Assemblymember Harry B. Bronson (D-Rochester) announced that he helped pass an Earth Day legislative package, which builds on his previous efforts to combat climate change and preserve our environment not only for future generations but for Rochester families today.

“As we continue working to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s critical that we don’t lose sight of our long-term goals, including addressing the ever-growing threat of climate change,” Bronson said. “This year’s Earth Day legislation takes critical steps to protect our environment, the economy and the health of all New Yorkers. These measures will protect public health, promote electric vehicle accessibility and advance zero-emissions goals to help ensure we are creating a more sustainable future for our children and future generations.”

A key bill in the package would establish zero-emissions goals for the transportation sector to meet targets set in the New York State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019 (A.4302). The bill sets a goal of all in-state sales of new passenger cars and trucks to be zero-emissions by 2035, and 100% of medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles be zero-emissions by 2045 and all off-road vehicles and equipment be zero-emissions by 2035, where feasible. The bill also directs the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and other agencies to develop a zero-emissions vehicle market development strategy by Jan. 1, 2023, as well as identify near-term actions and investment strategies to improve sustainable transportation, freight and transit options. Several large car manufacturers have already made commitments to drastically increase production of zero-emission vehicles over the next two decades, Bronson noted.

Bronson also helped pass legislation that would:

• increase electric vehicle accessibility for more New Yorkers by creating a more flexible billing system for charging stations (A.3876);
• cut down on plastic waste by prohibiting hotels from providing small plastic hospitality bottles for personal care products (A.5082); and
• ban the use of wastewater from hydraulic fracturing – or fracking – on highways for purposes such as melting ice (A.903).