ALBANY — Today, Governor Hochul vetoed the New York Tropical Rainforest Economic & Environmental Sustainability (TREES) Act, which would have barred the state from purchasing any goods linked to illegal deforestation.
Vanessa Fajans-Turner, executive director of Environmental Advocates NY, issued the following statement in response to the Governor’s veto:
“I am disappointed that Governor Hochul vetoed the TREES Act. New Yorkers want our state to do our part to combat climate change and give future generations a shot at a livable planet, by changing the way big corporations do business and making sure our tax dollars don’t drive rainforest destruction.
“Deforestation is one of the largest drivers of global warming. This bill would have been a win-win: it would have used New York’s economic power to protect tropical forests, while providing new opportunities for small and disadvantaged businesses in our state.
“New Yorkers have said loud and clear that we don’t want our tax dollars to go toward cutting down tropical forests, destroying irreplaceable habitats, and contributing to the abuses of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in forested regions. I’m confident that the Legislature will bring the TREES Act back to the Governor again in 2025 and that we will find a path forward to make this important piece of legislation, law.”
The TREES Act would prevent New York State from purchasing products that contribute to tropical deforestation, one of the key drivers of climate change, or contribute to the associated abuses of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in forested regions. It also provides new business opportunities for New York small businesses, woman- and minority-owned businesses, and farmers.
More than 100 organizations representing civil society, faith, and environmental advocates urged Hochul to sign the bill. So did more than 40 companies including household names like Eileen Fisher, Patagonia, Seventh Generation, Ben & Jerry’s, and Tony’s Chocolonely – along with the New York Sustainable Business Council, the American Sustainable Business Council, B Lab, Business Leaders of Colors, and Fairtrade America, which represent thousands more small businesses across their networks.
###
