Governor Cuomo’s 2016-2017 Executive Budget Proposal includes some positive policy proposals that would help to protect our environment and public health here in New York State.

However, there are aspects of the Governor’s proposal that would take New York in the wrong direction by making it harder for New York to achieve its climate and clean energy goals, and ensure sustained progress towards a healthier New York.

Recently, Governor Cuomo committed to reducing carbon pollution 80 percent by 2050, and generating half of our energy from clean renewables by 2030 – strong goals we’ve been fighting for. It’s a game-changer. But it can also be difficult to understand. So when we say 80x50, what does it all mean?

The cleanup of New York’s thousands of toxic, dangerous and dirty brownfields is crucial – unfortunately, the state’s current Brownfield Cleanup Program is broken.
 
As Environmental Advocates’ new report Ripe for Reform documents, the current program (while well-intended) has skidded off the rails. So far, it has cost taxpayers $1.4 billion to clean up just 170 sites. In other words, the average cost of a brownfield cleanup in New York State is $8.2 million dollars. That’s absurd.

Brownfields: every community has them, and there are tens of thousands statewide.