I’m betting Nassau County Bruce Blakeman doesn’t bother seeking any of this $265 million in state funding for water quality and climate resiliency projects because he doesn’t want to give Hochul a win. Likes to claim she hasn’t done anything in 5 years, but that’s because he’s shut County out of all the state programs that would fund infrastructure projects, including making Nassau’s dangerous roads safer. I would also bet that Blakeman, if he (god forbid) becomes NYS Governor, will end the state’s leading climate action and resiliency initiatives, and reverse course like his puppetmaster Trump did, opening the state to drilling and pipelines again, canceling the clean energy projects – wind and solar, EV charging stations – that have been so-hard fought for and just taking hold. Hochul’s focus on water quality and climate resiliency projects is all the more vital coming just after the ex-Long Island Congressman, now EPA Chief Lee Zeldin declared that lives lost would no longer be factored in decisions to regulate air and water quality. Take that in.
Meanwhile, Governor Hochul issued a statement after a federal judge in Washington issued a ruling allowing the Empire Wind 1 offshore wind project to move forward – projects considered vital to supplying Long Island with sufficient, affordable energy without contributing to climate change – after the Trump Administration tried to shut them down: – Karen Rubin, editor@news-photos-features.com
We just received word that a federal judge in Washington has sided with us and the company Equinor, and other companies who are providers of offshore wind. The developer, Equinor, sued because the Trump administration arbitrarily issued a stop work order on a project that had been underway, contemplated for over a decade as part of our [renewable] energy strategy. The work was done. The platforms are built. Thousands of workers from Long Island to New York City and beyond have been working through all kinds of weather — extreme weather — to do something that is critically important for our energy future and has been contemplated as part of our grid. The Trump administration shut it down, we went to court and now the stop work order must be lifted and people get back to their jobs.
And I’m sick and tired of having to go to court time and time and time again to stop these decisions. They’re designed to do nothing other than hurt workers, hurt our states, hurt our economy and hurt our energy future.
So we won. The federal court ruled in favor of restarting the work at Empire Wind Offshore Wind Project, clearing the way for it to go forward. And this is what we’re talking about, two of these projects that were shut down along the East Coast. Two were in New York, Empire Wind and Sunrise Wind off the coast of Long Island.
They were stopped under the bogus pretense of national security. When I heard this, I said one thing, “I’m the Governor of New York. If there is a national security threat off the coast of New York, you need to tell me what it is — I want a briefing right now.” Low and behold, they had no answer. They had fake claims about radar. Radar can be addressed and handled as it has happened on many other projects in the past.
So, we rallied just last Friday on Long Island, surrounded by hundreds of hardworking union members, environmentalists, residents, businesses, who are part of the supply chain. Businesses, Republicans and Democrats stood together with us to say, “Turn it back on, lift the stop work order.” And I’m really proud that a judge has agreed with this, that the billions of dollars of private investment can stay right here in New York. And also reminding us that energy security is part of national security. We have been contemplating on this for years to literally next year, or perhaps even later this year to turn on this clean renewable energy source, to power half a million homes in Brooklyn alone.
When they shut this down right before Christmas, shut it down, it drove a huge hole in our energy resiliency grid planning. So, I’m proud to say that the company has been successful in court. We’re going to continue doing what we have to do every single step of the way, but for now the wind turbines will be turning on.
–Karen Rubin, editor/news-photo-features.
$211 Million inWater Quality Improvement Grants for 175 Projects Protecting Drinking Water, Updating Water Infrastructure, Reducing Contributors to Harmful Algal Blooms
$55 Million in Resilient Watersheds Grants for 24 Climate Resiliency Projects To Alleviate Flooding and Safeguard New Yorkers from Severe Weather
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced more than $265 million in grants to support projects that will help protect drinking water, improve climate resilience, update aging water infrastructure, reduce contributors to harmful algal blooms, and secure access to clean water. The funding complements the historic environmental investments announced earlier this week in the 2026 State of the State, building upon the record support for New York’s premier grant programs that fund critical water infrastructure, protect drinking water and safeguard communities.
“Every New Yorker deserves clean water, which has been a top priority of mine since taking office,” Governor Hochul said. “These grants continue our critical investments to update aging water infrastructure across the state. They will also help our local governments enhance resiliency against flooding caused by severe weather, again demonstrating our commitment to a safe, affordable, and sustainable future for all New Yorkers.”
Today’s announcement is supported by funding from multiple grant programs administered by the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) and investments from the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act, Environmental Protection Fund and other sources. The programs help protect New York State communities and water quality, while reinforcing the State’s support for municipalities by making these critical projects more affordable and minimizing the financial burden on local taxpayers.
More than $209 million was awarded to 131 projects through DEC’s Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) grant program. WQIP grants fund projects that directly improve water quality or habitat, promote flood risk reduction, restoration, and enhanced flood and climate resiliency or protect a drinking water source. A full list of grant awards can be found here.
A total of $2.9 million is being awarded to 44 projects through DEC’s Non-Agricultural Nonpoint Source Planning and MS4 System Mapping Grant (NPG) to fund projects that help pay for the initial planning of water quality improvement projects such as replacing undersized culvert, green infrastructure, and State permit-required storm sewer mapping in urban areas. NPG projects reduce the amount of polluted stormwater runoff entering lakes, rivers, and streams and improve resiliency against the impacts of climate change. A full list of grant awards can be found here.
Governor Hochul also announced $55 million in new grant funding for 24 climate resiliency projects in 15 communities across New York State. EFC, in coordination with DEC, administers the Resilient Watersheds Grants (RWG) program funded through the Bond Act. RWG projects were selected to reflect the diverse, statewide issues that New Yorkers are facing and include stream and floodplain restoration, removal of dams, culverts and other barriers, culvert replacements and property buyouts. The RWG program builds on the success of DEC’s Resilient NY, which delivers state-of-the-art studies of flood-prone, high-risk watersheds across the State. All awarded projects were recommended actions by Resilient NY studies or a comparable flood study. A full list of grant awards can be found here.
RWG awards include two projects in Yonkers, where an announcement was made with State and local partners. The City of Yonkers will receive two grants totaling more than $6.66 million for culvert replacement and streambank stabilization along Troublesome Brook near the Scarsdale Road and Manhattan Avenue crossings. The announcement also celebrated two WQIP grants in the Lower Westchester area: the Village of Sleepy Hollow and the Sleepy Hollow Local Development Corporation will receive $600,000 to construct a salt storage facility and protect water quality in the Hudson River and groundwater. Save the Sound, Inc., will receive $2 million for dam removal and critical habitat restoration along the Bronx River.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton said, ”Since taking office, and most recently in the 2026 State of the State, Governor Hochul continues to provide unprecedented resources to invest in climate resiliency and water infrastructure to support communities across the State. With more than $265 million from multiple programs, including $185 million supporting improvements in environmental justice communities, the awarded projects will help our municipal partners achieve meaningful reductions in flood risk, protect drinking water, improve aquatic habitat and safeguard residents from increasingly severe weather events.”
New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation President and CEO Maureen Coleman said, “Governor Hochul is investing billions in water infrastructure every year to help local governments affordably advance crucial water quality and resiliency projects. By pairing Environmental Bond Act funding with other State program funding to support new and signature programs, every dollar goes further and brings New York closer to a safer, more sustainable future. The new Resilient Watersheds Grant program will jumpstart flood-mitigation projects in some of the most at-risk communities while creating good-paying jobs that drive local economies.”
Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “Now more than ever, when the federal government is trying to halt New York’s progress towards environmental goals, it is crucial that our state continue leading on environmental stewardship. Today’s announcement of $211 million in grant funding through the Water Quality Improvement Project Program is a reflection of the Senate’s commitment to ensuring New York’s communities are more resilient to extreme weather events and safeguarding our state’s water resources. I am proud to stand with my partners in government, including Governor Hochul and DEC Commissioner Lefton, to announce these vital investments.”
State Senator Peter Harckham said, “This major investment from the state through water quality improvement grants will ensure public health standards, support local municipalities and businesses, and create good jobs as well. Maintaining safe, accessible drinking water sources and supply systems is integral to future growth and prosperity, and I thank Governor Hochul, my colleagues in the State Legislature and the Department of Environmental Conservation for making the financial commitment to see this through.”
