Environmentalists, legislators call for change on Worldwide Zero Emissions Day
Activists are also calling for $100 million from the state’s 2024 budget to help with this transition.
Environmental activists and lawmakers banded together on Thursday to host a press conference calling for change to be made amid the ongoing climate crisis.
Those at Thursday's gathering are calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislators to put the Green Transit, Green Jobs bill into effect. The bill would require public buses to go electric and provide workers with clean, sustainable jobs.
“We are suffering,” said Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz. “Climate change is here, air pollution is bad, and we want to make sure we can lengthen people’s lives.
Activists are also calling for $100 million from the state’s 2024 budget to help with this transition, said Kevin Garcia, transportation planner for the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance.
“A lot of these buses that operate in New York State operate on diesel or gas, and that spews a lot of toxic fumes for the riders and the communities that live along the routes and near the bus depots,” said Garcia.
News 12 reached out to the governor’s office for a statement and received the following response:
"Gov. Hochul is committed to reducing emissions from the transportation sector and creating green jobs, which is why she's made nation-leading commitments to deploy electric school buses and zero emissions passenger vehicles, and will review all budget requests."
