CONTACT:
Melissa Attias, Media Relations Coordinator
mattias@scenichudson.org; 845-473-4440 x289
Pete Lopez, Executive Director of Policy, Advocacy & Science
plopez@scenichudson.org: 845-473-4440 x117
For Immediate Release
HUDSON VALLEY – Scenic Hudson acknowledges the challenges facing state policymakers as they grapple with wide-ranging and deep reductions in federal funding and rollbacks in environmental policies. As a longstanding environmental leader in the Hudson Valley and across the state, Scenic Hudson is especially alarmed by the unprecedented retrenchment of support for addressing climate change and protecting the environment at the federal level. In New York, it is imperative that policymakers continue to stand strong to ensure the state does not move backwards.
While the Governor and the Legislature are working to keep core programs and funding intact in this budget, and we are encouraged by the agreement reached on the State Environmental Quality Review Act, there are cracks in the armor that are distressing to Scenic Hudson and others in the environmental community. We are particularly disappointed in the proposed changes to the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.
Ned Sullivan, President of Scenic Hudson, said, “Governor Hochul has been bold and relentless in her leadership in addressing New York’s housing and related affordability crisis, while also showing her commitment to land conservation across the state. We are pleased that the Governor and Legislature have recognized that forward-thinking land use policy can advance both the state’s housing and conservation goals. The budget’s refinements to the state environmental review process can guide new housing towards previously disturbed sites and facilitate connections with existing communities, limiting costly sprawl that threatens the state’s irreplaceable farmland, habitat, and open space resources. At the same time, the changes preserve critical local land use and environmental protection laws, reflecting the need to align development with the needs of individual communities. We will continue to assess the impact of these changes moving forward, and will work to ensure that land use policies at all levels of government create a blueprint for both sustainability and livability.”
Pete Lopez, Scenic Hudson’s Executive Director of Policy, Advocacy, and Science, said, “In an incredibly short period of time, Washington has threatened to single-handedly dismantle decades of dedicated investment in public health and the environment. We have hoped that New York State would serve as a bulkwork against these headwinds. Unfortunately, some of the decisions made in this year’s state budget fall short of countering those federal actions. We are disheartened to see the Governor and the Legislature’s amendments to New York’s trailblazing climate law, including a delayed timeline for emission reduction goals. However, we are grateful for the strengthened commitment to historically disadvantaged communities that face disproportionate burdens from climate change, as well as a feasibility study for a cap-and-invest program to limit emissions. We will continue to work closely with New York’s leaders and encourage them to prioritize ways to be environmentally and economically sustainable at the same time. We urge the Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, pending bills that would strengthen New York’s commitment to renewable energy as the most affordable alternative to fossil fuels and their skyrocketing costs.”
