Buffalo, NY (WBEN) New York voters will not only vote on leaders on Tuesday, they'll vote on a proposition. This proposition would allow New York to borrow $4.2 billion to improve reacting to climate change and other environmental matters.
DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos says the money would come from the sale of bonds, and that money would come into the state to work with counties and municipalities all across the state to invest in creating better controls on on water. "This is the 10 year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, you recall that downstate a $70 billion storm that we are frankly still recovering from. So an investment like this helps us to be proactive puts us on that proactive footing to get ahead of the effects of severe weather," says Seggos.
Seggos says New York is a water-rich state, with thousands of miles of rivers, streams, and lakes. He says it's important to keep an eye on infrastructure. "You talk to any supervisor, any mayor across the state, they're gonna tell you, we need money to to engrave it to invest in this sort of hidden infrastructure that really serves as the backbone of our communities. So you think about, sewage plants, water treatment plants, the pipes that convey all that all that water, as well as some of the land around watersheds that's been impacted from development, really important for New York to prioritize," says Seggos. He says the bond gives the state a chance to ensure that New York has that resource serving as the underpinnings of the entire economy.
Some among the Conservative Party say the bond is too expensive. Seggos has this message. "It's a lot cheaper to invest in a proactive way in protecting our watersheds in our communities than it is to clean up after severe weather," says Seggos. He says the climate has changed, weather patterns have changed, the storms have become more severe. "If we're not making these investments now. We're frankly, putting ourselves into into a bigger hole, economically speaking in the future," contends Seggos.
