Cindy Carr, cindy.carr@sierraclub.org
ALBANY, NY -- Today, Governor Kathy Hochul announced her $233 billion FY 2025 budget, which includes a $400 million Environmental Protection Fund, a $250 million clean water infrastructure commitment, a $47 million fund to plant 25 million trees by 2033, a $200 million state park infrastructure grant, a $50 million commitment to energy affordability through the +Empower program, the Affordable Gas Transition Act, the Renewable Action Through Project Interconnection and Deployment (RAPID) and other Energy and Environment proposals. Many of these allocations represent reductions to environmental funding from last year’s budget or contain offloads to program funding.
In response, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter Conservation Director Roger Downs issued the following statement:
“The Sierra Club applauds Governor Hochul for her State of the State commitment to removing long-standing fossil fuel entitlements and ushering in a new era of innovation, affordability and climate equity in the building sector. New York cannot make the transition to healthy, cost-effective and emissions-free buildings if we continue to facilitate and subsidize new fracked gas infrastructure over efficient heat pumps and thermal energy networks. We hope that through the ‘Affordable Gas Transition Act’ the Governor can forge an agreement with the legislature to remove the ‘100 foot rule’ for gas hook ups and other such privileges for fossil fuel interests, while tackling the issue of energy affordability for all New Yorkers.
“Yet study after study has shown us that when it comes to addressing the climate crisis, inaction is always the most expensive option. To this end, Governor Hochul’s budget does cut funding for several key environmental priorities and offers slight-of-hand budget tricks that short-change the effectiveness of climate and clean water programs. Let’s be clear: balancing the budget with funds that would otherwise go to combating the PFAS chemical contamination crisis, advancing clean transportation, and helping disadvantaged communities is short-sighted -- and in the long run, unnecessarily expensive for our families and communities.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.