Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the State Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Assembly Member Deborah Glick outlines state budget gains for environment, water and protections
Summary
Assembly Member Deborah Glick told Manhattan Community Board 2 that the state budget added $25 million to the Environmental Protection Fund (bringing it to $450 million), boosted water infrastructure funding to $750 million, and included measures on wetlands and animal acts, while a legal challenge prompted changes to parts of the CLCPA.
Assembly Member Deborah Glick summarized several state budget outcomes and recent legislation when she addressed Manhattan Community Board 2 during the board’s June meeting.
Glick said the budget added $25 million to the Environmental Protection Fund, bringing that fund to roughly $450 million, and authorized $750 million for water infrastructure — “really $250 million more than last year,” she said — to support sewer capacity and filtration projects across the state. “That provides a lot of grants to a lot of different programs that are on the ground,” she said.
Glick also described legislative changes tied to climate policy and conservation. She said parts of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) were rolled back “owing to really a lawsuit,” but urged board members that adjusting statutory goals does not remove the need to invest in projects that advance resiliency. She noted rooftop and community solar goals were already exceeded in one area and stressed continuing funding for programs that help reach climate goals.
On other items, Glick said the budget and bills included a ban on traveling animal acts and strengthened protections for tidal wetlands and horseshoe crabs, citing a recent court decision that undermined freshwater wetland protections and a subsequent legislative response. She also praised improvements to solar permitting as “crucial.”
Glick highlighted a provision limiting local law enforcement cooperation with immigration enforcement: “local law enforcement cannot be turning people in,” she said, framing the change as protection for people stopped during routine encounters.
Why it matters: the state funding increases and policy changes Glick described translate to grants and permitting reforms that can affect infrastructure and environmental projects across New York, including in Manhattan. Board members were told these allocations and statutory changes will require continued advocacy and local follow-up to convert funding into local projects.
Glick closed by noting she will return to the community as a constituent later this year and thanked board members for their engagement. The remarks were delivered during the board’s public session and concluded with a brief question-and-answer exchange.
