2023-24 Executive Budget Proposal:
New York State’s 2023-24 budget negotiations are happening simultaneously with the finalization of regulations that will implement the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), which are due in 2024. The question remains whether the Senate and Assembly, who enacted this nation leading climate law in 2019, will continue to pass laws required to keep the state on track to meet the goals of a zero emissions grid by 2040 and near carbon neutrality by 2050. At the end of 2022, the Climate Action Council (CAC) released a final scoping document with recommendations for areas where implementation of the CLCPA requires further legislative action for this new law to be timely and/or effective. With the climate crisis only intensifying, tension exists between waiting for the final rules and regulations to be implemented in 2024 and recognizing that there are actions the legislature and governor must take immediately if we are to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. It is crucial that we do not view this budget season independently from the CLCPA process, but as a fundamental part of its implementation.
The executive budget proposal contains legislation that aligns with several recommendations from the CAC, including initiatives focused on electrifying the building sector, reducing waste through circular economies, decarbonizing the transportation sector, generating revenue while reducing carbon pollution, and removing barriers to renewable energy development. But the Governor and the legislature are also pushing bill language, supported by the utilities and oil, gas and chemical companies, that diverges from the final scoping document. This includes exemptions and carve outs for industrial polluters, prolonged compliance timelines, and weakened zero emissions standards that could diminish the effectiveness of the plan. We urge the legislature to act upon the recommendations of the CAC and deviate only in cases in which it would notably strengthen the thoughtfully crafted recommendations in the final Scoping Plan. This will help ensure that there are no statutory or financial hurdles before the final CLCPA regulations are in place.
The legislature can support New York’s environment through the 2023-24 state budget process by:
Adequately funding and staffing the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The addition of 230+ DEC staff would help accommodate the additional work from CLCPA and the enforcement of new laws.
Growing the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) to $500 Million a year without staff offloading
Designating $1 Billion to fund the New York Water Infrastructure Improvement Act, with a focus on PFAS remediation
Supporting the Waste Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (Part PP of the TED)
Cleaning up “forever chemicals” (Part QQ of the TED)
Continuing to implement a Pesticide Registration Fee (Part SS if the TED)
Making NY’s buildings more sustainable through electrification (Part WW of the TED)
Advancing a Cap-and-Invest Climate Program for NY (Part AAA of the TED)
Supporting a Climate and Community Protection Fund of $10 Billion to facilitate the enactment of CLCPA
To read more about the Atlantic Chapter’s analysis of the SFY 2023-24 budget, read our full testimony here. View the Executive Budget Briefing Book here and the Transportation, Economic Development, and Environmental Conservation (TED) Article VII Bills here.
Chapter 2023 Legislative Priorities:
Building Decarbonization:
All-Electric Buildings Act S.562-A (Kavanagh)/A.920-A (Gallagher)
NY Home Energy Affordable Transition Act S.2016 (Krueger)/A.xx (Fahy)
Energy Efficiency Equity and Jobs Act: S.2469 (Parker)/A.2655 (Hunter)
Fossil Fuel Subsidies Elimination Act: S.3389 (Krueger)
Fossil Fuel Facilities Replacement and Redevelopment Blueprint Act S.2935 (Parker)
Toxics:
Personal Care Products: S.4265 (Webb)
Birds and Bees Protection Act: S.1856 (Hoylman-Sigal)/ A.3226 (Glick)
Tackling the persistent PFAS crisis
Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act S.4246 (Harckham)
Transportation:
Green Transit (S.3535-C/A.3090-A)* and Green Jobs bills (S.3405/A.2083)* (Kennedy/Dinowitz) *2022 bill numbers
Electric Planes, Trains, & Ferries: S.2966 (Kavanagh)/A.2246 (Simon)
Fixing SEQRA Standing A.4287(O'Donnell)/S.567 (Kavanagh)
Deforestation-Free Procurement Act S.4859 (Krueger)
For in depth descriptions of the bills above, refer to our “Chapter 2023 Legislative Priorities” document here.