Bill Text: NY A07824 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes a Green New Deal for New York task force; requires such task force to develop a detailed statewide, industrial, economic mobilization plan for the transition of the New York economy to become greenhouse gas emissions neutral by 2030 and to significantly draw down greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and oceans and to promote economic and environmental justice and equality.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - referred to environmental conservation [A07824 Detail]
Download: New_York-2021-A07824-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7824 2021-2022 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY May 25, 2021 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. ANDERSON -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Environmental Conservation AN ACT to establish a Green New Deal for New York task force; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Legislative findings and intent. 1. The legislature recog- 2 nizes the duty of the New York state government to create a Green New 3 Deal for New York. An October 2018 report entitled "Special Report on 4 Global Warming of 1.5°C" by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate 5 Change and the November 2018 Fourth National Climate Assessment report 6 found that: 7 (a) human activity is the dominant cause of observed climate change 8 over the past century; 9 (b) a changing climate is causing sea levels to rise and an increase 10 in wildfires, severe storms, droughts, and other extreme weather events 11 that threaten human life, healthy communities, and critical infrastruc- 12 ture; 13 (c) global warming at or above 2 degrees Celsius beyond preindustrial- 14 ized levels will cause: 15 (i) mass migration from the regions most affected by climate change; 16 (ii) more than $500,000,000,000 in lost annual economic output in the 17 United States by the year 2100; 18 (iii) wildfires that, by 2050, will annually burn at least twice as 19 much forest area in the western United States than was typically burned 20 by wildfires in the years preceding 2019; 21 (iv) a loss of more than 99 percent of all coral reefs on earth; 22 (v) more than 350,000,000 more people to be exposed globally to deadly 23 heat stress by 2050; and 24 (vi) a risk of damage to $1,000,000,000,000 of public infrastructure 25 and coastal real estate in the United States; and EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD04478-01-1A. 7824 2 1 (d) global temperatures must be kept below 1.5 degrees Celsius above 2 preindustrialized levels to avoid the most severe impacts of a changing 3 climate, which will require: 4 (i) global reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from human sources 5 of 40 to 60 percent from 2010 levels by 2030; and 6 (ii) net-zero global emissions by 2050. 7 2. As the United States, including New York, has historically been 8 responsible for a disproportionate amount of greenhouse gas emissions, 9 having emitted 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions through 10 2014, and has a high technological capacity, the United States and New 11 York must take a leading role in reducing emissions through economic 12 transformation. 13 3. The United States is currently experiencing several related crises, 14 with: 15 (a) life expectancy declining while basic needs, such as clean air, 16 clean water, healthy food, and adequate health care, housing, transpor- 17 tation, and education, are inaccessible to a significant portion of the 18 United States population; 19 (b) a 4-decade trend of wage stagnation, deindustrialization, and 20 antilabor policies that has led to: 21 (i) hourly wages overall stagnating since the 1970's despite increased 22 worker productivity; 23 (ii) the third-worst level of socioeconomic mobility in the developed 24 world before the Great Recession; 25 (iii) the erosion of the earning and bargaining power of workers in 26 the United States; and 27 (iv) inadequate resources for public sector workers to confront the 28 challenges of climate change at local, state, and federal levels; and 29 (c) the greatest income inequality since the 1920's, with: 30 (i) the top 1 percent of earners accruing 91 percent of gains in the 31 first few years of economic recovery after the Great Recession; 32 (ii) a large racial wealth divide amounting to a difference of 20 33 times more wealth between the average white family and the average black 34 family; and 35 (iii) a gender earnings gap that results in women earning approximate- 36 ly 80 percent as much as men, at the median. 37 4. Climate change, pollution, and environmental destruction have 38 exacerbated systemic racial, regional, social, environmental, and 39 economic injustices (hereinafter referred to as "systemic injustices") 40 by disproportionately affecting indigenous peoples, communities of 41 color, migrant communities, deindustrialized communities, depopulated 42 rural communities, the poor, low-income workers, women, the elderly, the 43 unhoused, people with disabilities, and youth (hereinafter referred to 44 as "frontline and vulnerable communities"). 45 5. Climate change constitutes a direct threat to the national security 46 of the United States: 47 (a) by impacting the economic, environmental, and social stability of 48 countries and communities around the world; and 49 (b) by acting as a threat multiplier. 