FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 21, 2026
Contact: Jama Joseph, 646-951-1648, jama.joseph@weact.org
NEW YORK — While New York State Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2026-2027 Executive Budget takes a commendable stand in protecting Medicaid from looming federal cuts, WE ACT for Environmental Justice is disappointed that the budget fails to renew the state’s historic $1 billion investment for the Sustainable Future Program (SFP). By neglecting this funding, the Governor is missing the critical opportunity to reduce fossil fuel dependence and increase public health —particularly those in communities of color and low-income, which are disproportionately impacted by emissions from polluting generation sources—to shoulder the health and financial burdens of our energy system.
The Governor has rightly prioritized the health of moderate-to-low-income residents by safeguarding social services. However, continued fossil fuel dependency is itself a public health crisis. The combustion of oil and gas is directly linked to increased rates of asthma, heart disease, and respiratory illness, which disproportionately plague communities of color and low-income – which the state refers to as disadvantaged communities. Through underinvestment, half-measures, and frequent policy reversals, the Governor is surrendering an affordable transition to a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable energy future to the fossil fuel industry. Without the additional $1 billion for the SFP, New York misses a vital opportunity to address the environmental hazards that drive residents into the very healthcare system the Governor is fighting to protect.
“With a total state budget of $260 billion, the $1 billion we are calling for represents less than one-half of one percent of state spending,” said Lonnie Portis, Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs at WE ACT for Environmental Justice. “It is a modest investment with a massive return – protecting the air our children breathe, reducing the cost of climate disasters, and lowering the energy bills that are crushing New York families. If the Governor can find the resources to shield Medicaid, she must also find the resources to address the fossil fuel dependency that makes New Yorkers sick in the first place.”
The energy affordability crisis remains a primary driver of this instability. Since 2022, every major gas utility in the state has raised rates, with costs outpacing inflation fourfold. Current projections suggest federal policy shifts could spike gas costs by 128 percent through 2026. Today, nearly 14 percent of New York households are two or more months behind on their bills, even as the state’s five major investor-owned utilities saw profits surge by 63 percent over the last decade.
Securing an additional $1 billion investment in the SFP is a proven solution that serves as both an economic engine and a public health shield. This funding would deliver 7,400 new, good-paying jobs in the clean energy sector, $1.5 billion in total economic activity across the state, and $685 million in labor income for New York families. Furthermore, renewable energy is faster and cheaper to build than gas infrastructure and provides a necessary buffer against the winter price spikes that force families to choose between heating and medicine. Energy efficiency upgrades and large-scale weatherization are the most direct ways to reduce the indoor air pollution and particulate matter that trigger chronic health conditions.
The Sustainable Future Program has already demonstrated its value, advancing thermal energy networks and accelerating renewable generation projects in its first year. To maintain New York’s national leadership on climate change and truly protect the health of its citizens, we urge the Legislature to build on last year’s $1 billion foundation by including continued investment in their one-house budgets. These types of critical resources support projects that improve air quality, create union jobs, help energy affordability, and invest in the infrastructure that helps communities across the state thrive and prioritizes the lives of New Yorkers over the profits of fossil fuel corporations.
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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, and Instagram. WE ACT’s legislative priorities are detailed in our 2026 Policy Agenda.