Sierra Club on 2020 State of the State: Cuomo Leans in on Climate Law Implementation and Resilience

Albany, N.Y.—Yesterday, Governor Cuomo made climate resilience and climate change solutions implementation a focal point of his State of the State address, announcing new investments and programs in clean energy, clean transportation, and a major $3 billion bond act to preserve and revitalize thousands of acres of ecologically important land as part of a ‘Restore Mother Nature’ platform.

This is the first State of the State address since last year’s passage of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) which established the strongest climate law in the nation. The Governor made the commitment to begin aggressive implementation of the law, including increased incentives for renewable energy and transmission, promises to remove barriers to site and build renewable energy projects faster, and increased investments in clean transportation, especially the exciting announcement commiting the largest transit agencies in the state to full bus electrification by 2035 are historic steps to meet the law’s aggressive carbon emission reductions targets.

In 2020, the real work to implement New York’s climate law and make the state more resilient to climate change begins. The Sierra Club applauds the Governor’s emphasis on the environment, and urges the Governor to:

• Work with the legislature to clarify that the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act prohibits building new fracked gas plants and fracked gas infrastructure
• Rapidly advance the siting and building of large renewable energy projects in the state, and ensuring a final order is issued on the new 70% Clean Energy Standard proceeding by the end of 2020
• Rapidly advance and strategically site energy storage coupled with renewable energy to replace dirty gas and oil peaking units in New York City and Long Island.
• Make a commitment to reduce motor vehicle emissions at least 55% by 2035, by rapidly increasing the number of electric vehicles on the road through proven policies that make electric vehicles affordable and rapidly expanding charging infrastructure, and joining our neighboring states in the Regional Transportation and Climate Initiative
• Include in “Restore Mother Nature Platform” commitments to ban ecosystem harming pesticides like neonicotinoids and fill regulatory gaps for the protection of wetlands and headwater streams.

In response to the governor’s speech, Sierra Club Representatives made the following statements:

“Governor Cuomo clearly understands that clean water and healthy ecosystems are a cornerstone of any thriving economy. His proposed $3 billion dollar “Restoring Mother Nature Bond Act” is a big deal and will go a long way in reducing catastrophic flooding, protecting drinking water, and making NY more resilient to the ravages of climate change. And building on last year’s plastic bag ban – his proposal to ban polystyrene will help eliminate another persistent scourge on NY’s waterways. With the Trump Administration’s rollbacks on the Clean Water Act, Governor Cuomo’s leadership in protecting headwater streams and wetlands has become all the more important.” - Roger Downs, New York’s Atlantic Chapter Conservation Director for the Sierra Club

“Governor Cuomo’s moves to accelerate the electric vehicle economy, high-speed rail and the critical commitment to zero emission transit buses are important steps in the right direction to clean up New York’s most polluting sector, but the urgency of our climate crisis requires us to go even bigger and bolder on clean transportation. Building on these notable announcements, we hope to see Governor Cuomo make a specific commitment to reduce motor vehicle emissions 55% by 2035 by implementing proven policies for electrification, charging, and revenue in order to reach our state’s goal of 100% clean energy sector-wide by 2050.” - Allison Considine, New York Campaign Representative for the Sierra Club

“We commend the Governor’s urgent call to action to address the climate crisis. The Governor must ensure that no new gas plants get permitted or built, develop a phase-out and transition plan for existing gas infrastructure, and remove the barriers that prevent the aggressive scaling-up of renewable energy. We’ve started on the path towards a clean and renewable future where New York can lead the nation as the renewable energy economic and jobs powerhouse.  But without fully transitioning off gas while rapidly building renewable energy, the state’s electric sector climate targets will not be realized.” - Lisa Dix, Senior New York Campaign Manager for the Sierra Club