SARANAC LAKE — At a listening session on the state’s $4.2 billion Environmental Bond Act on Friday, Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said the dangerous and destructive effects of climate change are already hitting the Adirondacks and the world.
The billions of dollars in this state funding package is meant to prepare the state for this “new normal” of climate disaster, Seggos said.
The Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act passed on the Nov. 8, 2022, ballot, with 67.62% of New York voters approving the large spending package.
“We’re tying to drum up people’s interest,” Seggos said on Friday. “(New Yorkers) all went to the polls and said ‘yes.’ … Now, we have this incredible pot of money. We want to make a change in the state, and we need your engagement.”
Seggos said state agencies have their own lists of projects they’ve been building for years, but they want to hear from municipalities and the public on their ideas, too.
The $4.2 billion in spending is split into five categories: $1.5 billion for climate change mitigation, $1.1 billion for restoration and flood risk reduction, $650 million for water quality improvement and resilient infrastructure, $650 million for open space land conversation and recreation, and $300 million for other projects as a catch-all.
‘TRANSFORMATIONAL MOMENT’
The bond act listening session was originally scheduled for July 14 but was postponed because of extensive flooding and infrastructure damage in the North Country, including Long Lake. One of the bond act’s stated goals is “reducing flood risks.”
“It was a little bit telling when we had to postpone the first one because of an extreme weather event,” state Adirondack Park Agency Executive Director Barb Rice said, adding that these extreme events are expected to start coming more regularly.
Seggos said he chose to postpone the July 14 session because people couldn’t navigate portions of the Adirondacks and the town leaders in Long Lake and Newcomb were still in their mud boots, helping clean up.
While some parts of the world are drenched in rain, others are dealing with drought, and those dry conditions lead to more forest fires. This summer, smoke from fires in Canada blew down into New York, obscuring the sky, tinting everything the light touches and even reaching as far down south as Georgia. This week, the Hawaiian island of Maui had deadly and destructive fires after decades of a drying climate on the island. July was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth.
Seggos said New York this year had the worst air quality in the history of the DEC, due to wildfire smoke from Canada.
All this seems overwhelming, he said, but he feels optimistic because the state has a “huge head start.” Other states are much further behind in planning for the future of climate disasters.
Seggos called this a “transformational moment” for New York. He said even small investments can make a huge difference. When he was in Long Lake after the flooding, he saw a small culvert that was jammed up with debris and causing flooding. He said a wider culvert or a bridge would prevent that.
He said the bond act is “mostly adaptation dollars.” There are funds to reduce emissions, but most just to help the state ride out the worsening weather and impending climate catastrophe.
“We know if we were to stop emitting (greenhouse gasses) today, we would have many years of keeping up with the changing climate,” Seggos said. “That means preparing the state for the new normal.”
The state has estimated potential damage from climate-related events at $50 billion in the next 10 years if it doesn’t make environmental adjustments now, he said.
Seggos said the state will likely invest in its environment and infrastructure for generations to come and that it’s likely the state will seek another similar spending package to the bond act in the future, but he said they’re not thinking about that yet. They’re just excited to have this historically large investment now.
Rice said the state’s climate act has a goal of reducing greenhouse gasses emissions in the state by 40% of 1990 levels by 2030, and 85% by 2050. She said this is “ambitious,” but urgent action is needed.
Jackie Bowen is director of conservation of the Adirondack Council, an environmental advocacy group. She said she wishes there were more of these sessions being held around the North Country, but that Saranac Lake is a central hub for people living in the Adirondacks.
The state has also created a web survey at tinyurl.com/5n8fbzn9, where members of the public can pitch project ideas. This isn’t a formal funding application, but could inform the state’s eventual decisions. There will be a separate formal funding application later on.
MONEY BREAKDOWN
The $1.5 billion for climate change mitigation is split into $500 million for electric school buses, $400 million for green building projects, $200 to reduce pollution in disadvantaged communities, $100 million in climate change mitigation and adaptation, and $300 million for urban forestry, heat mitigation, carbon sequestration and methane gas mitigation.
Last week, NYSERDA released its proposed eligibility guidelines for applications for this bus money. Rice said it will be a point-of-sale voucher program providing discounts to districts buying electric buses. Public comment on these guidelines are open until Sept. 1.
The $1.1 billion for flood risk reduction and restoration is split into $250 million for voluntary private property buyouts, $100 million for coastal and shoreline restoration, $100 million for local waterfront revitalization and inland flooding, and $650 million for infrastructure such as roads, dams and culverts, and preservation of floodplains, wetlands, streams and wildlife.
The $650 million for open space land conservation and recreation is split into $300 million for open space land conservation, $150 million for farmland protections and easements, $75 million for fish hatcheries, and $125 million for recreational, camping and park infrastructure.
The $650 million for water improvement is split into $250 million for stormwater, $200 million for water infrastructure, and $200 million for green infrastructure, agricultural nutrient runoff, reducing harmful algal blooms, septic and lead service line replacement.
DETAILS
The funds are expected to start moving this year, according to the state’s bond act website.
The DEC has promised that the bond act should not cause an future increase in state taxes since the payments made through the state’s general fund are already accounted for in the state’s long-term financial plan. The general fund is where the majority of state taxes go.
The funding will support the expansion of existing programs and may also involve creating new programs.
“To be considered bondable, projects must have a useful life of at least 10 years,” according to the state bond act website. “Routine maintenance and equipment are generally not bondable.”
Key purposes for this funding include ensuring the safety of drinking water, improving water infrastructure, protecting and restoring natural spaces and farms, reducing flood risks, preparing the state for the impacts of climate change, investing in green energy to reduce carbon emissions, which contribute to climate change and air pollution.
The state estimates these investments in infrastructure and green energy will support 84,000 jobs. The state has promised to ensure that prevailing wages are required for workers on projects funded by the bond act, to require apprenticeship agreements for state agencies and municipalities receiving large amounts of bond act funds, and to include “Buy America” provisions for iron and steel.
Between 35% and 40% of the funds will go toward “disadvantaged communities” impacted by environmental challenges. There are no designated disadvantaged communities in the Tri-Lakes area, but there are several along Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River. Out of 4,918 census tracts across the state, 1,736 are designated as disadvantaged communities, holding under a third of the state’s population. A map of these communities, as well as the criteria considered in this designation, with local data, can be found at tinyurl.com/5n8fh74x.
More information can be found at the Environmental Bond Act website at ny.gov/bondact.