New York State’s Commitment to Water QualityImprovements
Governor Hochul remains committed to ensuring New Yorkers have access to safe, clean drinking water. As outlined in the 2026 State of the State, Governor Hochul is proposing a bold five-year, $3.75 billion commitment to modernize New York’s water systems, providing $750 million annually to provide clean water while also unlocking the state’s economic potential. This historic funding level will also continue to uplift and support New York’s premier water programs, such as WQIP, the Water Infrastructure Improvement program and the Lead Infrastructure Forgiveness and Transformation program. In addition, the new Smart Growth Water Grant Program will fund the essential sewer and water infrastructure required to build new housing and support the state’s growing economy.
Since 2017, Governor Hochul and the State Legislature have invested $6 billion in clean water infrastructure to replace aging water mains, upgrade sewage treatment plants, replace lead pipes, filter toxic PFAS chemicals and much more. The Governor’s new commitment would raise that total to nearly $10 billion.
New York’s Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act
On November 8, 2022, New Yorkers overwhelmingly approved the $4.2 billion Environmental Bond Act. State agencies, local governments, and partners will be able to access funding to protect water quality, help communities adapt to climate change, improve resiliency and create green jobs. Bond Act funding will support new and expanded projects across the state to safeguard drinking water sources, reduce pollution, and protect communities and natural resources from climate change. A total of $1.9 billion is invested to date. Learn more at www.environmentalbondact.ny.gov.
About the Consolidated Funding Application
The grants announced today were issued following completion through the Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) process. The CFA was created to streamline and expedite the grant application process. The CFA process marks a fundamental shift in the way state resources are allocated, ensuring less bureaucracy and greater efficiency to fulfill local economic development needs. The CFA serves as the single-entry point for access to economic development funding, ensuring applicants no longer have to slowly navigate multiple agencies and sources without any mechanism for coordination. Now, economic development projects use the CFA as a support mechanism to access multiple state funding sources through one application, making the process quicker, easier, and more productive. Learn more about the CFA here.
27 Million Fewer Vehicles Entered the Congestion Relief Zone, Traffic Down 11%; Crossing Speeds Up by as Much as 51%; Transit Ridership Up 7%
Congestion Pricing Delivers Cleaner Air and Safer Streets: Pollution Down 22% in the Zone and Down Throughout Region; Crashes Down 7% and Traffic Injuries Down 8%
Manhattan Economy is Thriving: Best Year for Office Leasing in 23 Years; Foot Traffic Up From 2024; Sales Tax Receipts up Over 6%
$15 Billion in Funding Unlocked to Advance Critical Transit Improvements Including New Railcars, Signal Upgrades and the Second Avenue Subway
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that on its one-year anniversary, New York City’s first-in-the-nation congestion pricing program has been a transformational success, reducing traffic, improving quality of life and supporting billions in transit upgrades. In its first year, congestion pricing resulted in 27 million fewer vehicles entering the Congestion Relief Zone (CRZ) of Manhattan south of 60th St, an 11 percent reduction in traffic. Reduced gridlock has improved commute times across the region, especially at crossings into the CRZ, with some drivers saving as much as 15 minutes each way. Congestion pricing has reduced emissions, made streets safer, improved quality of life, and has generated over $550 million in net revenue in its first year, allowing the MTA to proceed with $15 billion in transit improvement projects. Governor Hochul has also stood strong to defend congestion pricing from unlawful federal efforts to terminate the program. One year in, congestion pricing is working and it is legal.
“The results are in and it is clear that in just one year, congestion pricing has been an unprecedented success in New York,”Governor Hochul said. “By every measure, this program has met or exceeded expectations: traffic and gridlock are down substantially, people are moving faster, air quality is improved, streets are safer and our economy is stronger. New Yorkers are benefitting from congestion pricing every day, and that’s why we have fought to stop any unlawful federal attempt to end this program. And there are even more benefits to come: $15 billion in transit upgrades with major projects already underway, improving the commutes of millions of New Yorkers.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said, “As we mark the one-year anniversary of congestion pricing going into effect, its benefits are clearer than ever. Traffic crashes and noise complaints are dropping, while funding for the MTA and air quality are rising. Working New Yorkers deserve less congestion, a well-funded transit system, and a safer and quieter place to call home, and I’m proud to see congestion pricing deliver on that promise.”
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, “I want to thank all who worked on this program over the years. The congestion pricing experience demonstrates what the new MTA can accomplish working with our State and City partners. The result here is flawless execution and unprecedented benefits for all New Yorkers.”
New York State and the MTA have successfully fought off repeated legal challenges to congestion pricing and have stood up to block the unlawful attempts of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Trump Administration to terminate the program. In May, a preliminary injunction was issued in the case of Metropolitan Transportation Authority v. Duffy, keeping congestion pricing in effect pending further court proceedings and enjoining the federal government from taking retaliatory measures in response.
Since congestion pricing commenced at 12:00 am on January 5, 2025, it has delivered a wide array of benefits according to data from the MTA and other reports from business groups, government agencies and academic institutions.
Congestion Pricing Has Reduced Gridlock
Following the launch of congestion pricing, over 27 million fewer cars have entered the CRZ. On any given day, over 73,000 fewer vehicles are entering the zone, an 11 percent reduction on average. Crossings entering and exiting the CRZ experienced especially pronounced speed improvements, with morning rush hour traffic speeds up an average of 23 percent.
Brooklyn Bridge: 15 percent faster
Holland Tunnel: 51 percent faster
Hugh L Carey Tunnel: 10.8 percent faster
Lincoln Tunnel: 24.7 percent faster
Manhattan Bridge: 6.7 percent faster
Queensboro Bridge: 29.3 percent faster
Queens-Midtown Tunnel: 18.4 percent faster
Williamsburg Bridge: 28.3 percent faster
Reduced gridlock is speeding up trips for motorists and transit riders. Within the CRZ, bus speeds increased 2.3 percent, reversing the trend of declining speeds seen in 2023 and 2024. Weekday vehicle speeds in the CRZ were up 4 percent compared to 2024, with weekends seeing a 6.2 percent improvement. Deliveries and the movement of goods in the CRZ are also being completed faster, with truck speeds up 5.6 percent compared to 2024.
The amount of driving done in the CRZ has declined as well, with the total Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) down by 7.1 percent. The share of personal vehicles like cars, pickup trucks and vans entering the CRZ has declined by six percentage points since the launch of congestion pricing.
Congestion pricing has also yielded benefits outside of the CRZ, including in previously identified Environmental Justice Communities. The BQE saw a 5 percent reduction in total traffic and a 10.2 percent reduction in truck traffic. The Cross Bronx Expressway saw total traffic decline by 7.4 percent and truck traffic drop by 4.3 percent. The Major Deegan Expressway in Mott Haven experienced a total traffic reduction of 7.1 percent, with truck traffic down 9.2 percent.
Roads approaching the CRZ are moving faster as well: sections of Flatbush Ave approaching the Manhattan Bridge saw speed increases of 6 percent, I-495 in New Jersey has experienced a 15 percent speed increase approaching the Lincoln Tunnel, and the Gowanus Expressway saw a 7 percent improvement between the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel.
New York City’s Economy is Thriving
The launch of congestion pricing has coincided with a booming Manhattan economy. On metrics ranging from office leasing rates to Broadway ticket sales, 2025 saw business up in the CRZ and in New York City as a whole.
Manhattan’s office economy is thriving. In July of 2025, New York City became the first major American city to exceed pre-pandemic office traffic, according to data from placer.ai. Office leasing has surged in 2025: according to a recent report from Colliers, office leasing activity in Q3 2025 was up 9.2 percent year over year, exceeding pre-pandemic levels and on track for the highest volume of new office leases since 2002. There are one percentage point fewer vacant storefronts in the CRZ in the year since the program launched, according to NYC Economic Development Corporation data. Jobs increased as well, with NYS Department of Labor statistics showing private sector employment in New York City up 2.0 percent in August, more than double the national rate of 0.9 percent.
Economic activity has increased both in the CRZ and across New York City. Data from the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance shows that sales tax receipts were up 6.3 percent in New York City in 2025 through November, exceeding the state’s average, three times higher than neighboring Westchester County and more than six times higher than neighboring Nassau county. In 2025, Broadway had its best season in history, with $1.9 billion in ticket sales, up 23 percent from the previous season. Restaurant reservations and retail sales were also up in the CRZ, according to industry reports.
More people are entering the CRZ to work and visit since the launch of congestion pricing. Foot traffic increased by 3.4 percent in the zone, compared to a boroughwide increase of 1.4 percent. Transit ridership also rose entering and within the CRZ; according to MTA data, subway trips entering the zone increased by 9 percent, with express bus trips up 7.8 percent and local bus trips up 8.4 percent.
