Governor’s Budget Plan Reflects Key Adirondack Priorities
Adirondack Council Pleased that
Lake Climate Survey, Timbuctoo Climate Institute, Included
Monday, January 13, 2025
ALBANY, N.Y. – The Adirondack Council today announced that it was generally pleased to see important Adirondack projects funded in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s $252-million state budget proposal. While the Executive Budget was light on Adirondack environmental priorities, it did include significant state funding for climate resiliency, environmental education and research, and robust investments in clean water that will have positive impacts in the North Country.
Released on Tuesday this week, the governor’s budget proposal does include a number of specific proposals that will benefit the people and natural resources of the Adirondack Park, the organization said. “While we believe that there are significant environmental priorities that still need funding, we are glad to see critical Adirondack projects supported in the governor’s budget proposals for fiscal year 2025-26. We look forward to working with the legislature on securing additional funding over the coming months,” Adirondack Council Deputy Director Kevin Chlad said.
“Funding for clean water infrastructure will help Adirondack communities,” said Chlad, “and the Environmental Protection Fund helps create jobs and community resiliency through environmentally focused capital projects. This moment in time is too important to look the other way on environmental priorities, and there is some room for improvement in the state budget.”
The governor proposed $1.5 million for the Survey of Climate and Adirondack Lake Ecosystems (SCALE) and $1.25 million for the Timbuctoo Climate and Careers Institute. The Adirondack Council has worked closely with both houses of the state legislature to create and get these programs funded over the past three years, and the governor’s inclusion of these priorities in her budget proposal is a step in the right direction. This is the first year that the Governor has included funding for SCALE in her executive budget proposal.
SCALE will employ cutting-edge technologies to monitor Adirondack lake water quality, which is vital to local, regional, and national climate and water quality programs. Fresh research will aid our state in policymaking and the defense of public health against cross-state air pollution. The Timbuctoo Institute brings teenagers from urban environments to the Adirondack Park to introduce them to the environmental and political history of the Park while providing exposure to potential career paths in protecting our environment. While the Adirondack Council played a role in getting both of these programs off the ground, the Council does not take any government funding, and the money allocated in the state budget goes directly to the program managers.
“Governor Hochul has shown with her budget proposal that she recognizes the value of climate research and green jobs,” Raul J. Aguirre, Executive Director of the Adirondack Council said. “But the stakes have never been higher. The communities of the Park are bearing the brunt of a historic lack of clean water infrastructure and water quality impacts due to a changing climate. We will need to do better in the final budget.”
The governor also proposed an increase of $1.5 million for the Adirondack Park Agency staffing budget, in addition to $10 million for a new APA headquarters. The Department of Environmental Conservation would also receive $90 million more than last year to address wetlands protection, fish hatchery upgrades, waterfront resiliency and restoration, and trail improvements.
Additionally, she proposed a $400 million Environmental Protection Fund, $8 million for wilderness protection and visitor safety in the Adirondacks and Catskills, $500 million for clean water infrastructure, and $150 million from the 2022 Bond Act to decarbonize SUNY and CUNY campuses across the state.
The Adirondack Council had asked the governor to provide $3 million for SCALE, $2.1 million for the Timbuctoo Institute, $500 million for the EPF, $12 million for wilderness protection and visitor safety, and $600 million for clean water infrastructure.
“We will turn to the legislature and seek to increase the funding of certain programs,” Chlad said. “But overall, we believe the Adirondacks and New York’s environment are trending towards a positive space in the final state budget. Given recent actions at the federal level, it’s good to see New York investing in clean water, green jobs, local communities, and the Adirondack Park.” Chlad said he hoped he would be granted an opportunity to present testimony to a joint legislative hearing on Energy and the Environment on January 27th.
Established in 1975, the Adirondack Council is a privately funded, not-for-profit environmental advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring the ecological integrity and wild character of the Adirondack Park. The 9,300-square-mile Adirondack Park is one of the largest intact temperate forest ecosystems left in the world. The Adirondacks are home to about 130,000 New York residents in 130 rural communities.
The Council carries out its mission through research, education, advocacy and legal action. The Council envisions a Park with clean water and clean air, core wilderness areas, farms and working forests, and vibrant, diverse, welcoming, safe communities.
For more information:
John Sheehan, Director of Communications, 518-441-1340
