Diverse Coalition of Environmental Groups, Drinking Water Suppliers, and Wastewater Treatment Operators Join in Albany to Present Plan to Provide Clean and Affordable Water for All New Yorkers

In the face of cuts to clean water programs and critical agency staff at the federal level, the NY Clean Water Coalition calls on NY to step up and increase clean water funding and protections

For immediate release: Tuesday, February 25, 2025

For more information, contact:

Adrienne Esposito, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, 631-384-1378, aesposito@citizenscampaign.org

Brian Smith, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, 716-472-4078, bsmith@citizenscampaign.org

Albany, NY—Today the New York State Clean Water Coalition announced their 2025 Clean Water Agenda in Albany. From increased funding for clean water infrastructure, to increased staffing at the Department of Health, to policies that would eliminate toxic PFAS chemicals from products, and more, the 2025 Clean Water Agenda lays out budget and policy priorities needed to protect New York’s water, from its source to our taps. The Coalition stressed the urgency for New York State to act, given the federal administration's efforts to halt federal funding, cut staff at environmental agencies, and rollback clean water protections.

The Coalition joined with Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Deborah Glick, chairs of the Senate and Assembly Environmental Conservation Committees, to call for increased funding in the 2025-2026 budget for the NYS Clean Water Infrastructure Act (CWIA). The coalition is requesting $600 million. Governor Hochul has proposed to maintain funding for the program at $500 million in her executive budget proposal. The U.S. EPA estimates a $90 billion need to upgrade and maintain wastewater and drinking water infrastructure in NYS.

Senator Harckham, Chair, Environmental Conservation Committee said: “The Clean Water Infrastructure Act has helped communities across the state with vital water quality improvements for their residents. We need to increase our commitment in protecting our fragile drinking water supplies to ensure long-term sustainability for our residents.”

“All New Yorkers deserve access to clean, safe drinking water. The Clean Water Infrastructure Act is critical funding that has made progress in addressing some of New York’s aging water infrastructure, but each year, the need is far greater than the funds available. As we look at the increased flooding and storm surges that come with climate change, along with uncertainty of support from the federal government, New York investing in clean water has never been more important. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the legislature along with advocates to ensure that CWIA funds are prioritized in the final budget agreement,” said Assemblymember Deborah Glick, Chair of the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee.

Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director for Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said: “New York’s Clean Water Infrastructure Act has been a resounding success for our environment and economy, but we have much more work to do. Now, as the federal government signals an assault on clean water protections, it’s more important than ever for New York to step up and increase clean water funding and protections. We look forward to working with Governor Hochul, Senator Harckham, Assemblymember Glick and other elected leaders to meet the moment and take every action needed to protect clean and affordable water for all New Yorkers.”

Jenny Ingrao-Aman, Executive Director, New York Section American Water Works Association said: "New York’s water systems are at a critical crossroads. With federal cuts threatening clean water programs and environmental protections, it is imperative that our state steps up to invest in our water infrastructure, workforce, and regulatory agencies. We urge our state leaders to prioritize increased funding to protect public health, safeguard our environment, and secure the future of New York’s water systems."

Rob Hayes, Senior Director of Clean Water with Environmental Advocates NY, said, "Every county in New York State has benefitted from the Clean Water Infrastructure Act. These grants are protecting public health, creating good-paying union jobs, and keeping water bills affordable. But the need to safeguard our drinking water is greater than ever, especially with new federal requirements to replace dangerous lead pipes and filter toxic PFAS chemicals. We are grateful for Senator Harckham and Assemblymember Glick's leadership in advocating to increase Clean Water Infrastructure Act funding to $600 million this year, and we look forward to the State Legislature and Governor including this investment in the final state budget."

Jill Jedlicka, executive director of Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper stated: “State funding is crucial to the health of New York’s Great Lakes and our other waterways in Western New York. Local communities continue to be challenged by crumbling water infrastructure, the threat of PFAS and lead in our drinking water supplies, and the need for source water protection. The most important action our leaders can take is to ensure that policies like the Clean Water Infrastructure Act are funded at meaningful levels relative to the scale of the problem. Our lawmakers in New York State have demonstrated leadership on these issues before. Today, our communities are counting on our Governor, legislative leadership and Western New York representatives to unite and rise to the occasion again to protect the health and integrity of Western New York’s waterways and Great Lakes.”

