NY Renews Response to Governor Hochul’s FY 25-26 Executive Budget
January 21, 2025
Contact: Devyn Fusaro, NY Renews, devyn@nyrenews.org, (909) 610-9814
Web: nyrenews.org | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
NY RENEWS RESPONSE TO GOV. HOCHUL’S FY 25-26 BUDGET
“DELIVER, DON’T DUCK, YOUR CLIMATE PROMISES”
NY Renews calls on Gov. Kathy Hochul to stop delaying and avoiding, and to start actually delivering on her climate promises in response to the Governor’s proposed FY 2025-26 State Executive Budget.
Just yesterday, as co-chair of a group of States, Gov. Hochul committed to continuing to ‘slash climate pollution’ and to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. Two years ago, Gov. Hochul proposed a Cap-Trade-and-Invest (CTI) Program that is essential to meeting those goals, but has now put it, along with other important climate action, on hold. That’s not the leadership she promised, nor the leadership New York needs.
The Governor should heed the words from her budget briefing book page 60: “Acknowledging that the cost of inaction greatly outweighs the cost of any actions we can take together, New York will continue to pursue an aggressive agenda in transitioning to a sustainable green energy economy, in a way that is both environmentally effective and economically affordable for all New Yorkers.”
To do so, NY Renews urges the Governor to immediately release CTI program regulations and raise the revenue that it can generate. As it stands, the budget is silent on how CTI revenue will be invested in our communities. The Governor’s decision to delay the implementation of the program is a failure to address the need for ongoing climate funding in the billions — a need that her own proposed Cap-Trade-and Invest program done right would have met.
The budget does seem to include $1 Billion in new capital funding (pg 1022) for a “SUSTAINABLE FUTURE PROGRAM.” However, the Governor has not clearly directed the funds to the Climate Action Fund, which is an end run around accountability to the Legislature, previously negotiated labor standards, and a clear transparent process. Instead, spending is to be “approved solely by the director of the budget.” Therefore, it is now up to the legislature to ensure that the funds are used effectively and transparently.
Additionally, the State Budget includes $50 Million for Decarbonizing State Government. This is an important goal and sign of real leadership if done right, however, the amount is far less than the anticipated cost of decarbonizing just the capitol complex itself, let alone significantly advancing decarbonization across Government buildings statewide.
NY Renews is a coalition of 380+ 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 2019 NY State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.
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