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CONTACT: Akash Gejjagaraguppe | akash@kivvit.com | 603.930.0591
THE VOTE YES FOR CLEAN WATER & JOBS COALITION LAUNCHES ROBUST 7-FIGURE CAMPAIGN TO PASS THE ENVIRONMENTAL BOND ACT ON NOVEMBER 8TH
The Robust, Multichannel Campaign Will Encourage Voters to Vote Yes on Proposition One – The Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Bond Act
The Broad, Diverse Coalition Includes Over 200 New York Environmental, Government, Business, Public Health, Agriculture, Labor Organizations, and More
NEW YORK – Today, the Vote Yes for Clean Water & Jobs Coalition launches a seven-figure media campaign to encourage New York voters to flip their ballots and vote ‘yes’ on Proposition One: The Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Bond Act. The robust, multichannel campaign will include a broad array of advertising tactics. The initial two video spots focus on Proposition One’s ability to help update New York’s outdated water infrastructure.
Links to the first two spots are here:100 Years Spot / C- Spot.
The broad, diverse coalition consists of over 200 organizations from a wide swath of sectors including, labor unions, environmental advocates, business organizations, local government groups, and many more. The full list of coalition members can be found here: Partners and Supporters.
New York voters will have an opportunity to approve Proposition One, the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Bond Act, on November 8th. Once passed, the measure will protect clean drinking water, modernize aging infrastructure, create jobs, improve public health & safety, and conserve New York’s natural resources.
Bill Ulfelder, New York Executive Director for The Nature Conservancy said: “On November 8th, New York voters have an incredibly important decision to make on the future of our state. Contaminants are showing up in our drinking water, and New York’s infrastructure systems weren’t designed to handle rising seas or the frequent, intense storms that are now common. We must prepare now to face the future of an unstable climate, and the Bond Act is key to ensuring that we will be ready. We have the chance to invest in a sustainable future for our children and grandchildren, and it has never been more important than now.”
Thomas A. Callahan, President of the NYS Conference of Operating Engineers said: “New York has been operating on a century-old infrastructure for water and energy. A system that will simply not be able to handle the uncertainty of our changing environment and energy needs. The Bond Act will not only help us with retrofitting outdated systems and replacing dangerous leaking pipes, but it will also be a direct investment into New York’s communities, especially those that have been most disadvantaged by the state’s aging infrastructure and create good-paying jobs.”
Robert Wessels, Executive Director of the General Contractors Association of New York said: “The Environmental Bond Act will provide the essential infrastructure upgrades that our state sorely needs for a sustainable future, which of course subsequently benefits all New Yorkers. From fixing roads, to replacing lead pipes, and expanding clean energy projects, the programs that stem from the Bond Act will create good jobs, strengthen local economies, and solidify all New Yorkers have access to healthy land, clean air, and drinking water.”
Gary LaBarbera, President of the New York State Building Trades Council said: “Integrating weather-resistant infrastructure plays a crucial role in New York’s leadership in environmentally friendly initiatives and greenlights projects that create middle-class careers with benefits for our state’s hardworking people. Now more than ever, New York needs development that meets the demands of our changing climate, which is why the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Green Jobs Bond Act is Proposition 1 on the ballot this November. We encourage our members and all New Yorkers to vote “Yes” on this crucial measure that will allow for a new climate resilient future in our state, while creating thousands of good paying jobs for New Yorkers that uplift local communities in the process.”
Julie Tighe, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters said: “The New York League of Conservation Voters and our members understand the urgent need to preserve our environment and face down the threat of climate change. With the Environmental Bond Act on the ballot this November, New York stands on the brink of a historic opportunity to protect our water and air, shore up our water infrastructure, and improve the quality of life in every part of the state – all while supporting thousands of good-paying jobs and investing in disadvantaged communities. Now is the time for New Yorkers to do their part: flip the ballot and vote yes on Proposition 1!”