50 6. The federal government-led mobilizations during World War II and 51 the New Deal created the greatest middle class that the United States 52 has ever seen, but many members of frontline and vulnerable communities 53 were excluded from many of the economic and societal benefits of those 54 mobilizations.A. 7824 3 1 7. The New York state government recognizes that a new national, 2 social, industrial, and economic mobilization on a scale not seen since 3 World War II and the New Deal era is a historic opportunity: 4 (a) to create millions of good, high-wage jobs in New York state; 5 (b) to provide unprecedented levels of prosperity and economic securi- 6 ty for all people of New York state; and 7 (c) to counteract systemic injustices. 8 8. Now, therefore, be it resolved that it is the sense of the New York 9 state legislature that: 10 (a) it is the duty of the New York state government to create a Green 11 New Deal: 12 (i) to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions through a fair and 13 just transition for all communities and workers; 14 (ii) to create millions of good, high-wage jobs and ensure prosperity 15 and economic security for all people of New York state; 16 (iii) to invest in the infrastructure and industry of New York state 17 to sustainably meet the challenges of the twenty-first century; 18 (iv) to secure for all people of New York state for generations to 19 come: 20 (A) clean air and water; 21 (B) climate and community resiliency; 22 (C) healthy food; 23 (D) access to nature; and 24 (E) a sustainable environment; and 25 (v) to promote justice and equity by stopping current, preventing 26 future, and repairing historic oppression of frontline and vulnerable 27 communities; 28 (b) the goals described in clauses (A) through (E) of subparagraph 29 (iv) of paragraph (a) of this subdivision (hereinafter referred to as 30 "Green New Deal for New York goals") should be accomplished through a 31 10-year national mobilization (hereinafter referred to as "Green New 32 Deal mobilization") that will require the following goals and projects: 33 (i) building resiliency against climate change-related disasters, such 34 as extreme weather, including by leveraging funding and providing 35 investments for community-defined projects and strategies; 36 (ii) repairing and upgrading the infrastructure in New York state, 37 including: 38 (A) by eliminating pollution and greenhouse gas emissions as much as 39 technologically feasible; 40 (B) by guaranteeing universal access to clean water; 41 (C) by reducing the risks posed by climate impacts; and 42 (D) by ensuring that any infrastructure bill considered by New York 43 state government addresses climate change; 44 (iii) meeting 100 percent of the power demand in New York state 45 through clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources, including: 46 (A) by dramatically expanding and upgrading renewable power sources; 47 and 48 (B) by deploying new capacity; 49 (iv) building or upgrading to energy-efficient, distributed, and 50 "smart" power grids, and ensuring affordable access to electricity; 51 (v) upgrading all existing buildings in New York state and building 52 new buildings to achieve maximum energy efficiency, water efficiency, 53 safety, affordability, comfort, and durability, including through elec- 54 trification; 55 (vi) spurring massive growth in clean manufacturing in New York state 56 and removing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturingA. 7824 4 1 and industry as much as is technologically feasible, including by 2 expanding renewable energy manufacturing and investing in existing manu- 3 facturing and industry; 4 (vii) working collaboratively with farmers and ranchers in New York 5 state to remove pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the agricul- 6 tural sector as much as is technologically feasible, including: 7 (A) by supporting family farming; 8 (B) by investing in sustainable farming and land use practices that 9 increase soil health; and 10 (C) by building a more sustainable food system that ensures universal 11 access to healthy food; 12 (viii) overhauling transportation systems in New York state to remove 13 pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector as 14 much as is technologically feasible, including through investment in: 15 (A) zero-emission vehicle infrastructure and manufacturing; 16 (B) clean, affordable, and accessible public transit; and 17 (C) high-speed rail; 18 (ix) mitigating and managing the long-term adverse health, economic, 19 and other effects of pollution and climate change, including by provid- 20 ing funding for community-defined projects and strategies; 21 (x) removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and reducing 22 pollution by restoring natural ecosystems through proven low-tech 23 solutions that increase soil carbon storage, such as land preservation 24 and afforestation; 25 (xi) restoring and protecting threatened, endangered, and fragile 26 ecosystems through locally appropriate and science-based projects that 27 enhance biodiversity and support climate resiliency; 28 (xii) cleaning up existing hazardous waste and abandoned sites, ensur- 29 ing economic development and sustainability on those sites; 30 (xiii) identifying other emission and pollution sources and creating 31 solutions to remove them; and 32 (xiv) promoting the international exchange of technology, expertise, 33 products, funding, and services, with