Riverkeeper applauds NY State 2024 budget for environmental funding and policy wins

Riverkeeper commends Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature for passing a state budget that allocates significant environmental funding and supports policy wins including significant staffing increases for the Department of Environmental Conservation.

• $500 million for the Clean Water Infrastructure Act, which will help communities across the state upgrade their aging water infrastructure. The CWIA’s investment in New York’s water infrastructure has now reached $5 billion since the program’s inception in 2017.
• $400 million for the Environmental Protection Fund, which will support a variety of environmental programs, including water quality monitoring, habitat restoration, and pollution prevention. A breakdown of this year’s funding can be found here.
• Funds for 265 full time positions at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and other critical agencies for Environmental Bond Act implementation, permitting, and enforcement.
• First-in-the-nation phaseout of fossil fuel appliances in new construction which marks a significant breakthrough in implementing New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. The phaseout begins in 2025 for smaller construction then applies to larger buildings by 2028.

Tracy Brown, Riverkeeper President, stated, “New York State’s budget ensures we continue to invest in restoring the Hudson River, address the climate crisis, and tackle our failing water infrastructure. The continued funding for the Environmental Protection Fund and the Clean Water Infrastructure Act will provide vital resources to fulfill the clean water needs of communities across the state. The now approved funds for new staff at DEC are critically important as we turn to implement the $4.2 billion Environmental Bond Act. We are grateful to our elected officials and partners who joined us in advocating for these continued investments in clean water and New York’s environment.”

“Riverkeeper is thrilled with the policy and funding victories in the New York State budget, including the phase-out of fossil fuels in new construction, $500 million for the Clean Water Infrastructure Act, $400 million for the Environmental Protection Fund, and increased staffing at DEC for Bond Act implementation,” said Jeremy Cherson, Senior Manager of Government Affairs for Riverkeeper. “These investments will improve New York’s climate resilience, restore habitat, and reconnect New Yorkers to their waterfronts. We thank Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Heastie, Assemblymember Glick, and Senator Harckham for their commitment to clean water and the environment. We look forward to working with state leaders to pass additional climate, clean water, and environmental legislation in the weeks ahead.”