hearts are with the people of California as entire neighborhoods burn. Here in New York, increased energy and medical bills, storms, and skyrocketing grocery prices caused by the climate crisis pose interconnected cost-of-living, health, and affordability crises. Black, brown, and low-income communities bear the brunt of asthma, heart disease, and other illnesses, because of fossil-fueled pollution. As a matter of survival, we urge Governor Hochul to lay out concrete details for when and how she plans to fully implement the Climate Law, and put the Cap-Trade-and-Invest (CTI) program into effect. The State of the State address did neither” said Stephan Edel, Executive Director, NY Renews.

Climate and renewable energy programs are named with no specific revenue streams assigned to them, which means there is no permanent, ongoing funding for climate investments that would not just respond to climate destruction in our communities, but help to prevent it.

“The Governor needs to immediately fund climate action and release all the regulations that are part of the cap-trade-and-invest program that she first mentioned in her 2023 State of the State and that DEC and NYSERDA have been working tirelessly on for over a year,” said Eunice Ko, Deputy Director, NYC Environmental Justice Alliance (NYC-EJA).

If done right, a true cap and invest program could even help many NY households save money and improve public safety, reduce emissions in line with our Climate Act and generate billions of dollars to be invested in line with the Fund Climate Campaign spending plan. The NY Renews campaign includes advocating for Affordable Climate-Ready Homes — an upgrade program for existing homes — community-directed grants for pollution reduction projects, and spending criteria of cutting emissions, creating jobs, and making equitable investments in disadvantaged communities.Governor Hochul must not falter. The people of New York deserve livable, affordable, thriving communities. If the Governor does not take immediate action, then we will work with the Legislature to make sure we are investing in our communities and preparing them for the future.

###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.•••