the aim of making New York state 34 the international leader on climate action, and to help other countries 35 achieve a Green New Deal; 36 (c) a Green New Deal for New York must be developed through transpar- 37 ent and inclusive consultation, collaboration, and partnership with 38 frontline and vulnerable communities, labor unions, worker cooperatives, 39 civil society groups, academia, and businesses; and 40 (d) to achieve the Green New Deal for New York goals and mobilization, 41 a Green New Deal for New York will require the following goals and 42 projects: 43 (i) providing and leveraging, in a way that ensures that the public 44 receives appropriate ownership stakes and returns on investment, 45 adequate capital, including through community grants, public banks, and 46 other public financing, technical expertise, supporting policies, and 47 other forms of assistance to communities, organizations, federal, state, 48 and local government agencies, and businesses working on the Green New 49 Deal for New York mobilization; 50 (ii) ensuring that New York state government takes into account the 51 complete environmental and social costs and impacts of emissions 52 through: 53 (A) existing laws; 54 (B) new policies and programs; and 55 (C) ensuring that frontline and vulnerable communities shall not be 56 adversely affected;A. 7824 5 1 (iii) providing resources, training, and high-quality education, 2 including higher education, to all people of New York state, with a 3 focus on frontline and vulnerable communities, so that all people of New 4 York state may be full and equal participants in the Green New Deal for 5 New York mobilization; 6 (iv) making public investments in the research and development of new 7 clean and renewable energy technologies and industries; 8 (v) directing investments to spur economic development, deepen and 9 diversify industry and business in local and regional economies, and 10 build wealth and community ownership, while prioritizing high-quality 11 job creation and economic, social, and environmental benefits in front- 12 line and vulnerable communities, and deindustrialized communities, that 13 may otherwise struggle with the transition away from greenhouse gas 14 intensive industries; 15 (vi) ensuring the use of democratic and participatory processes that 16 are inclusive of and led by frontline and vulnerable communities and 17 workers to plan, implement, and administer the Green New Deal for New 18 York mobilization at the local level; 19 (vii) ensuring that the Green New Deal for New York mobilization 20 creates high-quality union jobs that pay prevailing wages, hires local 21 workers, offers training and advancement opportunities, and guarantees 22 wage and benefit parity for workers affected by the transition; 23 (viii) guaranteeing a job with a family-sustaining wage, adequate 24 family and medical leave, paid vacations, and retirement security to all 25 people of New York state; 26 (ix) strengthening and protecting the right of all workers to organ- 27 ize, unionize, and collectively bargain free of coercion, intimidation, 28 and harassment; 29 (x) strengthening and enforcing labor, workplace health and safety, 30 antidiscrimination, and wage and hour standards across all employers, 31 industries, and sectors; 32 (xi) enacting and enforcing trade rules, procurement standards, and 33 border adjustments with strong labor and environmental protections: 34 (A) to stop the transfer of jobs and pollution overseas; and 35 (B) to grow domestic manufacturing in New York state; 36 (xii) ensuring that public lands, waters, and oceans are protected and 37 that eminent domain is not abused; 38 (xiii) obtaining the free, prior, and informed consent of indigenous 39 peoples for all decisions that affect indigenous peoples and their 40 traditional territories, honoring all treaties and agreements with 41 indigenous peoples, and protecting and enforcing the sovereignty and 42 land rights of indigenous peoples; 43 (xiv) ensuring a commercial environment where every businessperson is 44 free from unfair competition and domination by domestic or international 45 monopolies; and 46 (xv) providing all people of New York state with: 47 (A) high-quality health care; 48 (B) affordable, safe, and adequate housing; 49 (C) economic security; and 50 (D) clean water, clean air, healthy and affordable food, and access to 51 nature. 52 § 2. Green New Deal for New York task force. 1. There shall be a task 53 force for a Green New Deal for New York which shall consist of the 54 following nineteen voting members: three members appointed by the 55 governor, one of which shall serve as the chair of the task force; pres- 56 ident of the New York state energy research and development authority,A. 7824 6 1 or his or her designee; the chair of the public service commission, or 2 his or her designee; the commissioner of environmental conservation; or 3 his or her designee; president of empire state development or his or her 4 designee; the commissioner of transportation, or his or her designee; 5 the commissioner of health, or his or her designee; and the commissioner 6 of agriculture and markets, or his or her designee; the president of the 7 New York state AFL-CIO or his or her designee; the three members 8 appointed by the temporary president of the senate, one of whom shall be 9 a representative from the private sector; three members appointed by the 10 speaker of the assembly, one of whom shall be a representative from the 11 private sector; one member appointed by the minority leader of the 12 senate; and one member appointed by the minority leader of the assembly; 13 and in consultation with the following and other relevant state agen- 14 cies, public authorities, local governments, the federal government and 15 non-governmental organizations: the department of health, the department 16 of labor, the department of state, the division of homeland security and 17 emergency services, the power authority of the state of New York, the 18 Long Island power authority, the department of taxation and finance, the 19 metropolitan transportation authority, the state university of New York, 20 the city university of New York, the New York independent system opera- 21 tor, and others. 