FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2025
Contact: Jama Joseph, 646-951-1648, jama.joseph@weact.org
NEW YORK — Released earlier this week, the New York State Legislature’s one-house budgets made critical strides towards the state’s climate goals but fell short of delivering the full benefits that communities of color and low-income need. With the federal government now actively ignoring the disparate impacts of climate change and other environmental hazards that these communities have been burdened with for decades, New York State has the chance to address these inequities and show its true leadership in environmental and climate justice.
WE ACT for Environmental Justice commends both houses for urging swift Cap & Invest regulations, and investing in the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) and Thermal Energy Networks. The final budget must also include the Green Affordable Pre-Electrification (GAP) Fund and the NY HEAT Act, alongside a full $200 million for Thermal Energy Networks to ensure an equitable clean energy transition.
The New York State Senate’s inclusion of the NY HEAT Act, the GAP Fund, and the Sustainable Futures Funds. These policies would cut household energy costs, reduce pollution, and improve housing conditions for low-income New Yorkers. We are calling the GAP Fund to be fully funded at $200 million in the final budget.
Meanwhile, for the second year in a row, the New York State Assembly failed to include the NY HEAT Act, which is unacceptable for the more than 2 million New York households who struggled to pay their energy bills this winter. As energy prices rise and extreme weather worsens, moderate and low-income households bear the brunt of higher utility costs and environmental health risks. The NY HEAT Act is a widely supported, cost-saving solution that would end ratepayer subsidies for fossil fuels. The Assembly must act now to ensure that this bill is part of the final budget – and the State’s affordability agenda.
We are pleased to see the Assembly recognize that health and safety barriers prevent low-income households from accessing energy efficiency programs. While expanding EmPower+ to cover these upgrades is a positive step, it leaves out too many New Yorkers who are not eligible for the program . We urge the Assembly to include $200 million for a fully-funded GAP Fund to ensure low-income renters and homeowners can access all of the existing energy efficiency and weatherization programs.
Additionally, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul must expedite Cap & Invest regulations with clear accountability measures, and the Sustainable Futures Fund must serve as a bridge to a fully operational program. The State must also increase Thermal Energy Network funding from $150 million to $200 million to ensure shovel ready pilot projects are completed successfully.
“We’ve served communities of color and low-income for 37 years, and it’s frustrating to see the Assembly—once considered the People’s House—ignore struggling residents when solutions like NY HEAT and the GAP Fund are readily available,” said Lonnie Portis, Acting Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs at WE ACT for Environmental Justice.
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WE ACT for Environmental Justice is a Northern Manhattan-based, membership-driven organization whose mission is to build healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and/or low-income residents are meaningfully included in the development of sound and fair environmental health and protection policies and practices. WE ACT has offices in New York and Washington, D.C. Visit us at weact.org and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, Twitter/X, and Instagram.