Fund Our Climate Goals in the State Budget

On March 20th, 2023 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released their latest report. You can read the New York Times article on it here: https://nyti.ms/3JROaoG or find the summary of the full report here: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/. The latest findings make it abundantly clear, we WILL reach critical no-return climate warming points by the early 2030s. This legislature as well as the former and current Governor’s have now let the CLCPA gone as an unfunded mandate for the last four years. We have not passed any new bold climate legislation or funding. In this year’s budget we have the chance to change that. If you aren’t already a co-sponsor of the bills below, I ask you co-sponsor them as quickly as possibly. If you are co-sponsored or soon will co-sponsor, I urge you to continue to push leadership to include them in the budget. The bills are as follows: 1) Build Public Renewables Act (S4134/A279) 2) Climate and Community Protection Fund (S5360, no Assembly version yet) 3) Climate Change Superfund Act (S2129/A3351) 4) NY Home Energy Affordable Transition Act (NY HEAT Act)(S2016/A4592) 5) All Electric Buildings Act (S562/A920) 6) Formula 3 Act (S4024/A4122) All of these bills will propel us forward in meeting our goals set out in the CLCPA. Currently we are still only at 4% wind and solar, 23% total renewables. That number has not moved in four years. We are falling behind our neighbors. New Jersey just moved forward their 100% renewable energy goal from 2050 to 2030. We should be in the same place as them. New York should be leading the country and world on this but so far we have not done anything substantial since passing the CLCPA. It is not only embarrassing to us but violates the Environmental Amendment to our State Constitution. Now is the time to act, we do not have any time to waste. Please co-sponsor these bills and tell leadership to include them in this year’s budget. Fund our futures, not our demise. Thank you for taking the time to read.