22 2. No member of the task force shall be disqualified from holding any 23 public office or employment, nor shall he or she forfeit any such office 24 of employment by virtue of his or her appointment pursuant to this 25 section. 26 3. Members of the task force shall receive no compensation for their 27 services, but shall be allowed their actual and necessary expenses 28 incurred in the performance of their functions pursuant to this section. 29 4. The task force shall hold at least five public hearings. To the 30 extent practicable, such hearings shall be held in different regions of 31 the state. During the public hearings, the task force shall hear the 32 testimony of voluntary witnesses. 33 5. The task force shall develop a detailed statewide, industrial, 34 economic mobilization plan (hereinafter referred to as the "plan for a 35 Green New Deal for New York" or the "plan") for the transition of the 36 New York economy to become greenhouse gas emissions neutral by 2030, or 37 as soon as feasible, by eliminating pollution and greenhouse gas emis- 38 sions as much as technologically feasible, by transitioning rapidly to 39 clean renewable energy technologies and to significantly draw down 40 greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and oceans and to promote economic 41 and environmental justice and equality. In furtherance of the foregoing, 42 the plan shall: 43 (a) be prepared in consultation with experts and leaders from busi- 44 ness, labor, state and local governments, tribal nations, academia and 45 broadly representative civil society groups and communities; 46 (b) be driven by the state government, in collaboration, co-creation 47 and partnership with business, labor, local governments, tribal nations, 48 research institutions and civil society groups and communities, and the 49 federal government; 50 (c) be executed in no longer than 10 years from the start of execution 51 of such plan; 52 (d) provide opportunities for high income work, entrepreneurship and 53 cooperative and public ownership; and 54 (e) additionally, be responsive to, and in accordance with, the goals 55 and guidelines relating to social, economic, racial, regional and 56 gender-based justice and equality.A. 7824 7 1 6. In addition to preparing the plan, the task force shall prepare 2 draft legislation for the enactment of the plan in accordance with this 3 section. Such draft legislation may be prepared concurrently with the 4 development of the plan, or as the task force may otherwise deem appro- 5 priate, provided that such finalized draft legislation shall be 6 completed in accordance with the timing set forth in subparagraph (ii) 7 of paragraph (b) of subdivision 9 of this section. 8 7. The task force shall have the authority to investigate, study, make 9 findings, convene experts and leaders from industry, academia, local 10 communities, labor, finance, environmental justice, technology and any 11 other industry or group that the select committee deems to be a relevant 12 resource. The task force may, at its discretion and as its members may 13 deem appropriate, hold public hearings in connection with any aspect of 14 its investigative functions. 15 8. To enable the task force to carry out the purposes of this article, 16 the task force will use existing staff and resources from appropriate 17 agencies. 18 9. (a) The task force shall submit a preliminary report on the plan to 19 the governor, senate and assembly and online for the public by September 20 1, 2019 and as it deems appropriate from time to time the results of its 21 investigations and studies, together with such detailed findings and 22 interim recommendations or proposed plan or draft legislation, or 23 portion thereof, as it may deem advisable. 24 (b)(i) The task force shall complete the plan for a Green New Deal for 25 New York and issue a report to the governor, the temporary president of 26 the senate, and the speaker of the assembly by a date no later than 27 January 1, 2022. 28 (ii) The task force shall complete the finalized draft legislation and 29 submit it to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, and 30 the speaker of the assembly by a date no later than the date that is 90 31 calendar days after the task force has completed the plan and, in any 32 event, no later than March 1, 2022. 33 (iii) The task force shall ensure that the plan and the draft legis- 34 lation prepared in accordance with this section shall, upon completion 35 be made available to the general public in widely accessible formats 36 including, but not limited to, via at least one dedicated website and a 37 print publication, by a date no later than 30 calendar days following 38 the respective dates for completion. 