Vincent Albanese of the NYS Laborers’ Organizing Fund said: “The Bond Act is a once-in-a-generation moment for New Yorkers to make a choice that will directly affect the future and sustainability of their state. From creating good jobs, strengthening local economies, improving previously neglected communities, and building a resilient New York the Bond Act is absolutely necessary. Come November 8th, New York voters should flip their ballots and vote ‘yes’ on Prop 1.”
Melva M. Miller, Chief Executive Officer for the Association for a Better New York said: “This fall New Yorkers will have an opportunity to make their voice heard and vote on a $4.2 billion investment proposition to safeguard New York State’s environmental sustainability and resilience. Proposal One, the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Green Jobs Bond Act is a generational opportunity to protect drinking water, mitigate air pollution, and invest in underserved communities that have been disproportionately impacted by climate change. As the climate crisis worsens, this is an opportunity to make a difference and protect New York and its people.”
Kate Kurera, Deputy Director for Environmental Advocates New York said: “This fall, clean water is on the ballot—as is clean air, green jobs, open spaces, and more. If voters take this historic opportunity and approve this Bond Act, they will have made a huge investment in New York’s future and will have helped provide a healthier and more prosperous State for generations to come. And those in Environmental Justice communities across New York who suffer disproportionately from pollution and the effects of climate change will especially benefit from programs this Bond Act will fund. We stand with lawmakers, advocates, and our allies in the New Yorkers for Clean Water and Jobs coalition in calling for New York voters to flip the ballot on November 8th and VOTE YES on the $4.2 billion Environmental Bond Act.”
Bill Banfield, Assistant to the Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the NASRCC said: “The North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters is proud to support the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Green Jobs Bond Act on the ballot this November. As New Yorkers, we have a shared responsibility to help our communities deal with the worsening effects of climate change – and ensure that future generations have clean drinking water. Thanks to the leadership of Governor Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Heastie, that investment in vital infrastructure will also protect blue-collar workers and create middle-class jobs. The Bond Act is good for the environment, good for our economy, and good for working people.”
Ned Sullivan, President of the environmental group Scenic Hudson said: “In my 23 years at the helm of Scenic Hudson, and my time spent as an environmental official for the States of New York and Maine, I have seen governments, community groups and many dedicated individuals and organizations make enormous strides in improving people’s quality of life. In the Hudson Valley, we’ve seen exponential growth in parks and trails offering exercise, respite from stress, and magnets for tourism. Thousands of acres of fields and orchards on family farms have been conserved, assuring local sources of nutritious food and robust rural economies. But there is more to do to ensure that these resources are well-maintained and that future generations are cared for. I encourage New Yorkers to support the Bond Act and ‘vote yes’ for the Clean Water, Clean Air, Green Jobs Bond Act on election day this November.”
Executive Director Heather Johnson of Friends of the Bay said: “Voting Yes on Proposition 1 on November 8 is a vote for a healthy and sustainable New York where all residents will benefit. Not only is it a win for the environment, but also for the economy with thousands of jobs being created.”
Kara Meyer, Managing Director of +POOL said: “How long has it been since you had to last fix your own toilet, sink or shower? New York has some fixing to do, and it has been 26 years since the last environmental bond was enacted. It starts here. We must invest in clean water infrastructure; we simply cannot afford not to.”
William C. Janeway, Executive Director of The Adirondack Council said: “The Bond Act will conserve wildlife habitats and increase access to parks, nature centers, campgrounds, and public waterfronts. Adirondack wildlife projects will help native species move from one location to another as suitable cool-weather habitat shifts northward and upslope due to a warming climate.”
Michael Richardson, Core Planner for the Rivers & Mountains Green Faith Circle said: “Our multi-faith climate action group recognizes the moral imperative to support the Environmental Bond Act. We are campaigning for Proposition One because it will provide funding to reduce greenhouse gases and other pollution that are causing climate disruption – and thereby mitigate the resulting extreme weather.”