Congestion Pricing Has Improved Quality of Life
Congestion pricing has produced benefits that extend far beyond reduced traffic and faster trips; it has yielded transformative benefits to the quality of life of New Yorkers.
Preliminary data has shown improved air quality since congestion pricing launched. A recent study from Cornell University found that air pollution, in the form of particulate matter 2.5 micrometers and smaller, dropped by 22 percent in the CRZ, with reductions seen across the five boroughs and surrounding suburbs. MTA data also found a 6.1 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions within the zone through Q3 of 2025. Reduced gridlock is also driving down noise pollution. According to 311 data, vehicle noise complaints for issues like horn honking decreased in the CRZ by 17 percent compared to 2024.
Reduced traffic has corresponded with a record year for street safety in New York City. Crashes within the CRZ declined by 7 percent, with traffic injuries down 8 percent. Traffic fatalities were down by 40 percent in the CRZ as of July, according to data from the NYPD. Citywide, 2025 saw the fewest traffic deaths in recorded history, with fatalities down 19 percent from 2024. Safety was improved for motorists, pedestrians, and the cyclists who take 600,000 trips each day: pedestrian fatalities were down 9 percent, and cyclist fatalities on New York City’s streets decreased to 20, compared to 23 in 2024.
Critical Transit Improvement Projects are Underway
Congestion pricing has consistently met monthly revenue targets needed to generate the projected $500 million in annual net revenue. As of November 2025, $518 million in net tolling revenue has been collected and allocated to support transit improvements and mitigation initiatives, with preliminary projections for year-end exceeding $550 million in net revenues.
Overall, the program allows the MTA to proceed with $15 billion in funding for the 2020-2024 Capital Plan, advancing projects to rebuild, improve and expand the transit system. A third of that funding is dedicated towards performing critical state of good repair work to ensure the continued reliability of the transit system.
Projects funded by congestion pricing include:
Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 ($3B)
Signal upgrades along the AC and BDFM lines ($3B)
Accessibility improvements to 23+ subway stations ($2B)
New railcars and buses ($2B)
State of Good Repair projects ($5B)
As of January 1, 2026, more than $6 billion in projects unlocked by Congestion Relief are in construction, including Second Avenue Subway Phase 2, ADA upgrades at nine stations, new signals serving more than 600,000 A/C riders in Brooklyn and Queens, and systemwide state of good repair work.
Mitigation Initiative Progress
The MTA and its project sponsors continue to deliver on the mitigation and monitoring commitments outlined in the Final Environmental Assessment (EA). The MTA and sponsors committed to $125 million in total mitigations across eight initiatives, with every initiative now in progress. Final implementation has now begun for three mitigations:
Expand NYC Clean Trucks Program ($20M): Implementation has begun. NYC DOT will begin accepting new applications for rebate incentives by the spring.
Expand NYC DOT Off-Hours Delivery Program ($5M): Implementation is in progress. In partnership with NYC DOT to improve safety and reduce daytime truck traffic, NYC DOT will begin onboarding new participants in Q1 2026.
Replacement of Truck Refrigeration Units (TRUs) at Hunts Point Market ($15M): Implementation is in progress. Replacing up to 1,000 TRUs will result in major nitrogen oxide and particulate matter reductions — replacement of a single TRU avoids the equivalent of particulate-matter emissions from 330 truck trips a day on the Cross Bronx Expressway. The first unit was delivered in December 2025.
New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn said, “In just congestion pricing’s first year, we’ve seen fewer vehicles entering Manhattan’s central business district, cleaner air, safer streets, and more people choosing to bike, walk, and take mass transit. All New Yorkers are benefiting, with new investments in mass transit and other projects that make it easier to get around without a car. Congestion pricing is a reminder that when you dare to be bold, you can achieve big things. That is why NYC DOT will lead with ambition and innovation—determined not just to make our streets better, but to make them the envy of the world. I thank the Governor and the MTA for their leadership, as well as the NYC DOT staff who are working every day to support this invaluable program.”
Representative Jerry Nadler said, “The bottom line is this: One year later congestion pricing is making New York better. We know it works. It’s cut down on traffic, and commuting times into the city are dramatically faster. Less traffic brings faster emergency response times, cleaner air, and safer streets—all while funding MTA accessibility improvements and transit extensions like the Second Avenue Subway that rely on the revenue congestion pricing generates. So I say this to anyone who tries to derail congestion pricing: get out of the way. This train is staying on the tracks. Congestion pricing will continue. We will fund the MTA. And we will protect the rights of New Yorkers to make decisions about their own city.”
Representative Dan Goldman said, “The results of the first year of Congestion Pricing in Lower Manhattan are clear: reduced congestion, fewer traffic accidents, cleaner air, increased foot traffic, and new revenue that will be used to improve the nation’s largest public transportation system that services the vast majority of New York City commuters. I’m looking forward to continuing to work alongside Governor Hochul and the MTA to make sure our commuters, our city and our environment continue to reap the benefits of this vitally important policy.”
State Senator Kristen Gonzalez said, “Congestion pricing is working for New York City. One year after implementation, we are already seeing the benefits of safer streets, cleaner air, and a better funded transportation system. These benefits improve the quality of life for working class New Yorkers across the five boroughs and regions. I commend Governor Hochul, Mayor Mamdani, and MTA Chair Lieber on their commitment to congestion pricing and defending this vital program from attacks from the Trump administration.”
Assemblymember Tony Simone said, “Fighting for the working class is never easy, but always worth it. We are one year in, and Congestion Pricing is already delivering results far beyond expectation. For the millions of New Yorkers who rely on transit, we have invested billions into expansion and improvement. For New Yorkers who choose to drive, traffic is down and speeds are up. And for my constituents who live in the zone, noise is down, pollution is down, and business is up. Congestion Pricing has quickly proven to be one of the single most effective public policy measures in history.”
Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick said, “The first year of the congestion pricing program has delivered to the MTA more resources than anticipated to support critical capital improvements to our essential transit system. I’m heartened to see this strong foundation that will enable the MTA to make desperately needed upgrades to our transit system, upon which millions of New Yorkers rely. It’s also great to see reduced traffic, improved commute times, and a reduction in air pollution throughout the Congestion Relief Zone.”
Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal said, “The cumulative impacts of congestion pricing cannot be overstated as we confront the realities of climate change. The Legislature understood the immense benefits that such a policy would have on the Big Apple when we originally passed it back in 2019 – and that foresight is certainly paying off. In just one year, Midtown is being released from gridlock, noise complaints are down, traffic-related incidents are becoming less frequent and the MTA is using the fees to make much-needed repairs to our transportation system. That is why we must remain steadfast in our commitment to this policy and continue rejecting any federal overtures to end this transformative program.”
New York City Comptroller Mark Levine said, “After just one year, congestion pricing has proven to be a resounding victory for transit riders, our communities, and the city. Despite the early hand-wringing, congestion pricing has stimulated economic activity across our restaurants, storefronts, and cultural hubs, all while generating millions for the MTA. By standing up to the Trump administration, Governor Hochul has ensured New York can invest in subway accessibility, reduce traffic and crashes, improve air quality, and deliver a reliable transportation system for generations to come.”
New York City Councilmember Gale Brewer said, “One year in, congestion pricing has proven to be exactly what New York needed. It’s been incredibly effective at reducing car trips, easing gridlock, and expanding subway and bus usage, while also delivering cleaner air and safer streets. The data shows that fewer vehicles are entering Manhattan, transit ridership is up, and our economy continues to thrive — all at the same time. This program is working. I look forward to the report that NYC DOT is producing with recommendations for the future so we can build on this success and ensure congestion pricing continues to benefit New Yorkers across the city and the region.”
New York City Councilmember Harvey Epstein said, “After one year, it is clear that congestion pricing is delivering real benefits for everyday New Yorkers. We’re seeing less traffic and noise, cleaner air, and faster, more reliable transit, creating a safer, greener, more efficient city for everyone.”
New York City Councilmember Erik Bottcher said, “After one year, congestion pricing has proven what so many New Yorkers believed all along: when we put people first, our city works better. We are seeing fewer cars, cleaner air, safer streets, and faster commutes, while unlocking billions of dollars to modernize and expand our transit system. This is a win for working New Yorkers, for our environment, and for the long-term health of our economy. I commend Governor Hochul for standing strong and defending this program, because the data is clear—congestion pricing is working, and New York City is better because of it.”
New York City Councilmember Virginia Maloney said, “Traffic has always been a headache for New Yorkers, especially here in the heart of Manhattan. One year later, congestion pricing has delivered on its two main goals: cutting down on gridlock and raising much-needed funding for mass transit. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the City Council and in Albany to make sure the Congestion Pricing Program continues to deliver results and works for all New Yorkers.”