39 10. (a) The plan for a Green New Deal and the draft legislation shall 40 be developed with the objective of reaching the following outcomes with- 41 in the target window of 10 years from the start of execution of the 42 plan: 43 (i) dramatically expand existing renewable power sources and deploy 44 new production capacity with the goal of meeting 100 percent of New York 45 state power demand through clean renewable sources; 46 (ii) building a statewide, energy-efficient, "smart" grid; 47 (iii) upgrading every residential and industrial building for state- 48 of-the-art energy efficiency, comfort and safety; 49 (iv) eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from the manufacturing, 50 agricultural and other industries, including by investing in local-scale 51 agriculture in communities across the state; 52 (v) eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from, repairing and improving 53 transportation and other infrastructure, and upgrading water infrastruc- 54 ture to ensure universal access to clean water; 55 (vi) funding massive investment in the drawdown of greenhouse gases;A. 7824 8 1 (vii) making "green" technology, industry, expertise, products and 2 services a major export of New York state, with the aim of becoming the 3 undisputed international leader in helping other states and countries 4 transition to completely greenhouse gas neutral economies and bringing 5 about a global Green New Deal; and 6 (viii) explain how these actions will be financed and what the econom- 7 ic impact will be if we take these actions and if we do not take these 8 actions. 9 (b) The plan for a Green New Deal and the draft legislation shall 10 recognize that a state, industrial, economic mobilization of this scope 11 and scale is a historic opportunity to virtually eliminate poverty in 12 New York state and to make prosperity, wealth and economic security 13 available to everyone participating in the transformation. In further- 14 ance of the foregoing, the plan and the draft legislation shall: 15 (i) provide all members of our society, across all regions and all 16 communities, the opportunity, training and education to be a full and 17 equal participant in the transition, including through a job guarantee 18 program to assure a living wage job to every person who wants one; 19 (ii) diversify local and regional economies, with a particular focus 20 on communities where the fossil fuel industry holds significant control 21 over the labor market, to ensure workers have the necessary tools, 22 opportunities, and economic assistance to succeed during the energy 23 transition; 24 (iii) require strong enforcement of labor, workplace safety, and wage 25 standards that recognize the rights of workers to organize and unionize 26 free of coercion, intimidation, and harassment, and creation of meaning- 27 ful, quality, career employment; 28 (iv) ensure a 'just transition' for all workers, low-income communi- 29 ties, communities of color, indigenous communities, rural and urban 30 communities and the front-line communities most affected by climate 31 change, pollution and other environmental harm including by ensuring 32 that local implementation of the transition is led from the community 33 level and by prioritizing solutions that end the harms faced by front- 34 line communities from climate change and environmental pollution; 35 (v) protect and enforce sovereign rights and land rights of tribal 36 nations; 37 (vi) mitigate deeply entrenched racial, regional and gender-based 38 inequalities in income and wealth including, but not limited to, ensur- 39 ing that state and other investment will be equitably distributed to 40 historically impoverished, low income, deindustrialized or other margi- 41 nalized communities in such a way that builds wealth and ownership at 42 the community level; 43 (vii) include additional measures such as basic income programs, 44 universal health care programs and any others as the task force may deem 45 appropriate to promote economic security, labor market flexibility and 46 entrepreneurism; 47 (viii) deeply involve state and local labor unions to take a leader- 48 ship role in the process of job training and worker deployment; and 49 (ix) explain how these actions will be financed and what the economic 50 impact will be if these actions are taken and if these actions are not 51 taken. 52 (c) The plan for a Green New Deal and the draft legislation shall 53 recognize that innovative public and other financing structures are a 54 crucial component in achieving and furthering the goals and guidelines 55 relating to social, economic, racial, regional and gender-based justice 56 and equality and cooperative and public ownership. The plan and theA. 7824 9 1 draft legislation shall, accordingly, ensure that the majority of 2 financing of the plan shall be accomplished by the state government, 3 using a combination of a new public bank or a system of regional and 4 specialized public banks, public venture funds and such other vehicles 5 or structures that the task force deems appropriate, in order to ensure 6 that interest and other investment returns generated from public invest- 7 ments made in connection with the plan will be returned to the state, 8 reduce taxpayer burden and allow for more investment. 9 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be 10 deemed repealed April 1, 2022.
