While there were important commitments from New York State Governor Kathy Hochul in her FY2026 executive budget proposal released Tuesday, Save the Sound will continue pushing for bolder investment to protect clean water, accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels, and mitigate the devastating impacts of climate change.
Governor Hochul proposed $500 million for the Clean Water Infrastructure Act and $400 million for the Environmental Protection Act, matching the current spending levels for both key clean water programs. Save the Sound and other organizations in the New York State Clean Water coalition are calling for $600 million for the CWIA and $500 million for the EPF.
“New York State has been a leader in supporting clean water projects in recent years, but we must ramp up our investment to counter the degrading impacts that climate change has on water quality, which grow worse and more expensive to address every year,” said David Ansel, vice president of water protection for Save the Sound. “Governor Hochul has spoken about the affordability crisis facing New Yorkers. The cost of upgrading a wastewater treatment plant or installing green infrastructure also keeps going up. Communities in the Long Island Sound region and across the state simply cannot afford to take on essential wastewater and stormwater infrastructure projects without state funding commensurate with the costly challenges.”
New York also has led in addressing climate change, enacting the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act back in 2019. Last year, Governor Hochul took the bold step of signing the Climate Superfund Act, making New York the second state to pass a law requiring polluters to pay a share of the costs communities face adapting to climate change. Save the Sound applauds the Governor’s proposed $1 billion investment to transition the state away from fossil fuels, but stresses there is more we must be doing at this critical crossroads.
“Our planet is sick. We are in a climate crisis, and we cannot afford not to do everything in our power to protect New Yorkers, our homes and businesses, and our natural environment from the extreme weather events that are becoming increasingly frequent,” said Ansel. “Delaying implementation of a cap-and-invest program and omitting the New York Home Energy Transition Act from the 2026 budget are missed opportunities to ensure that we get back on track toward meeting the climate goals required by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.”