Climate and Community Investment Act (S.4264-A) / (A.6967)
May 11th, 2021
RE: Relates to enacting the climate and community investment act
S.4264-A (Parker) / A.6967 (Cahill)
MEMORANDUM IN OPPOSITION
Upstate United, a non-partisan, pro-taxpayer, pro-economic growth, education and advocacy coalition made up of business and trade organizations from Upstate New York opposes this legislation.
This bill would impose a carbon tax to help the state meet its green energy goals and will cost New York motorists an extra 55 cents per gallon at the pump. It would also impose a wide ranging carbon tax on manufacturers as well as providers of fossil fuels such as motor oil. The Climate and Community Investment Act would in 2022 levy a charge of $55 per ton of fossil fuel emissions from all sources, which would include factories, schools, and on the use of gasoline.
The bill states “Creating good jobs and a thriving economy is a core concern of New York State” This will add another burdensome and unnecessary cost for businesses in NYS, it will drive out employers and take food off of the table for workers. This is a bill that only takes downstate into consideration, Upstate NY cannot function without individual transportation methods, NY is more than New York City and this bill ignores that.
This is Albany trying to backtrack to create funding for the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) because they never established a funding plan despite the obvious costs that will come with such a massive undertaking. Imposing a massive tax and forcing people to spend money on new electric vehicles is not the answer to the problem that the legislature created by rushing a poorly funded and researched bill into law.
During a time of immense economic distress this bill would add yet another cost for residents and businesses. Albany needs to provide relief for its constituents, not pile on them with another nail in the proverbial coffin.
For these reasons, Upstate United strongly opposes the enactment of this legislation.