NYLPI - New York Lawyers for the Public Interest Inc.

04/18/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/18/2024 12:13

NY Renews Releases Statement on TED Bill of the FY 2025 New York State Budget

NY Renews Releases Statement on TED Bill of the FY 2025 New York State Budget

April 18, 2024

Clean School Bus, Climate and Energy Justice, Congestion Pricing, Disability Justice, Environmental Justice, Health Justice, Immigrant Justice, Media Coverage, News

In response to the Transportation, Economic Development and Environmental Conservation (TED) Bill of the FY 2025 New York State Budget, NY Renews issued the following statement:

It's outrageous that our state leaders are considering passing a state budget that includes no attempt to address the climate or affordability crises that threaten the lives and livelihoods of New Yorkers statewide. If passed as it stands, this year's New York State Budget would be an abysmal abdication of responsibility on the part of Governor Hochul and the Assembly, particularly Assembly Speaker Heastie.

After a year of climate catastrophes and skyrocketing utility bills, the current budget signals that state leadership is choosing to willingly ignore the climate and environmental justice crisis that is quite literally killing New Yorkers at higher and higher rates each year. By not including the NY HEAT Act, the Climate Change Superfund Act, or new investments in climate and environmental justice, state leadership prefers to protect their fossil fuel industry investors over the wallets and health of working New Yorkers, raising our energy bills and continuing to funnel billions of dollars into expanding and maintaining the state's toxic and polluting fossil fuel system.

This is the existential crisis of our era. Every year that we don't take bold strides toward climate justice in New York is sentencing more New Yorkers to asthma, heart disease, heat stroke, natural disasters, disruptions, and yes, death. These threats will only continue to impact New York's Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, and working-class communities the hardest, worsening an already criminal level of inequality we see in New York. Every year we don't take action, the more costly the energy transition, disaster recovery, and climate resilience become.

Governor Hochul, Speaker Heastie, and members of the New York State Assembly: You have a choice. You can choose to sentence New Yorkers to high bills and ever-escalating climate disasters, or you can pass the entire Climate, Jobs, and Justice Package before the end of session and lead the way toward the just, healthy, and livable future your constituents deserve.

NYLPI is an active member of NY Renews. a coalition of over 380 environmental justice, faith, labor, and community groups, and the force behind the nation's most progressive climate law. We fight for good jobs and climate justice for New Yorkers statewide.

Download the full statement here.