County Leaders Urge NY Voters to Approve Bond Act on November Ballot

County leaders in New York are urging voters in November to approve $4.2 billion in borrowing that the state would use to finance projects in response to climate change, like new infrastructure and renewable energy.

Voters in New York will be asked on the November ballot whether they would support that borrowing, called the Clean Water, Clean Air, Green Jobs Bond Act.

The New York State Association of Counties, which represents the state’s county leaders, approved a resolution Thursday during Climate Week in support of the ballot question.

“The [bond act] will provide local governments with an unprecedented opportunity [to] invest [in] projects that will improve drinking water, harden infrastructure against severe weather, and protect the local natural resources that make our communities so special,” said Clinton County Administrator Michael Zurlo, the current president of NYSAC.

If approved, the $4.2 billion bond would be the first environmental bond in three decades. 

The investment would be put toward: climate change mitigation; restoration and flood risk reduction; open space land conservation and recreation; and water quality improvement and resilient infrastructure.

Of the total, $1.5 billion would be allocated for climate change mitigation projects, $1.1 billion would go to flood risk reduction and restoration. Another $1.3 would go toward land conservation and water quality projects, leaving $300 million unallocated.

At least 35% of the total $4.2 billion is required to go to disadvantaged communities, also called DACs, including low-income families and underserved communities of color. 

The New York State Association of Counties used climate-related, health-related and socio-economic indicators to determine a list of eligible DACs in a new whitepaper.

“Low-income families and communities of color suffer disproportionately from air pollution, exposure to toxins, and a lack of green space,” the whitepaper said. “To address these inequalities, the Bond Act requires at least 35 percent of the total funding to be spent in disadvantaged communities, with a goal of reaching 40 percent.”

County leaders also touted research from infrastructure consulting firm AECOM and advocacy group Rebuild by Design, which found the bond act would allow for the creation of 84,000 jobs and $8.7 billion in long-term project spending.

“The [bond act] will turbo-charge local governments' ability to fight climate while creating good, local jobs and we encourage its adoption this November,” said Stephen Acquario, executive director of NYSAC.