BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS •
A historic $300 million Environmental Protection Fund allocation, up from $177 million last year.
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$36 million for municipal parks and waterfront revitalization, with more than half of this allocated to low-income and urban communities throughout the state.
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$9 million for electric vehicle charging stations (through NYSERDA) and an additional $1 million for zero emission vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure.
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$2,000 consumer rebates for ZEVs and grants of up to $5,000 for municiple fleets.
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$20 million for farmland protection, up 33 percent from last year.
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$200 million for clean water infrastructure for each of the next two years.
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On a less positive note, $30 million in Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative money was diverted to non-climate related programs.
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The MTA capital program was not passed, although there appears to be about $2.9 billion in the budget for the MTA’s costs this year.
Grading System NYLCV’s Legislative Progress Report grades how well the legislature worked together to pass laws to protect the environment and defeat bills that would harm it. A bill’s progress is evaluated in each house using the ratings key, below, and then averaged to grade the legislature to see how it did in actually getting the job done. Progress in both houses results in higher grades for the legislature as a whole. A = Bill passed both houses and sent to the governor for approval. B = Bill passed but both houses did not agree on final version. C = Bill passed one house but not the other. D = Bill made progress but died in committee. F = Bill made no progress or there was no bill.
2016 LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS REPORT
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