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal said, “Again and again, congestion pricing works. One year in, with traffic down 11 percent and over half a billion dollars in substantial new revenue for the MTA raised, the program is proving exactly why bold, smart policy matters. New Yorkers are feeling the benefits of fewer cars, faster commutes, cleaner air, and safer streets every day. Thank you to Governor Hochul for her continued leadership standing up for this critical program and New Yorkers.”
Roosevelt House at Hunter College Transportation Research Program Chair Samuel I. Schwartz (Gridlock Sam) said, “I’ve been wrestling with NYC traffic for nearly 60 years having started as a cabdriver circa 1967 and 15 years later as traffic commissioner. I’ve seen avenues converted to one-way, traffic signals retimed, several thousand traffic agents hired but I never saw a program as effective as congestion pricing in improving traffic flow and safety. Kudos to the governor and the MTA for a near flawless roll-out.”
Environmental Defense Fund Senior Advisor Andy Darrell said, “One year in, congestion pricing has delivered on its promise of cleaner air, safer streets, and a healthier city. Fewer cars mean less pollution, faster buses, and cleaner air for communities citywide. And the program is strengthening New York’s economy by funding transit improvements that keep New York City affordable for millions of people every day and supporting good jobs across the state. New York has set a national example for how environmental leadership can drive economic opportunity and improve quality of life.”
Regional Plan Association President and CEO Tom Wright said, “By every measure we have data for, the nation’s first-ever congestion pricing program has delivered positive results for commuters and residents both in New York City and across the tri-state metropolitan region. Residents, businesses, and commuters are enjoying cleaner air, faster travel with less delays, and improved transit. New York’s congestion pricing program has proven to be a wildly successful proof of concept for policy interventions that improve quality of life in every community it touches. Thank you Governor Hochul for leading the way.”
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) New York City Environment Director Eric A. Goldstein said, “The success to date of New York’s congestion pricing program is no accident. It took years of planning and analysis, public engagement, and attention to detail. But on the program’s one year anniversary, the results are clear – reduced congestion, faster commutes, reduced pollution, and enhancements to the region’s irreplaceable transit network that moves millions of commuters every day. Bravo to Governor Kathy Hochul, MTA Chair Janno Lieber, and their staff for the accomplishments to date and the progress yet to come from implementation of this landmark transportation strategy.”
StreetsPAC Executive Director Eric McClure said, “New York City’s congestion pricing program has been an unequivocal success and has delivered on all of its promises – reduced traffic volumes, improved travel times, cleaner air, critical revenue for the transit system – and then some, like fewer crashes and increased pedestrian and retail activity. We should have implemented it decades ago, but we’re grateful to be celebrating its first anniversary. Congratulations to everyone responsible for making it happen.”
New York Building Congress President & CEO Carlo A. Scissura said, “One year in, New York’s congestion relief program has shown that when we invest in moving people better, we move the entire region forward. In just 12 months, the program has started to generate the reliable funding needed to modernize our aging transit system and help keep the city flowing. We’re already seeing accelerated repair work, progress on long-planned infrastructure projects, and new economic activity across the state, including in upstate communities that build the railcars and equipment that power our system. This first year has proved that smart policy can reduce gridlock and air pollution, and lay the foundation for a stronger, greener, more connected New York.”
Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC) Executive Director Lisa Daglian said, “By every measure imaginable, the congestion relief program has exceeded expectations in its first year, benefiting transit riders and drivers alike while breaking the gridlock that has choked our city and region. As longtime advocates for this program, we could not be prouder of its enormous successes, even as we continue to defend it from its misguided detractors. We celebrate today’s anniversary milestone because it is a win for all New Yorkers, and thank Governor Hochul, MTA leadership, and the many people who had the political courage to implement this historic and transformative program.”
CIVITAS Executive Director Sharon Pope-Marshall said, “New York City’s Congestion Pricing Program has yielded undeniable benefits, particularly significant reductions in traffic volume, particulate pollution, motor vehicle crashes, traffic-related injuries, and noise. Data also shows that traffic is down outside of the congestion relief zone. The Program generated $500 million in substantial new revenue for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. This vital funding stream will help advance transit infrastructure and other transit-related projects across the city. Investment in public transit reinforces a core tenet of urban planning: efficient and accessible transportation is an essential link to support thriving, sustainable, and resilient urban neighborhoods.”
Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) President James Whelan said, “Congestion pricing has delivered tangible benefits for the people of New York City — decreased traffic, improved air quality, and a critical revenue stream for important transit improvements. We commend Governor Hochul for her ongoing commitment to this program, and we expect to see even greater benefits from congestion pricing in the years to come.”
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest Disability Justice Program Managing Attorney Christopher Schuyler said, “Congestion pricing benefits all New Yorkers, particularly people with disabilities. Congestion pricing funds subway accessibility improvement projects, reduces traffic so that people who use Access-A-Ride and emergency vehicles can get to where they are going faster, makes the roads and crosswalks safer for all pedestrians including people who use wheelchairs – a group disproportionately harmed by traffic related-incidents, and reduces emissions in the zone thereby improving air quality. One year in, the data proves that congestion pricing is a resounding success for all New Yorkers!”
Tri-State Transportation Campaign Executive Director Renae Reynolds said, “One year in, we can finally settle the debate: congestion pricing was the right move not just for New York City but for the entire region and the people who call it home. Traffic is down, streets are safer, crashes and noise complaints have dropped, truck traffic is easing, and we can breathe cleaner air. We’re seeing long overdue subway improvements, the establishment of an asthma case management program in the Bronx, and more visitors enjoying what the city has to offer, proof that this world-class city is building the world-class transportation system we imagined, with even better days ahead.”
Evergreen Action Senior Transportation Policy Lead Liya Rechtman said, “One year of congestion pricing in New York has been an unmitigated success for commuters and the climate. We are thrilled that New Yorkers are sitting in less traffic, breathing cleaner air, and investing in long awaited public transit upgrades. And we are deeply grateful to Governor Hochul and leaders in this state for holding the line in the face of ongoing spurious attacks from the Trump administration. Congestion pricing is here to stay and we’re excited for New Yorkers to continue reaping the benefits.”
New York League of Conservation Voters President Julie Tighe said, “One year in, congestion pricing is delivering what New Yorkers were promised. Traffic is down 11 percent. Travel times are faster and more reliable. Bus, train, and subway ridership are up, and the MTA is investing $15 billion to modernize the system and deliver more frequent, reliable service. At its core, congestion pricing reflects a simple truth: we can’t drive our way out of the climate crisis. By reducing the number of cars on the road, it’s cutting congestion while strengthening the transit system millions of New Yorkers rely on. It takes bold leadership to advance policies that improve our communities and daily lives — especially when they aren’t universally popular at the start. That’s exactly what Governor Hochul showed by moving congestion pricing forward to deliver real results for New Yorkers.”
Riders Alliance Policy & Communications Director Danny Pearlstein said, “Public transit riders organized and won congestion relief, which has now survived infancy and shows great promise at the start of year two. America’s slowest buses are moving faster. New revenue is improving subway service and upgrading stations. New York’s air quality is getting better. Of the entire parade of horribles that the program’s opponents threatened, just one has come true: Success has once again proven the worth of government action and emboldened everyday New Yorkers to continue to tackle persistent challenges together.”
Hudson Square Business Improvement District President & CEO Samara Karasyk said, “At the doorstep of the Holland Tunnel, Hudson Square is seeing firsthand how effective congestion pricing can be. With fewer cars on our streets and dramatically faster tunnel crossings, the neighborhood feels calmer, safer, and more welcoming. Pedestrian activity has risen by nearly 20 percent year over year, and we’re seeing the benefits in improved air quality, reduced horn honking, and growing momentum in our retail and commercial spaces. For the Hudson Square community, congestion pricing is helping create a healthier, more vibrant environment where people, not traffic, take priority.”
Letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum Blasts Rationale Given by Trump Administration and Demands Classified Briefing To Review Purported Threats
Governors Scoff at Claim Offshore Wind Farms Interfere with Radar Systems Given Years of Reviews
Governors Warn Federal Action Will Harm Economy and U.S. Energy Independence Efforts
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, and Rhode Island Governor Dan Mckee today sent a letter to U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum demanding the immediate lifting of stop work orders placed Monday on five offshore wind projects under construction, including Empire Wind 1 and Sunrise Wind in New York.
The Governors in the letter also demand a classified briefing to review the unexplained national security threats used to place the stop work orders.
