EcoWatch
Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k Subscribe Subscribe
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Policy
  • Renewables
  • Culture
  • Science
  • Go Solar Today
      • Top Companies By State
        • California Solar Companies
        • Texas Solar Companies
        • New York Solar Companies
        • Florida Solar Companies
        • See All States
      • Top Incentives By State
        • California Solar Incentives
        • Texas Solar Incentives
        • New York Solar Incentives
        • Florida Solar Incentives
        • See All States
      • Solar Panel Costs By State
        • Solar Panel Costs in California
        • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
        • Solar Panel Costs in New York
        • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
        • See All States
      • Value of Solar by State
        • Is Solar Worth It In California?
        • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
        • Is Solar Worth It New York?
        • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
        • See All States
      • Company Reviews
        • Tesla Solar Review
        • Sunrun Solar Review
        • SunPower Solar Review
        • Vivint Solar Review
        • See All Companies
      • Common Solar Questions
        • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
        • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
        • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
        • Can You Finance Solar?
        • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
        • Payback On Solar Panels?
      • Solar Resources
        • Interactive Solar Calculator
        • Federal Solar Tax Credit 2023
        • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
        • Tesla Solar Roof Review
        • Cheapest Solar Panels
      • Companies Compared
        • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs SunPower
        • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
        • SunPower vs ADT Solar
EcoWatch
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Policy
  • Renewables
  • Culture
  • Science
  • Go Solar Today
    • Go Solar Today
    • Top Companies By State
      • California Solar Companies
      • Texas Solar Companies
      • New York Solar Companies
      • Florida Solar Companies
      • See All States
    • Top Incentives By State
      • California Solar Incentives
      • Texas Solar Incentives
      • New York Solar Incentives
      • Florida Solar Incentives
      • See All States
    • Solar Panel Costs By State
      • Solar Panel Costs in California
      • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
      • Solar Panel Costs in New York
      • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
      • See All States
    • Value of Solar by State
      • Is Solar Worth It In California?
      • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
      • Is Solar Worth It New York?
      • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
      • See All States
    • Company Reviews
      • Tesla Solar Review
      • Sunrun Solar Review
      • SunPower Solar Review
      • Vivint Solar Review
      • See All Companies
    • Common Solar Questions
      • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
      • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
      • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
      • Can You Finance Solar?
      • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
      • Payback On Solar Panels?
    • Solar Resources
      • Interactive Solar Calculator
      • Federal Solar Tax Credit 2023
      • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
      • Tesla Solar Roof Review
      • Cheapest Solar Panels
    • Companies Compared
      • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs SunPower
      • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
      • SunPower vs ADT Solar

The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k
    EcoWatch
    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k
    Home Policy

    New Yorkers to Vote on First Environmental Bond Act in 26 Years

    By: Olivia Rosane
    Published: November 3, 2022
    Edited by Chris McDermott
    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon
    Construction work on a flood defense project on the east side of Manhattan, New York City
    Construction work on a flood defense project on the east side of Manhattan, New York City, on Dec. 12, 2021. ED JONES / AFP via Getty Images
    Why you can trust us

    Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

    On the upcoming midterm elections Tuesday, November 8, New Yorkers have a chance to invest in a greener future for their state. 

    If voters approve Proposition #1, the “Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022,” they would authorize New York to sell $4.2 billion worth of state bonds to finance projects to help the state reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, protect its environment and better prepare for the impacts of the climate crisis. 

    “When it comes to the worsening climate catastrophe, it’s hard not to get depressed. But action is warranted, not hand wringing. Prop #1 moves New York forward in adapting the state to the growing climate threats,” New York Public Interest Research Group Executive Director Blair Horner said in a statement reprinted by WAMC Northeast Public Radio. 

    The measure was actually passed by the state Legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul as part of the 2022 state budget, Gotham Gazette explained. However, any measure that increases New York state’s bond debt must be signed off on by voters. The proposition is the first environmental bond act on the New York ballot in 26 years, according to The Guardian.

    If passed, the measure would: 

    1. Put at least $1.5 billion towards mitigating climate change.
    2. Put at least $1.1 billion towards flood prevention and natural restoration.
    3. Put at least $650 million towards creating more green spaces and conserving nature.
    4. Put at least $650 million towards improving water quality and infrastructure. 

    The climate mitigation projects would include funneling at least $500 million towards electric school buses, reducing emissions from state-owned buildings and farms, making cities more resilient to heat waves through cooling centers and green space and curbing pollution in marginalized communities. 

