Some Gains, Many Losses: What Went Wrong for Climate in This Year’s State Budget
When Earth Day rolled around on Monday, New York’s environmental community didn’t have much to celebrate.
A few days prior, negotiations on the final New York state budget wrapped without the inclusion of big ticket climate bills that sought, on several fronts, to accelerate the state’s transition to a zero emissions economy.
“We are outraged,” said Rami Dinnawi, a steering committee member of the climate coalition New York Renews. “To see a budget come out that fails to address any of the urgent policies related to climate is an abdication of responsibility from the governor and from lawmakers.”
Their most significant loss was the exclusion of the NY Heat Act, a bill that hundreds of environmental groups rallied behind this session because it had the power to curb the expansion of gas infrastructure across the state. Despite their unified front, the bill failed to make the budget thanks to a few holdouts in the Assembly who advocates say were persuaded by fossil fuels groups.