NY Renews Launches Climate, Jobs & Justice Package
NY RENEWS CAMPAIGN LAUNCH: The broad coalition of environmental, community, labor and other groups that proved pivotal in enacting New York’s climate law is back with a revamped agenda for the 2023 legislative session. Rather than devoting significant energy into a de facto carbon tax that proved politically unpalatable, the coalition will instead be promoting a package of investments and statutory measures to implement the climate law. The coalition plans events across the state on Nov. 16 to unveil the package and begin building momentum.
What’s in the package? The biggest open question on implementing the state’s climate law remains funding for incentives and programs to reduce emissions. NY Renews is pushing a new fund at $10 billion. “This is our solution: It’s more money from the right sources to make sure that we’re facing this crisis with justice and equity and it’s going to invest and build on efforts to meet our state’s climate law mandates,” said Katherine Nadeau, Catskill Mountainkeeper's Deputy Director during a mass call on the package on Oct. 24. “It’s going to go on budget, it’s up to the Legislature to establish this fund.”
The $10 billion Climate and Community Protection Fund ask is modeled to some degree on the Environmental Protection Fund and aligned with the programs included in NY Renews’ previous flagship measure: the Climate and Community Investment Act. No new agency is envisioned to administer the funding. NY Renews was still finalizing its spending plan as of the mass call. Buckets envisioned for the fund include climate jobs and infrastructure, energy assistance for low and moderate-income families; cash and job training for workers impacted by the transition along with community assistance; and grants for communities to fund and execute grassroots energy planning efforts.