Michael Barrett, Executive Director of the Adirondack Mountain Club said: “The Adirondack Mountain Club is thrilled to support this once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in clean water and green jobs. The Bond Act will bring much-needed support to the Adirondack and Catskill Parks by investing in local communities, land conservation, recreational infrastructure, and job growth.”
Meme Hanley, New York Senior Program Manager for the Land Trust Alliance said: “The Land Trust Alliance supports the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Bond Act to protect the safety, health and well-being of all New Yorkers and the environment. The effects of climate change are upon us – New York needs to use every tool available to mitigate the impacts and slow the pace of climate change. Land conservation is a proven tool to address these challenges, and by approving the Environmental Bond Act this November, voters can protect our natural resources while bolstering our economy. The nearly 90 land trusts located in communities across New York are ready to play their role in advancing private land conservation to achieve all these benefits and more.”
Amy Chester, Managing Director of Rebuild by Design said: “Every county in New York State has had federal disaster declarations in the past ten years. New Yorkers have a once in a generation opportunity to vote for investments that will help communities prepare for our changing environment. Let’s do this!”
Max Rowland, Healthy Homes Coordinator for PUSH Buffalo said: “As an organization, PUSH Buffalo is committed to the Just Transition, where we move from an extractive and exploitative economy to a regenerative and restoring one, at the nexus of affordable, sustainable housing; we also recognize that these systematic harms are perpetuated along intersectional lines of marginalization (such as race, class, gender, ability, etc.) to a deepened extent. The intersection of environmental and housing justice must address the failing and unsustainable housing infrastructure & economy, and the complementary need for green jobs to restore and remediate our housing stock. This fight is important for the rights of tenants across the state of New York, and especially here in Buffalo, where our majority-renter city faces a massive housing crisis and some of the highest blood lead poisoning levels in the state. The Bond Act will address these critical environmental & housing issues from a multifaceted approach. PUSH Buffalo, a community-based non-profit organization that represents hundreds of New Yorkers significantly impacted by the ongoing lead poisoning of our communities, strongly supports this legislation.”
Dennis Derryck, Founder and President of the Corbin Hill Food Project, Inc. said: “As a Black-founded and led organization, the Corbin Hill Food Project fully supports the Conservation Bond Act. Our Harlem-based 501(c) non-profit and social enterprise aggregates and distributes local and regional farm-fresh produce to vulnerable NYC communities. However, there are currently only 138 Black farmers among the 57,000 in the State where 45% of Black farmers’ land is rented, ⅔ more than white operators. Increasing accessibility and affordability of fresh food produced by Black farmers requires access to land and the ability to create land trusts that benefit both farmers and the communities in NYC whom we serve. To date, no land trusts have been created by or owned by Black organizations in the State of New York. The passage of the Conservation Bond Act speaks to past omissions and can include previously excluded communities as beneficiaries as we create alternative food systems that are environmentally sustainable, reduce our climate impact, and protect our local lived environments.”
Kim Elliman, President and CEO of the Open Space Institute said: “OSI is thrilled to join in the effort to pass the Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act. This bond act is a game changer – and with it, New York will be able to achieve big, long-term environmental solutions that embrace land-based efforts to combat climate change and secure clean drinking sources, while addressing the growing demand for parks and greenspace for people and wildlife. This bond act is vital to building a healthier, stronger, and more resilient future for all New Yorkers.”
Deb Peck Kelleher, Director of Policy Analysis and Operations for the Alliance for Clean Energy New York said: “The funding provided by the Environmental Bond Act will not only improve the environment but will also strengthen our communities. The Bond Act funding for the electric school bus initiative and other infrastructure improvements will protect our kids from harmful diesel pollution, create jobs, and move New York closer to our emissions reduction goals. We are pleased to see the Bond Act include funding for all-electric school buses in our state which will provide clean transportation for the future generations.”
