New York youth enter chat of Climate Law debate as budget deadline looms

NYS Capital — New York State’s budget deadline is noon on Tuesday, March 31st, but at this point, it doesn’t appear it’ll get done in time.

While several issues remain on the table for Governor Kathy Hochul and the legislature, New York’s Climate Law appears to be one of the main topics of conversation right now.

On March 20th, 11 days before the budget was due, the Governor proposed changes to the 2019 Climate Law, requesting for the compliance timelines to be pushed back, and to change the way emissions are measured.

“I’m not repealing. I’m just saying give us a longer runway,” Hochul said on Wednesday. “I have goals I want to meet, but I just can’t. And if we have to do it in an expedited way like the court is telling us, you know what’s going to happen? Your already high utility bills will go one place, and that is higher. They’ll go higher. And I cannot, in good conscience, knowing the moms and dads and the seniors and the families that are struggling paying their bills now, I cannot do something I know at this very moment that’s going to raise those prices.”

The Governor’s proposal has been expected for the last few weeks, with a chorus of voices speaking out both for, and against, the Governor’s proposals.

Joining the fray, students from across the State convening to rally and convene with lawmakers as a part of the 5th Annual Youth Day of Action.

“The main kind of message that we tell our students, and that is like, really the ethos of the day, is the amount of power and value in your voice, and really understanding that the experiences that they’re feeling in the city and their observations need to be communicated to legislators in order to impact our state budget, in order to impact our legislation,” Shiv Soin, Co-Founder of TREEage, the organization overseeing the gathering.

This year, 1000 students conducted more than 100 legislative meetings, saying the Governor should not change the Climate Law, advocating for taxing the rich and .

“Young people deserve a voice in the middle of our policy making and our budgetary process,” Soin says. “We’re talking about a $250 billion budget that dictates the lives of so many New Yorkers. Young people in particular, are even more reliant on social services from the state thinking about schools, public transit. But also, oftentimes, young people are really rarely involved in the process and are left out.”

Their pushback aligning with environmental groups, several NYS Democratic Senators who penned a letter to Hochul voicing their opposition, and Democrats in the Assembly like Phil Steck (D-Colonie), who says he disagrees with the Governor’s argument.

“This power grid is so old and in such poor condition that it would need investment anyway, so for people to point the finger at environmental regulation, it’s just wrong,” Steck said. “The governor never implemented [Cap and Invest] and got sued by the environmental organizations to do it, so I think it’s a little disingenuous of the Governor to complain about various climate laws when she didn’t move forward proactively.”

Some Democrats though, aligning with the Governor’s “all of the above” message, meaning she doesn’t want to limit the State’s energy to just solar or wind, but continue to use some fossil fuel, while expanding nuclear energy.

“I don’t think the Governor is looking to roll back the law,” NYS Assemblymember John McDonald told CBS6 on Thursday. “I think the Governor is looking to update the law to recognize that in 2026 things are different than they were in 2019, so I think she’s trying to reset the conversation. I do think, though, there’s a general agreement, we need to have resources to help push forward with that, all the above energy options, and I think that’s where financial resource is going to come in.”

Republicans have been pushing for the Governor to go farther in her changes, some asking for the Law to be rescinded completely.

“This is a budget that ignores the state’s own experts on what the energy crisis is doing in New York, that the CLCPA is going to jack people’s costs $4,000 a year in a couple years, and give us $5 a gallon gas. And you’re content to stay the status quo,” NYS Senator Dan Stec said on the floor on Wednesday.

That’s where TREEage is pushing back, opposing those Republicans, and the Governor’s narrative.

“She’s relying on the memo that NYSERDA released that the whole crux of it is analyzing her proposal of Cap and Invest and saying that it’s unaffordable, which is not what the law dictates or requires for that specific process or procedure,” Soin said. “I think the main kind of message that we tell our students, and that is like, really the ethos of the day, is the amount of power and value in your voice, and really understanding that the experiences that they’re feeling in the city and their observations need to be communicated to legislators in order to impact our state budget, in order to impact our legislation.”