A dearth of green bond funding for New York City, first reported by THE CITY, has attracted scrutiny from a federal lawmaker.
Approved by voters statewide in 2022, the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act allows the state to borrow $4.2 billion to pay for big projects, such as stormwater systems, green buildings, coastal protections and electric school buses. But so far, New York City has received just under 2% of the money allocated due to funding formulas that cap grants and treat the city as any other municipality.
On Monday Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-The Bronx) sent a letter to the state Department of Environmental Conservation citing THE CITY’s reporting and pushing for funding formulas that treat the city fairly.
“When one examines the distribution of [Bond Act] funding across regions, the disparities are so shocking as to render one speechless,” he wrote. “The lack of investment in NYC is hardly accidental. It is the foreseeable result of a funding formula designed to discriminate against NYC.”
New York City has received just $6 million of the $313 million appropriated so far, despite being home to over 40% of the state’s population and voting for the Bond Act at the highest levels in the state.
“New York State has and will continue to educate New York City and other municipalities on how to submit competitive applications for funding and help achieve the goals of the Bond Act, and will also work with the New York Congressional delegation to ensure New York’s investments are able to leverage federal funding,” a DEC spokesperson said in a statement.
Related