"New Yorkers deserve clean, safe water — but right now, too many communities are struggling with failing pipes, sewage overflows, and drinking water contamination," said Jeremy Cherson, Associate Director of Government Affairs for Riverkeeper. "With the chaos at the federal level, we can’t afford to wait. The Clean Water Infrastructure Act has been a game-changer, but demand now exceeds the funding available. That’s why our broad coalition of environmental advocates, wastewater and drinking water utilities, and workers are calling on the Legislature to increase funding to $600 million. This is about protecting our health, our economy, and our future."

David Ansel, vice president of water protection, Save the Sound: "Nitrogen pollution is the leading threat to water quality in Long Island Sound. Clean Water Infrastructure Act programs like the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act, Intermunicipal Grant program, and the Septic System Replacement Program support communities seeking to repair and upgrade their infrastructure to reduce nitrogen pollution in their bays and harbors and protect habitat and marine life. To meet the growing challenges in the Long Island Sound region and across the state, clean water infrastructure funding must keep up with rising costs. That is why Save the Sound supports a $100 million increase to the CWIA in the budget for FY2026."

The CWIA supports a number of programs that work to protect clean water, from its source to the tap. This includes, but is not limited to, upgrading outdated sewage treatment plants, installing advanced treatment technology to filter emerging contaminants from drinking water, lead pipe replacement, replacing failing septic systems, acquiring land critical to protecting source water, reducing pollution from farms that impact water quality, and more. The state has appropriated $5.5 billion to the CWIA since its inception in 2017.

The Coalition highlighted several points to justify a funding increase, including but not limited to:

• An estimated 296 communities across New York State will have to comply with new federal drinking water regulations for dangerous PFAS chemicals, costing communities hundreds of millions of dollars to install new drinking water treatment technology.

• Federal regulations require that New York State replace all of its estimated 494,000 lead pipes by 2037, which is estimated to cost up to $5 billion.

• According to the EPA, New York’s wastewater and drinking water needs have reached nearly $90 billion

• New York can and must spend more:

  • In 2024, NYS awarded approximately $800 million to at least 250 projects through the CWIA—far exceeding the $600 million request being supported by coalition.

  • The Water Infrastructure Improvement Act (WIIA), a program within the CWIA, was significantly oversubscribed in 2024—271 eligible, shovel-ready applications, requesting $744 million, did not receive the funding they needed.

• CWIA is estimated to create 17 jobs for every million dollars invested. Extrapolated out for the $5.5 billion appropriated thus far, the CWIA is estimated to create over 93,000 jobs!

Trump Presidency Looms Over New York’s Ambitious Climate Agenda

SOURCE:

https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/11/15/trump-zeldin-hochul-climate-environment/

BY SAMANTHA MALDONADO - November 15, 2024

With President Donald Trump set to return to the White House, New York is all but on its own to play catch-up with its ambitious, legally mandated climate goals.

The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, passed in 2019 during Trump’s first presidential term, requires the state to have zero-emissions electricity by 2040 and slash greenhouse gas emissions 85% by 2050.

While the state has made some progress — aided in large part by the Biden administration, whose friendly stance toward climate action gave way to smoother offshore wind permitting and tax incentives for cleaner vehicles — it’s got a long way to go. Even with that wind at its back, however, New York had already fallen about three years behind its own benchmarks.

“The role of the state is far more important, in that we can no longer rely on the federal government,” said Michael Gerrard, director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University. “There’s plenty we can do if we have the political will.”

Gerrard said Gov. Kathy Hochul should double down on advancing the climate law’s aims by following the sweeping policy blueprint that plots out a transition away from fossil fuels for all parts of New York’s economy, from home heating and energy sources, to what kinds of cars are on the road. But the state lacks a clear funding source or spending plan to carry that out.