Kate Boicourt, Director of EDF Action said: “With severe devastation from storms like Sandy and Ida, New Yorkers are already paying the extreme costs of climate change. The 2022 Bond Act is an opportunity to reduce those costs, protect our communities and natural resources and also create good jobs. This November, New Yorkers have the opportunity to vote to secure a more safe, prosperous and healthy future for our entire state.”
Daniel Atonna, Political Coordinator of For the Many said: “For the Many organizes community members in the Mid-Hudson Valley who will directly benefit from the $4.2 billion Environmental Bond Act. Money for replacing lead service lines will help cities like Newburgh. Money for community gardens will help combat food deserts in cities like Poughkeepsie. The DEC has projected that the Hudson River could rise 2 to 4 feet by 2080. Money for flood buyouts and restoring shorelines will help protect everyone in the Hudson Valley. For the Many strongly urges voters to vote YES for the Environmental Bond Act on the back of their ballot this November!”
Linda Garrett, New York Regional Director for the American Farmland Trust said: “New York is facing exceptional threats to its farmland from climate change and severe weather events, rising land prices and barriers to access, and disruptions to the supply chain, all having major impacts on the environment and regional food systems. The proposed Bond Act funding comes at a critical time with the potential to mitigate these challenges by providing crucial support to protect our agricultural economy, farm viability, environmental stewardship, and local food systems.”
Alex Rodriguez, Environmental Justice Specialist for Save the Sound said: “The Environmental Bond Act will elevate environmental justice-focused solutions to help communities that have been most burdened with environmental concerns such as heavy truck pollution, flooding, and lack of clean water. If passed, the Bond would allot much-needed funding for climate change mitigation, restoration and flood risk reduction, open space conservation and recreation, water quality improvements, and green infrastructure. Let’s encourage our friends and neighbors to vote YES on Prop 1 in November and take hold of this cleaner and healthier future for all New Yorkers.”
Jill Jedlicka, Executive Director for Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper said: “With the increasing incidences of crumbling infrastructure wreaking havoc in our WNY communities and shorelines, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper is in strong support of the historic New York State Environmental Bond Act, which will provide much-needed funding for our region. We must recognize and prioritize New York as a Great Lakes State as well as support the investments that are required to sustain this globally significant natural resource. The infrastructure projects and programs that could be supported by the Bond Act are crucial to protect water quality and ensure the resiliency of natural and human ecosystems within our New York Great Lakes shorelines.”
Liz Thalheimer, President of LWV-Huntington said: “LWV has been a non-partisan organization since its founding more than 100 years ago. We proudly stand in support of the Environmental Bond Act. Protecting our planet and providing green jobs must always remain a non-partisan issue, our lives and the lives of our children depend on it.”
Jajean Rose-Burney, Deputy Executive Director of the Western New York Land Conservancy said: “The Bond Act will provide funding across the state and to Western New York that will help clean our freshwater and our air. The Bond Act will make it possible to protect our forests, meadows, wetlands, lakes, rivers, and streams for future generations. The Bond Act will also create jobs and make our communities stronger.”
Barbara Spink, Co-Chair for the Capitol Region Interfaith Creation Care Coalition said: “Capital Region Interfaith Creation Care Coalition makes the care of Creation a central moral priority by working in solidarity to mitigate the climate emergency and to preserve and restore natural resources and biodiversity for present and future generations. The Bond Act is a critical first step in mitigating Climate Change and we urge New Yorkers to support it.”
Alicia White, Executive Director of Project Petals said: “We must ensure that under-resourced communities have access to clean air and water. It’s crucial now more than ever that we move to address inequities within the climate crisis. This is why I support the Bond Act that directs 35 to 40 percent of total funding to disadvantaged communities. I have worked in BIPOC and under-resourced communities for over a decade. I have seen what a lack of funding and resources has done to the livelihoods, health, and communities of New York.”