The letter notes that the targeted projects were approved after undergoing substantial federal reviews and processes, including by the U.S. Department of Defense.
The Governors in the letter blast the national security claims and supposed concerns about the impacts offshore wind farms have on radar as pretexts that contradict years of reviews and established practices. They also charge that the Trump Administration is only using the rationale as a “pretexual excuse to justify a predetermined outcome consistent with the President’s frequently stated personal opposition to offshore wind.”
The letter also warns Burgum that by blocking “gigawatts of domestic clean energy, you are effectively throttling the U.S. economy and handing a strategic advantage to foreign rivals who are building power generation as fast as they can. The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission’s 2025 Annual Report — ironically, also released in November — found that in 2024 alone, China added new capacity equivalent to one-third of the entire United States’ power grid, while the U.S. struggles to meet rising energy demands.”
“With this irrational and erratic action, you are not solving a national security crisis; you are creating both a national security and economic disaster. By obstructing domestic power generation, you are inviting grid failure, surrendering the industries of the future, and threatening the economy and national security.”
The paused Empire Wind 1 and Sunrise Wind projects in New York combined threaten more than 2,600 good-paying union jobs. The two projects combined will also generate nearly more than 1,700 megawatts of power, roughly 10 percent of New York City’s electricity needs, meeting the growing demand for energy.
Here is the text of the full letter:
December 24, 2025
The Honorable Doug Burgum,
Secretary
U.S. Department of Interior
Washington, DC 20240
Dear Secretary Burgum:
The undersigned States are in receipt of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (“BOEM”) Orders dated December 2025, purporting to suspend all ongoing activities related to offshore wind project development along our coastlines based on newly asserted “national security concerns” from a so-called “Department of War” assessment.
The States take national security seriously. These projects have already been subject to extensive federal review, including an assessment that expressly addressed national security considerations. Neither the Department of the Interior, BOEM, nor any other federal agency, including the Department of Defense (“DoD”), informed our respective States of any purportedly new risk prior to these suspensions nor did they account for our States’ substantial reliance interests— our States’ economies is dependent on the power that these projects will generate— in these vital projects that already have undergone many federal approvals, including from the DoD. The absence of such notice undermines our ability to plan effectively and violates basic principles of cooperative federalism. The sudden emergence of a new “national security threat” appears to be less a legitimate, rational finding of fact and more a pretextual excuse to justify a predetermined outcome consistent with the President’s frequently stated personal opposition to offshore wind.
We reject this transparent pretext and demand the immediate rescission of these suspensions for the following three reasons:
1. True National Security is Energy Security.
With this irrational and erratic action, you are not solving a national security crisis; you are creating both a national security and economic disaster. By obstructing domestic power generation, you are inviting grid failure, surrendering the industries of the future, and threatening the economy and national security.
The United States is currently in a race for the industries of the future, including onshoring advanced manufacturing, improving the defense industrial base, and maintaining U.S. technology and energy dominance. All consume massive amounts of power. You cannot run a 21st-century economy on a 20th-century grid. By blocking gigawatts of domestic clean energy, you are effectively throttling the U.S. economy and handing a strategic advantage to foreign rivals who are building power generation as fast as they can. The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission’s 2025 Annual Report – ironically, also released in November – found that in 2024 alone, China added new capacity equivalent to one-third of the entire United States’ power grid, while the U.S. struggles to meet rising energy demands.
The Orders directly contradict the President’s purported “Energy Independence” goals. By blocking gigawatts of domestic power generation and killing thousands of jobs, you are forcing reliance on foreign energy markets and volatile supply chains. You cannot claim to be building an energy independent nation while actively dismantling its capacity to generate power.
Independent experts and State officials have documented that our region faces reliability challenges and potential future blackouts without this capacity. A grid that is overly reliant on fossil fuels is a soft target and has higher costs that our residents will be forced to carry. Offshore energy is already providing needed electricity at lower prices to our grid. You cannot claim to protect our nation while knowingly turning off the lights; in effect, these Orders heighten reliability concerns across the East Coast and increase the likelihood of rolling blackouts and will place additional financial burdens on ratepayers.
2. “Classified” Pretexts Contradict Science and Years of Public Vetting.
Administrative actions, such as those you have taken here, cannot be based on undisclosed, secret rationales – especially not when thousands of jobs and vital energy projects are at stake. Yet your letter obliquely alludes to undisclosed “new classified information” regarding “adversary technologies” as the reason for this sudden reversal. We demand an immediate classified briefing for our cleared personnel to review this supposed evidence and all information related to this purported rationale.
It strains credulity to believe that vital, substantial projects that underwent many federal reviews and processes, including by the DoD, all of a sudden present new, existential, unforeseen threats. Erratic, unpredictable, irrational actions like these are no way to govern, let alone plan for power generation capacity decades into the future.
Therefore, in this briefing, we formally request the following specific disclosures:
A clear description of the specific national security risks BOEM and the DoD determined in the purported November 2025 “additional assessment”;
All information, or a summary thereof, of the information related to those risks;
Identification of the particular project components, if any, alleged to give rise to those risks;
An articulation of how the “assessment” applies to these projects in light of previous extensive reviews;
An explanation of why these risks were not communicated to New York immediately upon their purported “discovery” in November.
You cite a 2024 Department of Energy report to claim that radar mitigation causes “missed targets.” That same report, Mitigating Wind Turbine Radar Interference, concludes that “replacement radar and infill radar solutions enhance degraded radar performance … Infills show less clutter and result in better performance … [and] can serve as a viable mitigation solution.” If “clutter” were a genuine threat, it might also apply to the thousands of oil rigs and other seaborne infrastructure in our coastal waters.
As the report itself notes, for conventional radar, the curvature of the Earth creates a physical radar horizon. You are citing “clutter” from objects that most land-based radars cannot even see because the Earth is round. For long-range over-the-horizon radar systems, the argument is equally flawed, as the report also points out. These systems utilize signal processing algorithms and other techniques to mitigate radar interference. In fact, the current Federal Interagency Wind Turbine Radar Interference Mitigation Strategy explicitly calls for “removing radar interference as an impediment to future wind energy development … while preserving U.S. airways, national security, the lives and property of citizens, and sensitive radar systems”.
The Federal Government, including the DoD, reviewed all information for the offshore wind projects years ago. The military had the opportunity to raise concerns and object. They did not, and further certified there was no threat to national security. To claim a threat exists now, after billions of dollars have been invested in these projects and reviews fully completed, is the height of irrationality.
3. You are Disguising Your Delay.
On December 8, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts vacated the federal government’s attempt to arbitrarily halt new offshore wind development. The court explicitly ruled that federal agencies cannot “decline to adjudicate applications altogether… pending the completion of a wide-ranging assessment”.
Your recent Orders are instituting an indefinite delay disguised as a “national security review”. Re-branding the paperwork under the “Department of War” does not cure this defect; it serves only as evidence of pretextual bad faith.
This is a moment for leadership, not obstruction. True national and economic security cannot be achieved by hollowing out our industrial base or leaving our power grid vulnerable to collapse. It requires the courage to build.
We urge you to look beyond bureaucratic games and recognize the real battle being waged: the global race for energy independence, economic dominance, and national security preeminence. Do not be the administration that handed the future to our adversaries by turning off the power at home.
Rescind these suspensions immediately. Let us get back to the work of powering this great nation.
Sincerely,
Kathy Hochul
Governor of New York
Maura Healey
Governor of Massachusetts
Ned Lamont
Governor of Connecticut
Dan McKee
Governor of Rhode Island
cc:
The Honorable Pete Hegseth, Secretary, U.S. Department of Defense
The Honorable Marco Rubio, Secretary, U.S. Department of State, Acting National Security Advisor
Mr. Alex Meyer, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
The Trump administration’s latest attack on clean energy, climate action and energy independence in order to bolster the fossil fuel industry, prompted New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee to issue a joint statement decrying the action (which was already overturned in federal court), and promising to continue to fight the action in court. In addition, Governor Hochul published an op-ed in the Empire Report. These are projects that have been years in development, have gone through all the regulatory and environmental reviews, and have been well underway, nearing completion and would supply millions of households with lower cost energy while addressing the crisis in reducing carbon emissions contributing to climate change, climate disasters and sealevel rise. The relationship between the dependence on oil, wars and imperialism is heightened as Trump with one hand overturns clean energy initiatives and carbon emission standards, while he takes over Venezuelan oil tankers threatens an invasion of Venezuela to take over its oil resources.