“New York has taken significant steps to implement the Climate Act and we will continue our ongoing efforts to build a clean energy economy,” Paul DiMichele, a spokesperson for Hochul, said in a statement.

One person who could help or hinder Hochul’s efforts is Lee Zeldin, Trump’s appointee to head the Environmental Protection Agency. Zeldin, a former state senator and Congressman representing eastern Long Island, challenged Hochul for governor in 2022 and came within six points of winning. This summer, he called New York’s climate law “unrealistic and unobtainable,” saying its goals amounted to “pathetic political posturing.”

Zeldin said Tuesday that the EPA has the “opportunity to roll back regulations that are forcing businesses to struggle.” That echoes some groups in New York that have raised concerns over the impacts and feasibility of the state’s climate goals. The Business Council of New York gave Zeldin a “top pro-business score” in 2014 when he was a state senator, while just three years earlier, Environmental Advocates New York awarded him an “Oil Slick” award.

Still, Hochul is holding out hope that her former political rival will remember where he’s from: an area vulnerable to flooding and growing more so as sea levels rise, reliant on groundwater as its drinking source, and home to many whose livelihoods depend on a healthy environment.

“Hopefully, these are all factors that the new head of EPA will know, what was happening in his backyard, and try to help solve problems, not create more,” Hochul said this week.

Zeldin does not have a reputation as an environmental champion, though advocates who worked with him locally said he stepped up in crucial times.

Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Long Island-based Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said she asked Zeldin to publicly oppose Trump’s idea to drill for oil off the East Coast. He did, she said, in part because he recognized the harmful impact that would have had on Long Island fishermen.

“When pressed by his constituents on issues that they really cared about, he would be responsive. What I’m worried about now is that his responsiveness will turn away from the public and more towards Trump’s agenda,” Esposito said. 

Regarding Trump, Esposito added, “He traded the industry’s bottom lines for public health. When he had to choose between the two, he chose industry. What we need Zeldin to do is fight for the public need above corporate greed.” 

Rejecting Climate Science

What Zeldin ultimately decides to do if confirmed as head of the EPA may be a question of how closely he hews to Trump’s vision. 

Trump has long rejected climate science. During his first term, his administration gutted research funding, and the EPA rolled back over 100 policies and rules aimed at lowering planet-warming emissions and protecting the environment. 

Perhaps the biggest impact the EPA could have on New York’s climate aims is rolling back Biden-era rules that limit harmful tailpipe emissions. These rules aimed to slash pollution and push the U.S. vehicle market toward electric and hybrid vehicles.

This rule boosted New York’s efforts to tackle its largest source of planet-warming emissions: the transportation sector. Hochul issued a directive requiring all cars sold in the state to be zero-emissions — that is, powered by hydrogen or electricity — by 2035.

“Whether we’re able to meet the 2035 target, and what happens along the way is mostly out of our hands, it’s mostly a federal matter,” Gerrard said. “That’s the single thing that I think is the greatest problem that the election has for New York’s achievement of these climate goals.”

One person uniquely poised to nudge the Trump administration toward greater support for electric vehicles is Elon Musk, Trump’s confidant, appointee to co-lead a new proposed Department of Government Efficiency, and founder of electric car manufacturer Tesla.

Some New York environmental advocates are pushing for the state to adopt a clean fuel standard, which would require a reduction in the carbon intensity of vehicles, thereby incentivizing a switch from gasoline to a lower-emissions fuels such as biodiesel. The state Senate passed legislation to do so, but the Assembly never held a vote on the measure. Hochul could prioritize state approval of such a standard.

‘Dominance,’ Renewables Included

Zeldin also promised to “pursue energy dominance” for the U.S., without specifying what kind of energy he wants to be dominant. 

“Does that mean only fossil fuels? Trump has been outspoken in opposing offshore wind — do wind and solar and geothermal factor into that equation?” said Judith Enck, a former regional administrator of the EPA. “It’s in the EPA wheelhouse. The EPA sometimes issues permits for coal-fired power plants, fracking, pipelines.”

