ALBANY, NY – Regarding New York State bill S.6030/A.6039, Assemblywoman Michaelle C. Solages, Chair of the NYS Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus released the following statement:
“There can be no doubt that a carbon neutral future is not only a moral imperative for the next generations but especially for the Black, Latino, & AAPI communities who have had to adapt to live with disproportionate environmental harms. These are the same communities that we as the New York State Legislature choose to position front and center in our advocacy for the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA).
On climate policy, the legislature must root every action we take in facts and science. We must utilize experts, who tell us that changing the 20-year GHG accounting standard in the Climate Act to a 100-year standard weakens climate action and impact by undercounting the amount of methane released. A weaker, 100-year calculation would - on paper only - make methane emissions appear less damaging than they are, which would reduce the state’s response to emissions reduction and decrease the amount of revenue collected under a pollution pricing system. If we’re not accurately measuring the impact of greenhouse gas emissions, then we’re not accurately accounting for current and future levels of pollution, distorting the improvements and benefits in environmental justice communities.
We cannot renege on our commitment to Black, Latino, & AAPI communities, and we must aggressively defend our capacity as a state to address long standing harms caused by negligence and environmental racism. We believe in a future with cleaner air and water, green jobs, healthy families, and prosperous communities. That is why we included real solutions, funding, and policy to help our communities justly transition in our People's Budget. New York State can pay to decarbonize homes, rebuild infrastructure renewably, and serve all New Yorkers. The best path forward is to build on the CLCPA and not weaken it.”
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