State and local lawmakers join civic and environmental groups calling on Gov. Hochul to require oil corporations offset ever increasing climate costs
By Ramona du Houx
November 29,2023
UPDATE: By late December EOPA had gathered 100 elected officials signatures in a letter of support for the Superfund.
Climate change extreme weather is happening with more frequency and veracity, costing lives and causing economic calamities. Recovery takes a long time. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its annual billion-dollar disaster report at the beginning of the year citing 18 weather and climate disasters in 2022 – whose damages had price tags of more than $1 billion. The deadly winter storm that hit parts of the Northeast just before Christmas was on that list. It dumped 100 inches of snow on Buffalo, New York, and claimed the lives of more than 40 people in the region.
Between 2011 and 2021, New York was hit by 16 major climate related disasters prompting official declarations. No region was spared. FEMA allocated over $17 billion in assistance. But when funds to help communities hit by extreme weather due to climate change run out, they’re forced to seek additional help from the local, and state government. That process may take years and most likely would end with taxes going up to cover the additional costs. There needs to be a mechanism in place to help the people of New York to recover from climate crisis disasters that doesn’t put the costs on taxpayers. The fossil fuel corporations that have fueled the climate crisis, despite knowing the probable consequences are well known. Elected Officials to Protect America and environmental and social justice groups say the New York Climate Change Superfund Act (S.2129-A/A.3351-A) is the answer, as it makes Big Oil pay its fair share.
The legislation, which passed the Senate in 2023, is supported by over 240 environmental, faith, civic, and labor groups, including the lawmaker group — Elected Officials to Protect America (EOPA).
The news of the SuperFund ask spread and was picked up by the radio, reaching 1.7 million listeners. (Listen HERE)
“Taxpayers should not have to pay billions of dollars for climate crisis disasters brought on because of the negligent oil and gas industry. Big Oil racked in $200 Billion in profits last year when too many people in New York were struggling to keep their homes heated,” said Dominic Frongillo, EOPA Executive Director and Co-Founder, Fmr. Councilmember & Deputy Supervisor Caroline, New York. “Elected Officials to Protect America (EOPA) New York urges Governor Hochul to commit to the Climate Change Superfund Act, which will hold the industry accountable for the environmental damages that they cause.”
On November 29, the coalition called on Governor Kathy Hochul to ensure that the largest climate polluters pick up a substantial portion of the climate crisis costs while prohibiting the companies from passing on those costs to the public. This can be achieved with the Climate Change Superfund Act as part of her upcoming Executive Budget proposal, which she would subsequently fight for in the final budget agreement. The Climate Change Superfund Act requires the largest greenhouse gas emitters (primarily Big Oil companies) pay apportioned fees totaling $3 billion a year. Local elected officials from across New York State stated in a letter to the Governor, circulated by EOPA:
“Our communities are on the front lines of the climate crisis, bearing the full weight of its impacts … Instead of asking New Yorkers to dig into their own pockets for the entire cost of climate adaptation, we can make the multinational fossil fuel companies that are responsible for and profiting from the climate emergency pay their fair share … Under the Climate Change Superfund Act, thirty to forty of the largest multinational oil, gas, and coal companies would be required to pay $75 billion over 25 years to New York State for damages arising from their past activities, money that would be earmarked to help localities like ours pay for climate-adaptive infrastructure. And, critically, the Superfund is designed as an assessment of damages for past behavior that cannot be passed on to consumers. We need the state to act now to hold the biggest polluters accountable. We need the Climate Change Superfund Act.”
Within a matter of weeks over 80 lawmakers signed the letter.
The Climate Change Superfund Act is based on the successful state and federal Superfund “polluter pays” law created four decades ago that has cleaned up thousands of toxic dumps.
“It’s absolutely time we enact the Climate Change Superfund Act. Every year climate related weather disasters take lives, uproot families and destroy businesses. While no sum can ever cover the emotional costs, people need the security to recover knowing the state has their back and won’t raise taxes on them to pay for a situation that never should have happened,” said Bill Reinhardt, Albany County Legislator, EOPA New York Leadership Council Co-Chair. “Big Oil’s own research has shown they knew the potential harm their products would cause, yet they did nothing to stop it. With the Superfund Act every time a climate disaster happens, they will have to pay for what they’ve caused.”
The Chairman of the Long Island Regional Planning Council recently estimated the cost of climate-adaptive infrastructure improvements for Long Island at between $75 and $100 billion
“As an elected official, it is my responsibility to protect my town and constituents. East Hampton is a small municipality and one of the most vulnerable coastal towns in New York State. We have been hit by the impacts of the climate crisis and its economic burden. We must also plan for what is to come,” said Cate Rogers, Councilwoman, Town of East Hampton. “To stay under the 2 percent NYS tax cap, we must protect our taxpayers from escalating climate damages that may become overwhelming. That’s why we need the enactment of the Climate Change Superfund Act. Local governments need funding to prepare for worsening storms, sea level rise, and heatwaves. That funding burden must fall directly on the polluting Big Oil companies that are responsible for the climate emergency — not our taxpayers. We cannot stand by and let Big Oil continue to post record profits while we clean up their mess. I urge Governor Hochel to advance The Climate Change Superfund Act and help us sustain our communities.”
According to New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli over a ten-year period (the last five and next five years), 55 percent of New York localities’ municipal spending outside of New York City was or will be related to climate change.
“While Big Oil has made a staggering $750 billion in profits since 2021, the climate crisis has worsened. Greenhouse gas emissions reached a record high in 2022, and this year is expected to be the warmest recorded in human history. Global warming is real, and it is happening at a time when the average annual climate change cost for New York City is $1.8 billion,” said Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz. “Future known and projected climate expenditures are estimated to top $162.9 billion in total for New York City. It is unconscionable to put the entire price tag on New York City residents, totaling $51,000 in future costs for every NYC household, when Big Oil and its products are the primary reason why we are facing a climate disaster. Inclusion of the Climate Change Superfund Act in next year’s budget will ensure that Big Oil, who made this mess, will be required to help clean it up.”