New York’s $340 Billion Plan to Go Green Will Have New Yorkers Seeing Red

February 3rd, 2022

In July 2019, New York passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). The sweeping plan is designed to reduce New York’s carbon footprint and create new jobs in the process. While that sounds good on paper, the cost and end result of the CLCPA are eye-opening.

Legislative testimony from The Empire Center, an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank based in Albany, reveals some troubling information.

The high-end estimated cost of implementing the CLCPA is $340 billion. That’s larger than New York State’s annual budget. Every single New Yorker would have to shell out $17,000 to cover the massive cost of the CLCPA. Alternatively, $340 billion would cover New Yorkers’ total property tax costs for 5 years.

Regarding the environmental impact of the CLCPA, it wouldn’t make a dent on a global scale. New York State emits just .4% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. Here’s a simple pie chart to demonstrate just how small that is:

Meanwhile, China (the world’s leading ghg emitter) is planning to build and operate dozens of  coal-based power plants in the near future.

Solutions are supposed to solved problems, not create more of them. Unfortunately, the CLCPA will only drive up the cost of living and and drive out more hardworking taxpayers. We agree that climate change is a serious challenge that must be addressed. However, this challenge must be met on a global scale with all nations working together.