On this Earth Day, these Newsday headlines should raise consciousness and sound the alarm to take urgent action:
Report: Nassau, Suffolk hit hard by disasters blamed on climate change
Long Island fourth nationally in potential risks due to climate change, Moody’s report says
Department of Environmental Conservation: More than 40 local communities ‘disadvantaged’
What is New York State doing? A lot.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has been a stalwart advocate in continuing the mission to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and kicked off New York State’s celebration of Earth Week by announcing a statewide educational listening tour for the $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022.
Overwhelmingly approved by voters last fall, the Bond Act prioritizes investments in environmental justice, climate change mitigation, shoreline restoration, flood resilience, water quality, open space land conservation, recreational resources and green jobs.
The tour will provide an opportunity for the public and potential funding applicants to learn more about the Bond Act, and for the community to weigh in on the draft criteria developed to identify potential projects.
The landmark Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act, the largest environmental bond in state history and the first in New York since 1996, authorizes $1.5 billion for climate change mitigation; $1.1 billion for restoration and flood risk reduction; $650 million for water quality improvement and resilient infrastructure; $650 million for open space land conservation and recreation; and $300 million for other projects not specifically allocated in the act. (See https://www.ny.gov/bondact)
Meanwhile, the state has taken major actions toward achieving the mandated goal of zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, enshrined into law through the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, 100 percent zero-emission electricity by 2040 and economy-wide carbon neutrality. These include:
- Introduced a new framework to achieve a nation-leading six gigawatts of energy storage by 2030 (amounting to 20 percent of the state’s peak electricity load) by expanding New York’s energy storage programs. The roadmap would support a build-out of storage deployments estimated to reduce future statewide electric system costs by $2 billion. It would improve public health (and therefore lower health costs) by reducing exposure to harmful fossil fuel pollutants.
- Called for zero-emission buildings for new construction throughout the state, with no on-site fossil fuel combustion by 2025 for smaller buildings, and by 2028 for larger buildings; buildings are the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions and co-pollutants.
- Directed the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to generate all their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030.
- Protecting the state’s drinking water with $500 million in funding to investigate and remove “forever chemicals”and ensure our drinking water is lead free. Municipalities could obtain funding to investigate sources of contamination and remediate contaminated sites over the next five years.
- Proposing a comprehensive waste reduction and management law for packaging that would support local recycling efforts, reduce the use of toxic chemicals, save taxpayer money, and advance the goal of sending zero waste to landfills. Solid waste is the fourth-largest contributor to climate-altering greenhouse gases. To protect communities and alleviate the burden on municipalities and taxpayers, Hochul is proposing to shift the responsibility of recycling to the producer.
- Build on New York’s nation-leading investments in transportation electrification by directing the Department of Public Service to identify and remove the barriers to deploying charging infrastructure.
- Improve MTA service and implement congestion pricing. An efficient, accessible, and reliable mass transit system is a key component to getting drivers out of their fossil fuel burning cars and into clean transportation.
- Launched the Green Purchasing Communities Program to incentivize local governments to commit to buying sustainable products and protect public health and the environment.
- Proposed a $75 billion Climate Change Superfund paid for by assessment on fossil fuel producers, and used to make state and Long island infrastructure more resilient against storms and surges.
- A proposed EmPower Plus program and the Energy Affordability Guarantee to help low-income New Yorkers retrofit their homes to become more energy efficient and keep their utility costs down.
- Creating an Office of Just Transition to assist workers and communities affected by the transition from fossil fuels.
But what is Nassau County under Executive Bruce Blakeman doing? Not much. There is no evidence that he has attempted to seek funding through any of these programs.
“Local governments are on the front line of this [environmental] crisis, and we have the opportunity to transform our community and make it healthier and more sustainable,” writes Nassau County Legislator Joshua A. Lafazan in an op-ed, Make Nassau County Carbon Neutral by 2035. Lafazan introduced legislation to make Nassau County’s government operations carbon neutral by 2035.
“New York State has already set a timeline of 2050, and there’s no reason that we shouldn’t be ambitious in leading the way right here in Nassau,” Lafazan writes.
Lafazan’s proposal only pertains to Nassau County’s government and municipal operations and does not establish new mandates for individual homeowners – basically a nudge to more actively participate in the multiple state and federal programs that are already available, which in many cases the county already participates in. (Former Nassau County Executive Laura Curran joined the Climate Smart Communities program, which recently awarded $11.6 million to 25 municipalities, including $910,000 to the Town of Brookhaven for flood mitigation, but there is no evidence that the current executive, Bruce Blakeman, has been actively engaged.)
“All citizens in Nassau will be the beneficiaries of a cleaner environment,” he writes. “Whether it’s improving the quality of our air, our drinking water, our beaches, buildings, parks and preserves, we all benefit from a greener Nassau. And of equal importance, this bill will make Nassau County a ‘Climate Smart’ community, ensuring that state and federal grants offset the costs of these improvements so we don’t have to hike a single dollar in taxes. In fact, going green will actually save taxpayers money by making our operations more efficient.
Lafazan is also calling on Blakeman and county legislators to join the “Cities Race to Zero” initiative, which already counts 130 communities.
“We don’t have any time to waste,” he says. Indeed, there has never been so much funding available and so much energy on the part of federal and state authorities to do what must be done to address the climate crisis already underway.
We reached out to Blakeman’s office for comment but received no response.