“The Trump administration’s announcement yesterday pausing offshore wind leases is its latest egregious attack on clean energy and it lands like a lump of dirty coal for the holiday season for American workers, consumers, and investors. Pausing active leases, especially for completed and nearly completed projects, defies logic, will hurt our bid for energy independence, will drive up costs for America ratepayers, and will make us lose thousands of good-paying jobs. It also threatens grid reliability that is needed to keep the lights on.
“Atlantic states are working hard to build more energy to meet rising demand and lower costs. Already, these projects have created thousands of jobs and injected billions in economic activity into our communities.
“This baseless, reckless and erratic action from the Department of Interior will also inject further uncertainty into the markets, making it harder for states and private companies to secure financing for public works projects if investors know they can be stopped at any time despite having gone through all the necessary local and federal approval processes.
“A federal judge earlier this month ruled the Trump administration cannot simply halt federal approvals of offshore wind permits arbitrarily. We are committed as governors to again fight back to ensure these projects move forward and provide power, jobs, and grid reliability to our communities.”
Governor Kathy Hochul: ‘Killing Jobs Won’t Power America;
Today, Empire Report published an op-ed by Governor Kathy Hochul responding to President Trump’s suspension of offshore wind projects. Text of the op-ed can be viewed online and is available below:
Right in the midst of the holiday season, we learned that President Trump is once again pulling the rug out from under New York workers. Without warning, his administration shut down Empire Wind 1 and Sunrise Wind, along with offshore wind projects in other states. In one reckless move, he put thousands of good-paying jobs and New York’s energy future at risk.
Imagine working hard all year, only to find out that your job is suddenly gone. That is reality for nearly 2,000 New Yorkers who woke up yesterday wondering if they will still have a paycheck. People who did everything right, worked hard, and showed up every day, are now being told their livelihoods do not matter. Not because these projects failed. Not because the permits were flawed. But because the President decided to pull the plug.
The jobs building these wind farms aren’t just good union jobs that keep families afloat — they are also jobs that will create clean energy and keep energy costs down. Just a few months ago, the New York State Independent System Operator warned that unless New York starts generating more power quickly, we could face blackouts as soon as this summer.
That is why New York is aggressively pursuing an all-of-the-above energy approach. We build. We plan. We use every tool available–solar, wind, nuclear, and gas–because keeping the lights on and costs down is not optional.
Empire Wind 1 and Sunrise Wind are central to that effort. Together, these projects are expected to generate enough electricity to power roughly 10 percent of New York City. They strengthen reliability at a time of growing demand. They reduce pressure on energy prices for families already stretched thin. And they anchor a robust offshore wind supply chain, from ports and manufacturers to electricians, ironworkers, and longshoremen who depend on these projects to keep working.
President Trump’s vendetta against wind projects is obsessive and baffling. It is also not new. When President Trump issued a stop work order on Empire Wind 1 earlier this year, I convinced him to lift it. Alongside the Attorney General, I went to court to ensure he could not arbitrarily deny new offshore wind permits. Just as canceling Empire Wind 1 was unacceptable months ago, this new stoppage is unacceptable now.
The President is now hiding behind claims of national security, arguing that projects approved by the Department of Defense and fully permitted at the federal and state level, are suddenly a threat. New Yorkers know the truth. The real threat is not a carefully designed offshore wind project. It is a President undermining America’s ability to produce its own energy.
Mr. President, you and I agree: Energy independence matters. So let us build.
I have saved wind power in New York before. And now, in partnership with the other impacted states, I will do it again. This will not be the year that hardworking New Yorkers lose their paychecks during the holidays because their President turned his back on them. This will be the year that New Yorkers have the jobs they need and the power their economy requires, at a cost they can afford, because I will never stop fighting for New Yorkers.
Governor Kathy Hochul has been named to the 2025 TIME100 Climate list, recognizing the 100 most influential global leaders driving business climate action. (View the full list on TIME’s website.)
“I’m proud that New York’s work to build a cleaner, more resilient future is being recognized on a global stage by such an esteemed publication as Time Magazine,” Governor Hochul said. “Our approach is rooted in partnership and practicality: supporting innovation, protecting communities, and ensuring New York’s future is both sustainable and affordable.”
Meanwhile (and in contrast), Trump has stopped work on leading edge Empire Wind project, an offshore wind farm planned to power about 500,000 New York City homes, with construction and the development of a port facility in Brooklyn already underway, and cancelled $7.6 billion in clean, renewable energy grants nationwide, including $450 million destined for New York.
Building a Climate-Resilient Future
Governor Hochul served as Co-Chair of the US Climate Alliance from 2024-2025 and now serves on its Executive Committee, utilizing the Alliance to champion climate science and push back against federal resistance to climate progress. As a founding-state, New York has helped achieve the Alliance’s collective reduction of net greenhouse gas emissions 24 percent below 2005 levels. This historic emissions reduction milestone puts the 24 Alliance states on track to achieve its near-term target of 26 percent reductions by 2025, with New York leading the way.
Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York launched the New York State Adaptation and Resilience Plan, a first-of-its-kind, unified statewide initiative to prepare communities for the challenges of a changing climate. The plan coordinates efforts across state agencies to strengthen climate readiness through projects like shoreline restoration, resilient infrastructure upgrades and protecting critical assets from flooding, building upon funding from various sources including the $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act and other state programs. As part of the Environmental Bond Act, the Governor has committed historic levels of resources to protecting New York’s coastlines through programs like the Coastal Rehabilitation and Resiliency Projects Program and Inland Flooding and Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) Implementation Projects Program, which deployed over $30 million to fund essential coastline protection projects, utilizing nature-based solutions to combat erosion, flooding and sea-level rise.
Governor Hochul has also championed the Green Resiliency Grant program, dedicating millions in funding to support flood-prone communities. This competitive grant program prioritizes innovative, nature-based infrastructure like green roofs, permeable pavement and restoring natural habitats to help reduce stormwater runoff and mitigate flooding.
Through the Resilient Economic Development Initiative (REDI), the Governor is deploying $300 million to Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River shoreline communities for resiliency projects in response to past extreme flooding and high water level events. Furthermore, her administration has provided the State action and leadership necessary to secure critical federal partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), successfully advancing long-awaited, large-scale coastal storm risk management projects that will provide vital shoreline stabilization and protection for communities across the state.
Driving A Greener Economy and Green Jobs
Governor Hochul successfully launched New York City’s first-in-the-nation Congestion Pricing Program this January, which has reduced traffic, improved air quality and secured $15 billion for capital investments to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Additionally, under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York is making historic investments in a greener economy through the $1 billion Sustainable Future Program, the largest climate investment in state history. The program accelerates New York’s transition to a clean energy economy, lowers costs for homeowners and small businesses, and creates thousands of family-sustaining jobs.
Key Investments Include:
$150 million for the Green Small Buildings Program to help homes and small buildings install energy-efficient upgrades like heat pumps.
$200 million through the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to finance renewable energy projects that expand clean power generation and lower ratepayer costs.
$200 million dedicated to expanding thermal energy networks, which use a system of pipes to share heating and cooling resources among multiple buildings.
$100 million for zero-emission school buses and an additional $100 million to expand EV charging infrastructure statewide.
$50 million allocated to the EmPower+ to help low- and moderate-income residents make their homes more energy-efficient, while targeted investments in public schools improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions.
Approximately 180,000 jobs, making New York among the nation’s leaders in creating clean energy jobs.
Passing nation-leading Green CHIPS legislation providing up to $10 billion in incentives for semiconductor manufacturing projects that commit to environmental sustainability measures.
Advancing New York’s All-of-the-Above Energy Approach
Despite federal headwinds and post-COVID inflation and supply chain issues, New York under Governor Hochul’s leadership continues to chart a bold path towards a cleaner, more resilient and affordable energy future. By investing in a diverse mix of energy resources, innovative projects, and cutting-edge technologies, the State is expanding access to clean power that supports families and businesses. These efforts are creating cleaner environments and driving economic growth, ensuring that New Yorkers share in the benefits and advantages of a sustainable and reliable 21st-century energy system.
Key Initiatives and Accomplishments Include:
Operating the nation’s first utility scale offshore wind farm, South Fork Wind, and advancing other offshore wind projects, including Empire Wind and Sunrise Wind.
Exceeding the 2025 distributed solar goal of six gigawatts of solar ahead of schedule, solidifying New York’s leadership in the solar industry.
Approving 31 large-scale solar and wind projects representing more than 4.2 gigawatts of clean energy, enough to power roughly 1.5 million homes.
