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New York climate activists, lawmakers rally for voters to approve Environmental Bond Act

Andres Alvarado
/
Flickr

Climate activists joined a bipartisan group of New York lawmakers on Wednesday to rally in support of the Environmental Bond Act.

This November, New Yorkers could vote to adopt Prop 1, which would invest $4.2 billion into environmental conservation efforts.

Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, broke down the funding at the rally in Northport, Long Island.

“Up to $650 million for land preservation,” Esposito said. “Up to $650 million for water protection. $1.5 billion to fight climate change and another $1.2 billion to fight floods and weather events. ”

State Senator Alexis Weik (R-NY) said the price tag is worth it.

“$4.2 billion is not really going to put us in debt so this is a really great opportunity to make a smart investment,” Weik said.

Adopting the act would also create over 100,000 jobs, the Citizens Campaign said.

New York’s last Environmental Bond Act was adopted over 25 years ago. On Election Day, voters will be asked if the state should update the spending plan on the back of their ballot.

Molly is a reporter covering Connecticut. She also produces Long Story Short, a podcast exploring public policy issues across Connecticut.