Environmental Advocates NY Responds to Gov. Hochul’s State of the State Address
Albany, New York – Today, Environmental Advocates NY released the following statement in response to Governor Hochul’s State of the State Address:
“Governor Hochul is right to put affordability and safety at the center of her agenda. The proposed five-year, $3.75 billion clean water commitment is real pocketbook protection — and her defense of congestion pricing is already paying off, raising more than $550 million for transit upgrades while cutting pollution by 22% in the zone. Now, New Yorkers need a 2026 clean energy buildout plan that goes beyond the Governor’s ‘all-of-the-above’ approach, which leans on projects that won’t deliver for years and keeps us tethered to fossil fuels in the meantime,” said Vanessa Fajans-Turner, Executive Director of Environmental Advocates NY.
Background on specific topics
Water and Environmental Funding: Governor Hochul’s State of the State agenda includes real wins New Yorkers will feel: a proposed $3.75 billion, five-year commitment to water infrastructure and continued action on lead and landfill contamination, as well as maintaining a $425 million Environmental Protection Fund. These are the kinds of public investments that protect health, strengthen communities, and keep local budgets from buckling.
Clean Energy: But on clean energy, the State of the State doesn’t meet the moment. New York can’t meet climate targets — or keep bills under control — without a serious, near-term plan to build clean power fast.
Wind and Solar: New York’s clean energy buildout needs to rise above incremental solutions. The Governor’s energy agenda is organized around new nuclear, school solar flexibility, and EV and charging tax relief — with no comparable, forward-looking proposal to accelerate large-scale wind and solar deployment. While the State has permitted major renewable energy projects in recent years, awarding permits is not the same as a 2026 action plan that clears interconnection bottlenecks, scales procurement, and moves steel in the ground.
With federal clean energy supports under attack, New York should be doubling down on solar and wind, not treating them as secondary energy sources.
Nuclear: Instead, the centerpiece is a push for 5 GW of new nuclear power through a “Nuclear Reliability Backbone” that will cost billions more than solar and wind power and will take years to deploy. Nuclear cannot be a substitute for clean energy projects that are nearly shovel-ready.
SEQR: We share the Governor’s urgency on housing affordability. New Yorkers are getting squeezed, and we need more homes built faster in the right places. Reform has to be a scalpel, not a chainsaw: protect water, air, and environmental justice communities, and keep public accountability real. The yet-to-be-seen details and guardrails of this proposal will determine whether it is smart streamlining that helps deliver housing, renewables, and critical infrastructure, or an erosion of bedrock protections that shifts costs to communities later.
Data Centers: The Governor is right to protect ratepayers and stop “phantom loads.” But if major new grid users are told to “pay more” or “supply their own power,” New York must make sure that “own power” doesn’t become an invitation for new on-site fossil generation. Big load growth should come with binding clean energy and storage requirements, period, to ensure we protect our energy bills and the environment.
Sun and Soil Program: We are pleased to see agri-voltaics play a role in the Governor’s energy future, prioritizing solutions that make sense for renewable energy production and for farmers. EANY is proud to sit on the State’s Agricultural Technical Working Group (ATWG), which will advise the Governor in the advancement and implementation of this program.
Sustainable Future Program: The State of the State did not reference any new commitment to replenish or extend the Sustainable Future Program — last year’s flagship $1 billion climate investment — at a moment when New Yorkers need more help cutting pollution and lowering energy costs. The Fund puts New York on the path toward cleaner air, lower costs, and stronger communities, and we hope to see this transformative program in the Governor’s forthcoming budget.
Electric Vehicles: We appreciate the Governor putting a marker down to make them more affordable at a time when the EV transition is being pummeled in Washington and on the airwaves. A sales tax exemption is a good step, but the state must continue to accelerate its charging buildout and work towards equitable access to EV ownership and charging.
Plugging Orphaned Wells: We applaud Governor Hochul for her commitment to providing additional funding to plug abandoned gas and oil wells. This issue plagues Central and Western New York, spewing methane into the atmosphere and compromising public health.
Cap-and-Invest: New York is at a crossroads. And with Washington stepping back, the Governor has a real opportunity to make New York the climate leader we could and should be, while making our lives more affordable and safer. We have a plan to do this: implementing the Clean Air Initiative, the cap-and-invest program at the heart of our climate law. If New York wants to lead on climate and affordability, the state must act boldly and without further delay.
For more about Environmental Advocates NY’s legislative and budget priorities, see our 2026 Action Agenda.
Environmental Advocates NY is New York’s leading environmental watchdog, working for over 50 years to advance strong environmental laws and hold decision-makers accountable. Learn more at eany.org.
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