Signing the RAPID Act into law, consolidating environmental review, permitting, and siting of major renewable energy facilities and major electric transmission facilities under the Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES), cutting permitting timelines by up to 50 percent while maintaining strong local engagement and environmental protections.
Constructing the Champlain Hudson Power Express Transmission line to deliver a significant portion of New York City’s electricity from clean Canada hydropower by mid-2026.
Directing the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to build at least one gigawatt of new advanced nuclear energy, which will provide enough clean energy to power 1 million Upstate homes.
Modernizing the grid by completing the Central East Energy Connect (93 miles) on time and $200 million under budget. The Smart Path rebuild (78 miles), upgraded lines to carry more power, hardening infrastructure against extreme weather.
Expanding future infrastructure by modernizing 90 miles of lines including the Smart Path Connect, which is under construction with NYPA and National Grid, and Propel NY, a $3.2 billion initiative led by NYPA and New York Transco, which will upgrade underground and submarine lines through Westchester, Long Island and New York City, while incorporating community input at every step.
Boosting reliability and saving money through transmission upgrades, like the Empire State Line in Western New York, which is moving gigawatts of clean power efficiently, improving reliability and saving ratepayers money. Since 2021, under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York has completed or advanced hundreds of miles of new and upgraded transmission lines.
Directed state agencies in August to work together to responsibly advance shovel-ready renewable energy projects as quickly as possible to take advantage of expiring federal tax credits.
Protecting Natural Resources and Strengthening Communities
Under Governor Hochul’s leadership in Fiscal Year 2025, New York State’s coordinated clean water grants and financing surpassed $3.8 billion in 2025 alone — an unprecedented investment that is transforming water systems in communities of every size. This includes Governor Hochul’s continued $500 million annual commitment to clean water projects.
Additional Key Investments Include:
$26 million made available through the Climate Resilient Farming and State’s Ecosystem Based Management Program to help farmers reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve soil health and protect water quality.
Moving forward with the Governor’s 25 Million Trees initiative to enhance reforestation and green infrastructure statewide.
$30 million in Environmental Bond Act funding for 19 projects across the state designed to mitigate flood risk, restore wetlands, and strengthen coastal and inland protections.
Investments building on the $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act, which directs at least 35 percent of all benefits to disadvantaged communities — ensuring equity remains central to New York’s climate agenda.
State Zero-Emission Credits Program Helps Spark $151 Million in Energy Savings and Clean, Reliable Electricity Generation
Governor Kathy Hochul announced a major affordability win for millions of New Yorkers: $151 million in energy bill savings in 2026 as a result of the State’s Zero-Emissions Credits (ZEC) program, with the potential for additional savings in future years depending on market conditions. These cost savings will flow directly to New Yorkers, reducing the costs associated with keeping vital existing nuclear power plants online.
“My top priorities are energy affordability for New York consumers and making sure the lights stay on,” Governor Hochul said. “The Zero Emission Tax Credit program is a prime example of how the state was able to take a federal tax credit and turn it into needed energy savings for ratepayers while at the same time supporting clean and reliable electricity generation in the state.”
The ZEC program was created by the New York State Public Service Commission in 2016 to compensate the four Upstate nuclear plants for their zero-emissions power. Under the program, any benefits received from the federal nuclear production tax credit (PTC) enacted in 2022 are required to be passed along to ratepayers.
Constellation Energy owns or controls the four operating nuclear power reactors, located across three facilities, including Ginna, Fitzpatrick, and Nine Mile. All three facilities are located along the southern shore of Lake Ontario. The federal nuclear PTC now being claimed by Constellation Energy will result in a $151 million benefit to electricity consumers in New York State.
Each year for the past 20, there has been a respite, an oasis of hope, positivity, possibility and promise: the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). The invention of the Clinton Foundation, CGI devised a platform and mechanisms to actually solve the most intractable problems confronting the world, that politicians love to talk about but are too hamstrung to.
Each year there were challenges to overcome, but this year, there was an unusual pall over the gathering as the reality of backsliding on all the progress that has been made in health care, clean air and water (which 3 billion people lack), democracy, free press, conflict resolution, education, poverty, women’s rights and empowerment, gender rights, climate change, global migration. In many ways, there were the same topics of 20 years ago, but instead of focusing on the crisis in democracy, free press, disease and health care in developing countries across oceans, there was equal focus on the USA.
In the past, there have been American administrations which did not further the aims of a more just, equitable future in which each could fulfill their potential, but never in the past was an administration using the might and wealth its predecessors built to actively undermine and reverse the progress of 150 years.
They are up against huge forces – the US with just 5% of the world’s population, has amassed 35% of global wealth and generates 14% of the carbon emissions (down from 20% thanks to Obama and Biden) that so endanger public health, food and water supply, and created the disasters that forced millions to flee their homes, creating the migrant crisis that has destabilized liberal democratic governments.
The conference convened just a day after Donald Trump, who has made good on his fantasy to tear up the Constitution and become a “dictator on day 1”, who effectively made illegal DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion – foundational principles of CGI) and who clawed back billions in foreign aid and humanitarian aid, and withdrawn from agencies including the World Health Organization, addressed the United Nations (a “failed” organization). Trump told the General Assembly that climate change was a “hoax” and a “green scam” and that as nations, they should do what the US has done: evict migrants and shut their borders to refugees in order to preserve their “heritage” and nationhood or else, “your countries are going to hell.”
In the final CGI panel discussion, “We’re Next,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), recalled where he was on the day he heard (was not informed by Trump) that the USA, its largest donor, was withdrawing and taking with it its funding, immediately – not in six months to give the WHO time to reorganize. He noted that where he was when he heard was in Sana’a, capital of Yemen, when Israel bombed it, killing someone close to him and wounding others. It triggered memory as a child of war in his native country of Ethiopia –“the smell, image, even the sound” – when close relatives were killed, and reignited the PTSD.
“In 2020, with the first US withdrawal, the first round of cuts came, and war in my country and Covid. it was difficult situation. but if there is one thing that But I try to see what is beyond my control and focus on what I can do. It encourages me encourages me to do more as an individual.” And so he will figure out a way for the World Health Organization to continue to function.
Another child of war, President Vjosa Osmani of Kosovo told President Bill Clinton, that it is peace and democracy that brings economic prosperity and progress (not tariffs and authoritarianism). “When you never take your freedom, your freedoms for granted, when you focus on the rule of law, democracy, human rights, then economic empowerment and prosperity comes. What you stand for in the most difficult times matters.”
But in inimitable fashion, the Clintons set a tone of positivity and everyone set out with renewed resolve, determination and resilience to figure “workarounds” to the unprecedented challenge.
CGI, offered panels themed “A Critical Moment for Humanitarian Response,” “Protecting Progress, Prevention and Management of Infections and NonCommunicable Diseases,” “A New Blueprint for Global Health,” “New Approaches to Climate Finance,” “Bold Solutions for Effective Philanthropy,” “Protecting Truth and Information in a Fractured World,” “Putting People First,” all asking the question, “What’s Next,” and, finally, “We’re Next.” It went back to an earlier framework to focus on “working groups” – small groups focused around a particular issue to bring together NGOs, business entities, philanthropists, activists and experts who could form partnerships to fulfill innovative commitments.
Matt Damon, the acclaimed actor, relayed how Clinton Global Initiative 17 years ago helped him realize his goal of bringing safe water and sanitation to the millions upon millions of people who lacked such basic necessities. CGI introduced him to Gary White, an engineer, who also had no idea how to achieve that goal, and together they formed Water.org.
“It was like a first date – nervousness, awkwardness. But we realized that together could do a lot more than on own and really scale.” The first year’s CGI commitment was to build systems to serve 100,000. “Innovation-led, partners would follow. We got bigger and the numbers ran up. We hoped to reach 1 million a year. Today, we reach 1 million every six weeks.
“Our current commitment is already underway. In 2022, we pledged to help 100 million in Africa, Asia, and Latin America gain access to water, sanitation. We have already reached more than 30 million people who no longer have to take long walk for water.
“For Gary and me, CGI was the start. We thank President Clinton for introducing us, inspiring us to think better and doing all he can to help us reach those goals. There is more distance to go, with more than 2 billion people who lack access to safe water; 3 billion to sanitation.”
It was an invitation for others to join the partnership, or form their own, which is the essence of CGI.
We saw it in real time when Hawaii Governor Josh Green, on the “Investing in Community Resilience” panel with Jennifer Pryce, CEO of Calvert Impact Capital, learned about new ways to multiply the benefit of Hawaii’s newly imposed climate fee on visitors through community development bond instruments such as issued by Calvert Impact. Hawaii hopes to use the fee (about $3 on a $400/night hotel stay) to bond out $2 billion which will go to sustainability, environmental protection, prevention, resiliency (helps with insurance costs), and to sustain tourism, replenish coral reefs and beaches.
