NYS Environmental Bond Act Listening Tour Coming to Suffolk County

The Bond Act

On Election Day last year, New Yorkers voted to pass the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act. The purpose of the Bond Act is to provide funding that will help protect the state’s environment and mitigate the impacts of climate change. A total of $4.2 billion in funding will be made available through programs administered by various state agencies.

The state plans to honor its commitment to environmental justice by awarding 40% of the Bond Act funding to disadvantaged communities. The funding is also intended to help create green jobs. Projects that can receive funding through the Bond Act include:

• Restoration and flood risk reduction ($1.1 billion total funding)
• Open space land conservation and recreation ($650 million total funding)
• Climate change mitigation ($1.5 billion total funding)
• Water quality improvement and resilient infrastructure ($650 million total funding)

The Listening Tour

The Bond Act listening tour began in Buffalo on May 30, 2023, and has made several stops across New York State over the past couple of months. The Buffalo session was led by Governor Kathy Hochul and also included input from individuals representing several New York State agencies.

The intent of the listening tour is to allow for greater transparency and communication between New York State and the public. The state uses these sessions to educate communities about the Bond Act and to inform them of programs and funds that are available. This increases New Yorkers’ awareness of what the state is doing to combat climate change.

The listening tour also provides an opportunity for citizens to give their feedback to state officials. Officials will use people’s comments to help determine how to allocate Bond Act funding to best serve New Yorkers. These sessions are especially helpful in soliciting feedback from disadvantaged communities, to which 40% of Bond Act funding will be allocated.

The tour concludes next week with a stop on Long Island. This final session will be held from 1-3pm on August 24, 2023, at Suffolk County Community College’s Suffolk Credit Union Arena. You can sign up for this session here.

If you were unable to attend any of the listening tour sessions but are interested in learning more, you can watch recordings of the two virtual sessions that the state conducted here.

Walden is constantly monitoring funding opportunities and has an experienced grant writing team that can help you apply for monetary assistance through a wide variety of programs. Contact us at 516-559-6976 to discuss grant programs available to support your next project.