Harckham Proposes Creation of a Climate and Community Protection Fund
By Tribune
New York State Senator Pete Harckham announced March 2nd that he has introduced new legislation to create a Climate and Community Protection Fund (CCPF) that will finance the work of implementing the climate, jobs, and justice provisions of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) passed by the New York State Legislature and enacted in 2019.
The new law (S.5360) will ensure legislative oversight in appropriating funds to implement the CLCPA’s community-centered vision and provide transparency and flexibility in year-to-year climate appropriations; keep funding on budget so that the legislature can track spending and require reporting; and provide a democratic process for directing funds to specific spending programs with strong climate and climate justice impacts.
“The revenues from any Cap and Invest plan need to be directed toward meaningful and equitable climate and community programs rather than just sent to the state’s General Fund,” said Harckham. “We need a strong commitment to transitioning the state’s economy to clean energy, growing new union jobs and restoring environmental justice to disadvantaged communities.”