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NYS Passes Historic Multi-Billion Dollar Environmental Proposal NYS Passes Historic Multi-Billion Dollar Environmental Proposal

By Michael O'Connor

MICHAEL O’CONNOR: State parks throughout New York, like Green Lakes State Park here in Syracuse, may receive crucial funding thanks to New York Governor Kathy Hochul. The Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Act is a four-point-two-billion-dollar proposal with plans to invest in water quality improvement, open space conservation, and climate change mitigation. Park visitors like Ellen Galgano say they appreciate having state parks here in Syracuse that would benefit from the project.

ELLEN GALGANO: To have a state park 20 minutes from the city just improves the quality of life.

O’CONNOR: The project is expected to support 84-thousand jobs across New York state and return eight-point-seven-billion-dollars in spending. Galgano says she doesn’t just support the potential job growth.

GALGANO: Anything that brings us closer to nature I support 100-percent.

O’CONNOR: And while places like Green Lakes State Park would benefit from the work opportunities the act would provide, the real work needs to be done here at the polls, where early voting has already begun. Polling stations like the North Syracuse Community Center have been offering the historic ballot since October 29. However, some early voters like Meghan Fuess are skeptical of where money for the project will come from.

MEGHAN FUESS: That’s a lot of money and that was my initial reaction – was okay, something is gonna go up in price. Taxes are gonna go up.

O’CONNOR: In Syracuse, Michael O’Connor, NCC News.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — State parks across New York will be receiving crucial funding thanks to the first environmental bond act to be passed in over 25 years – the Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Act.

The proposal represents a $4.2 billion investment by the state in water quality improvement, open space conservation, and climate change mitigation.

For Onondaga County, that means more money invested in local state parks like Green Lakes and Clark Reservation.

Frequent park visitors like Ellen Galgano say the potential investment will hopefully attract more visitors to the park she already supports year-round.

“Having a state park just 20 minutes away from Syracuse that will benefit the community with this money is money well spent in my opinion,” Galgano said. “Anything that brings us closer to nature I support 100%.”

And though support is obviously strong among park supporters, some locals are concerned about where the money for the potential project would come from.

Meghan Fuess, an early voter in Onondaga County, says she’s concerned about how the act would affect her and others living in the state.

“That’s a lot of money and that was my initial reaction,” Fuess said. “Something is gonna go up in price. Taxes.”

Despite the alarming price-tag, AECOM – the third-party consultant hired by the state to project the economic impact of the act – reports an estimated 84,000 jobs and $8.7 billion created as a result of the project.

The historic bond act was featured on ballots across the state from Oct. 29 through Election Day, where it was passed with over 60% of the vote. The support came from both Republicans and Democrats across the state, with candidates from both parties saying they would vote in favor of the act.

For more information on the historic act, visit the state’s official website for Clean Water and Jobs.

 

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