Three years ago, voters across New York State approved the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act, which allowed the state to borrow $4.2 billion to pay for projects that would benefit the environment and protect against climate change.
Since then, about $1.07 billion — or just over a quarter of the Bond Act’s value — has been awarded to projects around the state.
Since then, New York City’s share has improved.
New York City has now received over $142.4 million worth of funds — or more than 13.3% of the $1.07 billion allocated so far — for projects in all five boroughs, according to state data.
The awards include $43 million to create a new elevated seven-acre park on the waterfront in East Harlem, between 125th and 132nd streets. The park will become a connector in the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway , which will eventually loop around Manhattan. Construction began in October.
Nearly $6 million is slotted for the Department of Environmental Protection to build green street medians in Brooklyn’s East Flatbush and Brownsville, as well as in Baychester and near Soundview Park in The Bronx. The medians, which are in the design phase, will help better absorb rainwater and lessen runoff.
“Over the last year we’ve seen a bit of creativity on the part of the state to help New York City get a bit more of the Bond Act funding, and I’m really grateful for that,” said city Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala. “I think there is certainly more awareness that New York City needs a bit more.”
While public data shows $1.07 billion allocated to 344 projects, millions more dollars are in play. According to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, $1.9 billion — or almost half of the full Bond Act funds — has either been awarded to projects that are not yet public, or committed to funding streams that have not yet been disbursed.
The money can pay for stormwater or wastewater management systems, land preservation, flood protection and electric vehicles, among other projects.
“Gov. Kathy Hochul’s leadership is driving the significant progress already made in delivering Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act funding to communities across the state to protect New Yorkers from flooding and other climate impacts, build resiliency, create new recreational access, enhance water quality, and improve quality of life,” said DEC spokesperson Jeff Wernick in a statement.
More than 41% of the Bond Act money has flowed to so-called disadvantaged communities , which are those that are disproportionately pollution-burdened and more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The state climate law requires at least 35% of climate spending to go to those areas.
Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters, said the pace with which the state has deployed the Bond Act dollars is “impressive.”
“Almost half of the money has already been made available, which is pretty timely given the requirements the state had to go through and the new programs the state had to stand up,” she said. “It’s very valuable to keep the money flowing, but it’s taxpayer dollars, so you always have to be responsible in how it flows and making sure that it’s getting deployed to every corner of the state.”
Other projects awarded funding include almost $3.2 million to the Department of Parks and Recreation to restore the eroded marsh at Turtle Cove, a tidal inlet in The Bronx’s Pelham Bay Park . The Parks Department estimates the project will be done in four or five years.
The Parks Department also got $1 million to go toward reconstructing Carter G. Woodson Children’s Park in Brownsville, Brooklyn. The upgraded park, whose design is expected to be done early next year, is slated to get a new playground, dog run and lighting, among other features.
The City University of New York will use $50 million in Bond Act funds to install a geothermal system at Brooklyn College, add solar, heat pumps and electric vehicle charging at City College and upgrade the heating system at Hunter College, among other initiatives.
Plus, Bond Act funding paid for over 100 electric school buses for New York City public schools and 30 chargers for the vehicles. Such funding can help districts comply with a state law that mandates all new school buses must be electric beginning in 2027.
“We want to make sure that kids are not riding to school in buses with dirty air,” Tighe said. “This is really a public health issue, and a lot of the bus depots are in communities that are overburdened with pollution.”
The state is still developing new programs to deploy the approximately $2.3 billion that remains.
Qualified groups and local governments can apply for the funding pots of money through those programs. One of the anticipated programs, worth at least $250 million, will fund voluntary property buyouts in flood-prone areas.
Aggarwala is anticipating applicants may be restricted to about 20% of that funding pot, which would come out to $50 million for New York City.
“That could be anywhere from 20 to 40 homes in New York City,” he said. “It’s not a ton, but it’s something.”
New York City announced plans to conduct its first proactive buyouts of homeowners at flood risk in The Hole, a low-lying neighborhood on the border of Queens and Brooklyn. The city has also been eying other neighborhoods, including in Flushing’s Kissena Park area , for more possible buyouts.
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