Governor Hochul Announces $30 Million Bond Act Funding Awards for 19 Projects Statewide as Part of Climate Week

In recognition of Climate Week NYC, Governor Kathy Hochul today announced $30 million in funding awards from the 2022 Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act (Bond Act) for 19 projects designed to enhance community resilience to extreme weather events and flooding across New York State. The projects represent the Governor's proactive approach to addressing the effects of extreme weather driven by climate change.

"New York is continuing to make historic investments to protect our communities from the growing risks of inland and coastal flooding," Governor Hochul said. "These projects will strengthen local infrastructure, restore natural protections and make neighborhoods more resilient in the face of climate change. By advancing these projects now, we are not only safeguarding lives and property, but also demonstrating New York's leadership in building a safer, stronger and more sustainable future."

The Bond Act of 2022 supports projects and initiatives in four categories: restoration and flood risk reduction; open space land conservation and recreation; climate change mitigation; and water quality improvement and resilient infrastructure. The funds are being used by New York State Agencies and Authorities to implement projects that protect water quality, reduce pollution, protect natural resources, help communities adapt to climate change, improve resiliency and create green jobs.

The New York Department of State (DOS) administers two programs through the Bond Act - the Coastal Rehabilitation and Resiliency Projects Program and the Inland Flooding and Local Waterfront Revitalization Program. The Coastal Rehabilitation and Resiliency Projects Program supports the implementation of projects that increase resilience with an emphasis on natural processes that provide environmental, economic, and social benefits. The Inland Flooding and Local Waterfront Revitalization Program supports implementation projects that improve waterfront and watershed resiliency and reduce climate impacts, particularly flooding.

Project awards for the Coastal Rehabilitation and Resiliency Projects Program include:

• Wallkill River Streambank Stabilization at Celery Avenue, Orange County Soil and Water Conservation District: $450,000
• Genesee River Flood Resiliency, City of Rochester: $2,250,000
• Nyack Waterfront Restoration and Resiliency Improvements, Village of Nyack:$590,580
• Big Rock Wetland Restoration Project, Save the Sound, Inc.: $2,047,057
• Duck Pond Dam Removal and Kleine Kill Restoration, Mohonk Preserve, Inc.:$1,100,000
• West Canada Creek Floodplain Restoration and Strategic Relocation Project, Town of Herkimer: $1,278,256
• Mariners Harbor Pump Station Replacement and Relocation, City of Kingston: $665,865
• Summit Street Culvert Replacement, Village of Boonville: $344,250
• Eastern Storm Sewer System Improvement Project, Village of Waterloo: $1,930,779
• Saltmarsh Restoration at Sheepen Peninsula, Town of Brookhaven: $1,615,009
• Stormwater System Upgrades, Village of Freeport: $3,555,000
• Salt Marsh Restoration at Cupsogue Beach, Suffolk County: $4,173,204

Project awards for the Inland Flooding and Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) Implementation Projects Program include:

• Turtle Cove Tidal Wetland Resiliency and Restoration, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation: $3,190,979
• Mill Street Dam Removal and Chittenango Creek Restoration, Village of Cazenovia: $1,359,900
• Sucker Brook Flood Resiliency Implementation, City of Canandaigua: $2,650,600
• MacDonough Park Flood Resiliency Improvements, City of Plattsburgh: $1,181,812
• Mill Creek Streambank Stabilization, Lewis County: $304,126
• Schroon River Access Site Resiliency Improvements, Warren County: $535,401
• Kingston Point Beach Sea-Level Rise Mitigation Project, City of Kingston: $982,733

New York Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley said, "Communities across the state are already experiencing the impacts of severe weather and sea level rise. The projects we are funding through these programs will deliver the resources local governments need to strengthen critical infrastructure, protect shorelines and restore natural systems that help keep people safe."

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton said, "Whether it's preventing inland flooding or rehabilitating coastal areas, Governor Hochul is ensuring that we are doing our part to make all New Yorkers safer from the effects of severe weather events. This $30 million investment from the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act builds on the significant resources committed across the state which will save exponentially more in recovery from future storms, while getting put to work, and helping communities get the resources they need to plan and prepare."

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, "Governor Hochul's climate leadership is delivering strategic and proactive solutions for helping our communities keep their residents and businesses safe from the most damaging effects of extreme weather events. The infrastructure investments announced today will benefit generations of New Yorkers by strengthening resiliency systems, allowing these regions to adapt to and recover more readily and cost-effectively from the impacts of future flooding."

State Senator Pete Harckham said, "Climate change is already costing our communities more than $2 billion a year, and those costs will only grow if we fail to strengthen the resilience of our infrastructure. This is exactly the kind of investment the Bond Act was created for: protecting our residents and creating good-paying jobs locally. I'm grateful to Governor Hochul and my colleagues in the Legislature for prioritizing this critical issue and for ending Climate Week with a statement of action."

Assemblymember Deborah Glick said, "I thank Governor Hochul for her foresight and commitment to keeping New Yorkers safe while advancing our climate goals. Climate change demands that we act decisively and proactively, and by directing Bond Act dollars toward resilience projects, the Governor is working hard to protect lives and livelihoods. It is vital that we prepare our state for the challenges of hotter and more extreme weather patterns."

New York State's Climate Agenda

New York State's climate agenda calls for an affordable and just transition to a clean energy economy that creates family-sustaining jobs, promotes economic growth through green investments, and directs a minimum of 35 percent of the benefits to disadvantaged communities. New York is advancing a suite of efforts to achieve an emissions-free economy by 2050, including in the energy, buildings, transportation, and waste sectors.

About New York's Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act

On November 8, 2022, New Yorkers overwhelmingly approved the $4.2 billion Environmental Bond Act. State agencies, local governments, and partners will be able to access funding to protect water quality, help communities adapt to climate change, improve resiliency, and create green jobs. Bond Act funding will support new and expanded projects across the state to safeguard drinking water sources, reduce pollution, and protect communities and natural resources from climate change. Since the Bond Act passed, an interagency working group comprised of multiple state agencies has been implementing a transparent and collaborative process to identify needs for environmental funding across the State to help develop program logistics. Learn more about the Environmental Bond Act here.

Contact the Governor's Press Office