The regressive legislative rollbacks in the 2026-27 budget are certain to reverse years of environmental progress in New York, with negative outcomes like the prolonged use of expensive fossil fuels, higher energy costs, degraded air quality, contaminated drinking water and unwanted community sprawl. While Governor Hochul had considerable leverage to force the legislature to go along with this manufactured crisis, there are still a few weeks left of the legislative session for the Senate and Assembly to mitigate the damage. Will you urge them to take action on key environmental legislation before session ends June 4th?
As the ink dries on the most recent legislative betrayal, the monied forces that guided the governor’s hand to gut the climate law are now positioning themselves to kill critical legislation banning toxic chemicals from consumer products and programs to reduce thousands of tons of packaging waste in NY. Well-financed chemical industry lobbyists are pounding on every office door at the Capitol using scare tactics to dissuade lawmakers from adopting policies that clean up our environment, save money for consumers, and create healthier communities:
Three bills in particular, which have been debated, amended and fine tuned over many legislative sessions are in prime position to become law after passing the Senate:
- Comprehensive PFAS Ban (A.7738-A/S.9073-A): phases out carcinogenic PFAS in everyday items like non-stick cookware, dental floss, children’s products, ski wax, cleaning products, fabric treatments, rugs, paint, and household textiles.
- Beauty Justice Act: (A.2054-B/S.2057-B): regulates the ingredients found in personal care products sold in NY by banning the sale of products containing the most harmful additives.
- Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (S.1464-A/A.1749-A): requires manufacturers to reduce the amount of packaging they use by 30%, improves recycling infrastructure, prohibits processes that produce toxic byproducts, bans the most toxic chemicals used in packaging, and financially supports municipal recycling programs — shifting costs to those that create excessive packaging.
These three bills can relieve a lot of misery from New York’s future — with the promise of fewer cancer deaths, cleaner drinking water, and greater resources for our communities burdened with the costs of waste disposal and toxic clean ups. Will you urge Assembly Speaker Heastie to finally pass these bills through his house, and restore the legislature’s commitment to a clean and healthful environment?
The time to act is now. With the recent news of our Federal government rolling back drinking water protections and regulations to safeguard against exposures to toxic PFAS forever chemicals, it’s imperative that New York step up and take action. Send your message today!