    More From EcoWatch
    • What Is The Best Solar Company In California?
    • What Is The Cost For A Tesla Solar Battery?
    • Calculate How Much Solar Can Save You With Our Solar Calculator

    “This is the first time in a generation that New Yorkers have had this opportunity to vote for environmental funding,” Nature Conservancy director of policy and strategy Jessica Ottney Mahar told Gotham Gazette. “The bond act is focused on really big issues facing all of our communities.”

    Supporters of the act, which include the Democratic Party and several advocacy groups, say that it will fund much-needed improvements that will make the state more resilient to storms like 2012’s Superstorm Sandy, which killed 44 people in the state and cut power to 2.5 million, as Horner pointed out. Beyond Sandy, climate-fueled storms have cost the state $50 to $100 billion over the last two decades, according to a 2022 federal report. The bond money will also allow the state to update infrastructure like lead pipes. 

    “A lot of New Yorkers are still relying on infrastructure that was put into the ground 100 years ago, so it’s time for some upgrades,” Ottney Mahar told The Guardian.

    The main opposition to the proposal comes from the Conservative Party and other fiscal conservatives who argue against taking on more debt.

    “New Yorkers do not need another $4.2 billion in public debt, together with its resulting debt service,” state Conservative Party Chair Gerard Kassar said in a statement reported by Gotham Gazette. 

    However, proponents, who are more vocal and organized, counter that this view is short-sighted. One study found that the bond could create 84,000 jobs. Further, Ottney Mahar told The Guardian that the money would make it easier for New York to access funds from the bipartisan Infrastructure Act and the Inflation Reduction Act that require matching state funds for federal support. 

    “It’s good debt,” New York League of Conservation Voters President Julie Tighe said, as Gotham Gazette reported. 

    So far, it looks like voters agree with her. A Siena Research Institute poll from mid-October found that 54 percent of voters supported the proposal and 26 percent opposed it. 

    “Climate change is a very important issue for voters, not just in New York or in the United States, but globally,” deputy director of research for the Rockefeller Institute of Government Laura Rabinow said, as The Guardian reported. “I think the goals themselves are a reflection of that building consensus.”

    Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

      By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

      Olivia Rosane

      Olivia Rosane is a freelance writer and reporter with a decade’s worth of experience. She has been contributing to EcoWatch daily since 2018 and has also covered environmental themes for Treehugger, The Trouble, YES! Magazine and Real Life. She holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Cambridge and a master’s in Art and Politics from Goldsmiths, University of London.
      Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

      Read More

      'We Have to Act Fast': 2 Degrees of Warming Could Cause 1 Billion Deaths Over Next Century
      A new study by Joshua Pearce of London’s Western University
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
      London's Ultra Low Emission Zone Expands to Entire City
      To reduce traffic emissions in the City of London, Mayor
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
      Small Urban Greening Projects Can Greatly Increase Insect Species Numbers in Cities
      Insects provide many essential benefits to ecosystems, including pollinating crops
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes

      Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

        By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

        Latest Articles

        • ‘We Have to Act Fast’: 2 Degrees of Warming Could Cause 1 Billion Deaths Over Next Century
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          August 30, 2023
        • London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone Expands to Entire City
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          August 29, 2023
        • Plant-Based Shrimp and Calamari Coming to UK Grocery Stores
          by Paige Bennett
          August 29, 2023
        • Oil Spills 101: Everything You Need to Know
          by Linnea Harris
          August 29, 2023
        • Small Urban Greening Projects Can Greatly Increase Insect Species Numbers in Cities
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          August 28, 2023
        • UN Strengthens Children’s Rights to Fight Climate Change in Court
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          August 28, 2023
        • Cleaner Fuels Replace Over Half the Amount of Diesel Used in California for First Time
          by Paige Bennett
          August 28, 2023
        • Thousands of Emperor Penguin Chicks Die Due to Antarctic Ice Loss
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          August 28, 2023
        EcoWatch

        The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

          • Climate Climate
          • Animals Animals
          • Health + Wellness Health + Wellness
          • Insights + Opinion Insights + Opinion
          • Adventure Adventure
          • Oceans Oceans
          • Business Business
          • Solar Solar
          • About EcoWatch
          • Contact EcoWatch
          • EcoWatch Reviews
          • Terms of Use
          • Privacy Policy
          • Learn About Solar Energy
          • Learn About Deregulated Energy
          • EcoWatch UK
          Follow Us
          Facebook 573k
          Twitter 238k
          Instagram 37k
          Subscribe Subscribe

          Experts for a healthier planet and life.

          Mentioned by:
          Learn more
          • Privacy Policy
          • Terms of Use
          • Cookie Preferences
          • Do Not Sell My Information
          © 2023 EcoWatch. All Rights Reserved.