Gov. Andrew Cuomo is continuing to lobby legislators for support for his $3 billion bond for environmental projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Restore Mother Nature Bond Act is part of Cuomo\u2019s proposed fiscal year 2021 budget, but it must be approved by the state Legislature and put on the November ballot for voter approval. The bond is part of a $33 billion initiative to fight climate change, according to a statement from Cuomo\u2019s office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
New York is a leader in climate initiatives, according to Basil Seggos, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. But Cuomo said the state and the world are failing in their mission to save the planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is a crisis for the planet, and nobody’s in charge of the planet overall, but we are in charge of our state,\u201d Cuomo said. \u201cWe are responsible for this state, and we are going to start the most ambitious climate change program that any state has ever undertaken.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The $3 billion bond issue would fund park projects, flood mitigation, sustainable generations and algae blooms, Seggos said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
New York has been enacted several climate change initiatives in the past decade. The Cuomo administration set up a $3 billion fund for clean water. Another $500 billion has been designated for water project throughout New York. This year, a ban on single use polystyrene is being proposed after the state agreed to ban plastic bags effective March 1. And Cuomo wants a permanent ban on fracking in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd frankly, it could not come at a better time, with the onslaught against the environment out of Washington, to have a Governor that has positioned this state well for the first six years of his term, and now, as we weather this onslaught, to begin boldly filling these holes that the federal government is leaving in our hands,\u201d Seggos said. \u201cLast year, we had a banner year for the environment, culminating when the governor signed the nation’s, perhaps the world’s, leading climate law setting the most ambitious targets. And I will say that this year is likely to eclipse even last year’s historic achievements.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Republicans have criticized Cuomo for proposing additional spending in light of the state\u2019s estimated $6 billion deficit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Environmentalists praised the proposed bond issue, saying the state is showing that environmental laws do not stall economic growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNew York has shown the country that environmental integrity and a commitment to equity can guide development to meet the changing demands of the economy, the people and the planet,\u201d said environmentalist Wendy Neu. \u201cNew York today has built one of the strongest economies in the world while also as the Governor has said making unprecedented world-leading investments in building and guaranteeing a resilient future for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cuomo said he knows the proposal is \u201cbold\u201d but said the state has a history of leading on issues. The state was the first to pass a $15 an hour minimum wage and paid family leave, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe either accomplish this or we lose and the planet we leave our children is unsustainable, \u201cCuomo said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is continuing to lobby legislators for support for his $3 billion bond for environmental projects. The Restore Mother Nature Bond Act is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":77856,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-government"],"yoast_head":"\n