The Los Alamos-Nielsen-Chern-Oles Bond Act (Prop 1): A New York State Voting Measure Against Climate Change
It was a mixed night for the fight against climate change on Tuesday. Voters in two of the country’s largest states, California and New York, considered climate-related ballot measures that would have freed up billions in funding to protect the environment and electrify the economy. New York resoundingly passed its measure. California did not.
New York’s Proposal 1 is the “Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act” which provides more than $4 billion in funding for projects related to the environment. Wetlands protection, solar and wind installations, street trees, land-cover, fish hatcheries, carbon sequestration, and reducing the amount of rain will all be funded by it. With funding earmarked for electric school buses, New York is the first state to require all of its school buses to be zero emission vehicles.
The measure also requires that at least 35 percent of the money benefits “disadvantaged communities,” as defined by an independent advisory committee. Joe Biden issued an executive order in May of 2016 stating that disadvantaged communities would get at least 40% of the climate benefits enacted by his administration, although it is not clear how such communities would qualify.
Not surprisingly, Democratic governor Kathy Hochul (who handily won reelection) and environmental groups supported Prop 1. The New York State Conservative Party opposed it, arguing that New York doesn’t need to borrow more money. The majority of votes were counted as of Wednesday afternoon, and with 69 percent of New Yorkers voting in favor, Prop 1 passed. Bond sales could reportedly begin as early as next year.
Jessica Ottney Mahar, policy and strategy director of the Nature Conservancy in New York, said the voters in New York should be celebrated for their support for a bond measure that would protect and restore natural resources. This is a victory for the people and the environment.
The board also says the plan will cut air pollution by 71% and gas emissions by 85% to below 1990 levels. Both goals are consistent with the targets set by the governor in his $54.1 billion commitment to fight climate change.
Known as the Scoping Plan, the actions and policies aim to slash fossil fuel usage to less than a tenth of current consumption by decreasing demand for liquid petroleum by 94% by 2045, mainly driven by a move away from gas-powered vehicles.
The plan was approved and according to the press release, California was leading the world in economic transformation since the Industrial Revolution.
Some critics say that the plan relies too much on a method of capture and sequestration that is not yet proven, instead of using some of the land to house some of the carbon.
One focus of the plan is a move to zero-emission transportation, including both personal vehicles and mass transit. Gas-powered cars and other transportation are the biggest source of carbon emissions according to the state.
Requirements on Electricity for Commercial Buildings and Plan for Next-Generation Nuclear Collision (NELL Camp Camp Fires)
In 2029, the requirements for electric appliances will be extended to commercial buildings, according to the plan. For existing residential buildings, all appliance sales are required to be electric by 2035. All commercial buildings in the state will have to follow suit ten years from now.
According to Bhakta, carbon capture only serves to provide cover foroil and gas drillers to continue business as usual.
The scoping plan also targets wildfires which are not only responsible for the destruction of forests, buildings and property, but also emit copious amounts of carbon dioxide.
Climate change has led to big blazes. The board pointing out that of the 20 largest wildfires in California, nine happened in 2020 and 2021.
The goal is to treat one million acres a year by the year 2025. Currently, about 100,000 acres are treated a year.