Opinion: It’s time to Cap Pollution, Lower Energy Bills, and Invest in NY’s Future

Through cap and invest we can both clean up our air and create consistent revenue that invests in our communities and puts money back into New Yorkers pockets Gov Kathy Hochul Don Pollard Office of Governor Hochul The future of force affordability in New York is being decided right now and so far we re not impressed Last year days away from the expected rollout of proposed regulations for the state s cap-and-invest activity Gov Kathy Hochul decided to kick the atmosphere can down the road Now these life-saving regulations remain under bureaucratic lock and key while overburdened communities continue to pay for toxicity surroundings disasters and skyrocketing costs with their wallets and wellbeing This summer as we discuss the first phase of the effort is a moment for bold leadership from the governor The stakes couldn t be higher for working-class New Yorkers communities of color and anyone who believes that clean air and economic justice go hand in hand function d u ac var s d createElement 'script' s type 'text javascript' s src 'https a omappapi com app js api min js' s async true s dataset user u s dataset campaign ac d getElementsByTagName 'head' appendChild s document 'u kmqsczew vunxutxmd' The cap-and-invest venture is simple require corporate polluters to pay for their emissions and allow the state to invest that money in good-paying jobs that build out an infrastructure of capacity efficiency conditions adaptation population vitality and ability affordability for New Yorkers At this moment New York doesn t have a tool that reduces our statewide emissions and raises ongoing funding for situation action Through cap and invest we can both clean up our air and create consistent revenue that invests in our communities and puts money back into New Yorkers pockets This revenue can be used to make direct payments to help New Yorkers cut down on consumer costs A review created in collaboration with Materials for the Future RFF and the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance NYC-EJA makes one thing clear We don t have to choose between situation action and economic justice Our research shows that plenty of New Yorkers could save money under a cap-trade-and-invest campaign especially when payments to New Yorkers are targeted by region and income Furthermore a high price for corporations to pay to pollute yields the greatest savings for multiple New Yorkers particularly those in households making less than per year By requiring polluters to pay for the toxins they dump in our air we can clean up our air and improve community healthcare without increasing costs for everyday New Yorkers The RFF and NYC-EJA assessment proves that we can make New York a safe and affordable place to live but only if we make corporate polluters pay for their emissions and close the loopholes that let them off the hook The truth is we can t afford to move any slower when it comes to reducing garbage and implementing conditions solutions The environment problem is here and New Yorkers are feeling the pain as we see extreme temperatures and weather events Not to mention we ve been paying for the context problem while corporations and billionaires destroy our planet and ecosystem for profit The Setting Action Council CAC and New York State Force Research and Progress Authority estimate that we need a minimum of billion annually to reduce our emissions and adapt to the impacts of a changing context with the likely of that number increasing every year The costs to address the surroundings emergency may seem overwhelming but the savings and benefits of weather action are far greater Research from the Weather Action Council demonstrated that making immediate conditions investments to meet the mandates of the Context Leadership and Region Protection Act or the Circumstances Act would upshot in net benefits to New York ranging from to billion over years This coupled with a reduction in statewide emissions will help reduce the damage of situation change saving New York State an estimated billion Until Gov Hochul implements the cap-and-invest venture New Yorkers will continue to pay for higher costs driven by food and water shortages syndrome and sickness weather disasters deteriorating infrastructure and fossil fuels The math is clear despite the preference to hide behind the pretense that there isn t enough information or available tools to act this day We must design the activity so that money savings and physical condition benefits from its implementation go to disadvantaged communities If the state fails to include measures like banning trading in or near these communities then New York will be forced to repeat the same environmental injustices as seen in California and danger creating or worsening existing garbage hot spots New York policymakers must stand firm Low-income New Yorkers already pay the price of waste with their soundness and healthcare bills as asthma rates soar in communities near power plants and highways They shouldn t have to pay twice once with their lungs and again with their wallets The Environment Act which requires a statewide reduction of waste was meant to be a groundbreaking law for circumstances and justice and it still can be if it s authentically funded and implemented Gov Hochul has a choice Will she make corporate polluters pay and fight for our right to breathe clean air or will she keep letting them poison and destroy our communities and charge us more while they re at it She cannot delay any longer She can reduce our emissions cut consumer costs and help with capacity affordability at present In the meantime we must demand that our leaders put people over big polluters and make the transition to a cleaner healthier more affordable future for all Eddie Bautista is executive director of New York City Environmental Justice Alliance The post Opinion It s time to Cap Garbage Lower Resource Bills and Invest in NY s Future appeared first on City Limits