Dr. Warren Seigel, MD Chair of the NYS American Academy of Pediatrics Chapters 1, 2 & 3 said: “The children and families of New York from urban, suburban, and rural communities deserve the assurance that their state government is doing everything it can to ensure that they are living in an environment as free as possible of toxins that can and do disrupt their healthy and normal development, said Dr. Warren Seigel, MD, MBA, FAAP, Chair of NYS American Academy of Pediatrics, Chapters 1, 2 & 3, representing 5,000 pediatricians from Buffalo to the tip of Long Island. As pediatricians, we fully support the Environmental Bond Act which provides an opportunity to direct environmental investments to the most negatively impacted communities and offers a once-in-a-generation stimulus package that protects water resources, builds resilience to climate change impacts, like flooding, and generates new jobs and economic activity. We are fully committed to environmental equity and a direct assault on climate change. The Bond Act will help New York State create and sustain a healthier environment for all children, from the tiniest infants to children playing in playgrounds and parks, to teens playing sports in middle and high school. Clean air, clean water and safe soils will offer all children the opportunity they need and deserve to grow and thrive.”
Rabbi David Adelson, of the New York Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism said: “Torah (Genesis 2:15) teaches us to “till and tend” to God’s Earth, and Midrash (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13) reminds us that, should we fail to do so, there will nobody after us who will “mend” it. The practice of Reform Judaism requires us to show up, speak out and stand up for justice, and here, in NY’s general election, that means voting “Yes” for the 2022 Bond Act that will ensure the delivery of clean water to every New Yorker, shore up our resilience to flooding and other climate-caused disasters, mitigate against climate change and will target for special relief those minority and low-income communities devastated by climate change and environmental degradation.”
Roger Downs, Conservation Director for the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter said: “The historic $4.2 billion ‘Clean Water, Clean Air, Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act’ that will go before voters in the fall, will protect critical habitats, prevent floods, safeguard drinking water, support public health, and provide thousands of family-sustaining jobs. The Sierra Club and our more than 50,000 New York members urge all New Yorkers to flip the ballot in November and vote “yes” for clean water and a stable climate.”
Manna Jo Greene, Environmental Director for the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater said: “As we approach the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Clean Water Act, the 2022 Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Bond Act is urgently needed to continue its protections, to address both legacy and newly emerging contaminants and to implement solutions to the rapidly worsening global climate emergency. Remember to turn your ballot over on November 8th to support the Bond Act.”
Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director for the Citizens Campaign for the Environment said: “This is a pivotal moment for New York’s environment and residents. Voters have the opportunity to approve long overdue investments in clean water, clean air, and environmental protections. Enacting the Bond Act this November will provide the support New York needs to safeguard clean drinking water, upgrade our aging water infrastructure, conserve open space, invest in renewable energy, and protect vulnerable communities from climate change all while supporting local jobs. These investments will allow the state to undertake urgently needed environmental projects that are essential to New York’s future.”
Tracy Brown, President of the Hudson Riverkeeper said: “Voters have a once-in-a-generation opportunity this November to protect drinking water and wildlife by flipping over their ballots and voting yes on Prop 1. The funds are critical to ensure our vision for a healthy Hudson River Valley has the resources needed to come to fruition in the coming years. We are proud to be a part of the broad coalition supporting the bond act and look forward to its success in November.”
Andy Bicking, Director of Government Relations and Public Policy for the environmental group Scenic Hudson said: “The Hudson Valley has been on the cutting-edge of creating solutions that address the environmental challenges of our time. Despite this great progress, much more could be done to ensure an even safer, healthier, and thriving future for all New Yorkers. On November 8, New Yorkers will have an opportunity to cast a vote for the Clean Water, Clean Air Green Jobs Bond Act that will make such a difference in the well-being of so many people by protecting clean water, creating new parkland, conserving the sources of fresh local food, and advancing environmental justice.”