One clue: When Zeldin ran for governor, he vowed to overturn New York’s ban on fracking and said New York was not “tapping into” a supply of energy, suggesting the state could extract natural gas, which he said would also create jobs.

But clean energy has been a job creator nationwide, and years earlier, Zeldin had recognized its benefits.

“The key is to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, to become more environmentally friendly and pursue clean and green energy,” Zeldin said during a 2016 congressional campaign debate against his Democratic challenger.

Environmental advocates say that fulfilling Zeldin’s “energy dominance” pledge will have to include renewables in the mix at some level.

“I don’t see how the country is energy dominant or energy secure and less reliant on the roller coaster ride of the oil markets if we’re not getting more of our energy, including for our vehicles, from electricity and renewable sources,” said Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters. 

Zeldin, however, voted against the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, which have been credited with spurring investment in clean energy and manufacturing — including in New York.

Trump has vowed to rescind unspent dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act — a big risk for the state. Already, his transition team is seeking to repeal the IRA’s electric vehicle tax credit.

“New York needs to be cognizant of that when it comes to prioritizing the resources it does have to maximize greenhouse gas reduction,” said Patrick Orecki, director of state studies at the Citizens Budget Commission, in an email. 

He emphasized that while federal dollars and incentives help advance the climate law, the state is ultimately on the hook to find its own funding.

New York is slated to establish a program, known as “cap-and-invest,” that would charge polluters for emissions they spew in an effort to incentivize them to emit less and to raise money to pay for climate-related investments. But the state has yet to write regulations for the program — one of several key deadlines in the Climate Act its missed. 

“If the state keeps missing climate law milestones, nobody else is coming to our rescue,” said Eddie Bautista, executive director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance. “We’re all disappointed and waiting to see if she will start taking climate change mitigation and adaptation with the urgency we need.”

Victory for Clean Water! New York State Budget Restores Crucial Clean Water Funding

Proposed cut is rejected with final budget providing full funding at $500 million for clean water infrastructure projects

CCE applauds elected leaders for securing vital funding that helps to provide safe and affordable drinking water to New York’s communities

For immediate release: April 19, 2024

For more information, contact:

Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, 516-390-7150, aesposito@citizenscampaign.org

Brian Smith, Associate Executive Director, 716-472-4078, bsmith@citizenscampaign.org

Albany, NY— Today CCE is celebrating the allocation of $500 million for the Clean Water Infrastructure Act (CWIA) included in the final 2024-25 state budget. The CWIA program allows communities to upgrade sewers and septic systems, fix drinking water pipes, install treatment technology for emerging contaminants, protect source water, and more. Since 2017, New York has provided $5 billion for this important program, which has provided significant results for New York’s environment and economy. While previous budgets have allocated $500 million per year for clean water, Governor Hochul originally proposed $250 million in her SFY 2024-25 Executive Budget proposal. The Senate and Assembly budgets both proposed to restore the funding for this important program, and $500 million for the CWIA was ultimately included in the final budget.

Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director at Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE), issued the following statement:

“Citizens Campaign for the Environment is thrilled that Clean Water Infrastructure Act funding, which helps protect our water from its source to our taps, was restored in this year’s budget.  New York has made significant investments in clean water in recent years, but it’s only a drop in the bucket of the $80 billion needed to upgrade aging wastewater and drinking water infrastructure over 20 years. Our communities continue to struggle with nitrogen pollution and harmful algal blooms caused by aging sewage infrastructure, sink holes and water main breaks, lead pipes, and emerging contaminants such as PFAS and 1,4-dioxane in drinking water. Ignoring these problems does not make them go away. It will only become more expensive over time while putting our environment and public health at greater risk.

Robust funding in recent years has helped to advance numerous successful clean water projects, and we are thrilled to see funding restored in this year’s budget, which will allow communities to continue progress toward safe and affordable drinking water for all New Yorkers. CCE thanks environmental champions Senator Harckham and Assemblymember Glick, along with Speaker Heastie, Majority Leader Stewart Cousins, and Governor Hochul for working to restore this critical funding in the final budget.”