4,200 Commitments, 500 Million People, 180 Countries, 10,000 Partners
This year President Bill Clinton, Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Foundation Vice Chair Dr. Chelsea Clinton concluded the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2025 Annual Meeting with the launch of 106 new Commitments to Action.
Since President Clinton founded CGI in 2005, the convening has asked attendees to come with Commitments to Action — specific, measurable partnerships and projects that address an urgent global challenge (there are regular reports issued).
Over the last 20 years, members of the CGI community across business, philanthropy, and government – more than 10,000 organizations and individuals – have partnered to launch more than 4,200 commitments that have improved the lives of more than 500 million people in over 180 countries. As a result of these partnerships:
Nearly 78 million people have improved access to financial services or capital.
More than $1.6 billion has been invested or loaned to small- and medium-sized enterprises.
Nearly 2.7 billion metric tons of CO2 were cut or abated.
More than 402 million acres of forest have been protected or restored.
Nearly 4 million clean jobs have been created.
More than 130 million people can more easily access maternal and child health and survival programs.
Nearly 38 million people can more easily access safe drinking water and sanitation.
More than 36 million people have received treatment for neglected tropical diseases.
More than $362 million in research and development funds has been spent on new vaccines, medicines, and diagnostics.
A bold opening address by President Clinton, condemning political violence, defending free speech, the free press and democracy, and how to bring the divided country together.
The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), along with Unitaid, Wits RHI, and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, announced a groundbreaking agreement on HIV prevention to dramatically open access to lenacapavir, a revolutionary medicine that effectively prevents HIV transmission with two injections a year. Under the CHAI-negotiated deal, this will be affordable and available for just $40 per year in 120 low- and middle-income countries by 2027.
Secretary Clinton marked the 30th anniversary of her remarks at the UN World Conference on Women, and announced a new Commitment to Action – a landmark report by the Women’s Initiative at Columbia SIPA’s Institute of Global Politics (IGP) and GWL Voices: Beijing+30: A Roadmap for Women’s Rights for the Next Thirty Years. The report outlines policy priorities critical to advancing the full and equal participation of women and girls in the twenty-first century, including in the areas of democracy and human rights, technology, economic participation, and conflict and climate.
Dr. Chelsea Clinton spoke with Audrey Tang, the cyber Ambassador of Taiwan, about overcoming polarization, how the public views democracy, and the importance of media literacy.
The Clinton Presidential Center, along with the City of Little Rock and ENFRA, announced a partnership to build the Clinton Sustainable Energy District (CSED) to offset carbon emissions and reduce utility costs through a new district energy system and a 5-megawatt solar array.
This year’s CGI Annual Meeting was reimagined to promote collaboration through Working Groups – facilitated, action-focused sessions where leaders will collaborate with mission-aligned organizations to drive real solutions in the areas that matter most and are under the greatest threat. Secretary Clinton announced progress from these Working Groups that CGI will build action on in the coming years and months:
Out of the Innovative Finance Working Group, Kiva Microfunds will launch a new social enterprise fund of at least $10 million in 2026, in partnership with corporate foundations.
The Health Working Group focused on using AI to overcome systemic gaps in chronic care; one project that came out of this group will expand maternal telehealth in Zimbabwe.
In the Education Working Group, the Clinton Foundation’s Too Small to Fail initiative and UNIDOS US led a conversation about expanding access to early learning. The group is exploring a pilot program in three U.S. cities in 2026 to provide immigrant families with early education resources.
The Human Rights and Democracy Working Group focused on issues including accelerating women’s democratic participation and defending LGBTQ+ rights, and developed ideas from civic education programs for at-risk youth in Northern Ireland to anti-authoritarian initiatives worldwide.
Members of the Climate Working Group dug into the tough realities of climate change and mapped out bold plans, including creating a water fund to unlock economic opportunities for millions; building climate adaptation hubs across the tropical belt, starting at COP30 in November; and opening new markets to support regenerative farmers.
The Economy Working Group focused on challenges like the care economy and access to capital. Out of that discussion came a commitment to launch a Global Network for National Service that will strengthen, expand, and scale national service programs around the world.
The Truth and Information Working Group discussed ways to cut through misinformation and focus on building community. In the next year, a top priority will be advocating for state and local leaders to enact responsible regulations on tech platforms and give users more ownership over their data.
The Humanitarian Response Working Group emphasized the need for innovation, preparedness, and localized responses to humanitarian crises around the world; with action items including a shared information system among responding NGOs, new funding opportunities, and innovative research-based tools.
President Bill Clinton, Secretary Hillary Clinton and Dr. Chelsea Clinton award the Clinton Global Citizen Award to entrepreneur and philanthropist B. Thomas Golisano for his transformative philanthropic work, including contributing $900 million to disability services, education, animal welfare, healthcare and numerous other community focused non-profits. Golisano was also an early supporter of the Clinton Global Initiative.
President Clinton also awarded the Clinton Global Citizen Award to entrepreneur and philanthropist B. Thomas Golisano for his transformative philanthropic work. As Founder of Paychex, a human resources software and service provider for small to medium sized businesses, Golisano has invested in endeavors that advance entrepreneurship and drive the success of numerous businesses and start-ups; he has also made more than $900 million in philanthropic contributions to disability services, education, animal welfare, healthcare — including four children’s hospitals that bear his name; Rochester, Syracuse, Ft. Myers and Buffalo — and numerous other community focused non-profits. Past recipients of the Clinton Global Citizen Award include President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, Nadia Murad, and Dr. Muhammad Yunus.
Find information on all 106Commitments to Action announced at CGI 2025 at clintonglobal.org.
Protesters took to New York City streets on Saturday, September 20, to call for climate, social, and economic justice, and specifically, making billionaires and polluters pay up.
The “Make Billionaires Pay” march united climate activists, migrant rights defenders and women’s rights advocates in their demands for climate and social justice. Climate movement researchers say the coalition reflects a growing shift toward intersectional, grassroots mobilization as climate action stalls at the federal level. It is led by 350.org, Climate Defenders, Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM), Target Majority NYC and Women’s March.
“I hope we can scare Trump and his billionaire allies,” said Renata Pumarol, deputy director of Climate Defenders, a multi-racial and multi-generational climate organizing hub. “We need to show them that we are organized, and that there are more of us than them.”
“The billionaire fascists are setting our world on fire,” Target Majority NYC stated. “They’re dismantling democracy, attacking immigrants, and fueling war. They profit off genocide and climate collapse. This moment demands mass mobilization. As world leaders gather in New York City for the UN General Assembly and Climate Week, it’s time to show them that we are revolting against Trump and the billionaire class. We’re calling on people across the US to join the nonviolent resistance by hosting a march in your community or joining the anchor march in NYC.”
“Everything feels out of control. ICE raids tearing families apart. Genocide streamed live on our screens,” Womens March declared.” Free speech and our freedoms under direct attack from the Trump regime. And billionaires are pouring gasoline on every fire while families can’t make rent. They want us scattered. Silent. Afraid. Today, we gather in power. As the United Nations meets and Climate Week begins, we take the streets of New York City- lound, undeniable, impossible to ignore.”
“Make Billionaires Pay”
They gathered during Climate Week, as the United Nations General Assembly gets underway.
They marched as the Trump administration is actively rescinding the historic climate actions of the Biden Administration to transition to a clean, renewable energy economy, cancelling regulations to protect the air and water from pollution, cancelling tax credits for electric vehicles, actively shutting down the offshore windfarms that were already well under construction, his EPA Administrator, Long Islander Lee Zeldin who unsuccessfully ran for New York Governor, rescinding the Endangerment Finding that empowers the federal government to regulate carbon emissions contributing to climate change.
“As soon as the second Trump administration took office in January 2025, he unleashed an immediate and unprecedented attack on our environment and public health,” writes the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “This includes a rollback of crucial environmental safeguards, the repeal of bedrock environmental and health laws, the delay of critical protections for endangered species, and attacks on well-established science and scientists.” (https://www.nrdc.org/resources/white-house-watch-tracking-attacks-our-environment-health)
The actions are not only hurting public health, exposing communities to more severe and deadly climate disasters, but affordability, as well. Ending the development and transition to clean, renewable energy makes American households dependent on ever-rising prices for fossil fuels.
“Clean energy has lowered Americans’ bills, created hundreds of thousands of jobs, and helped fight climate change. But it’s bad for the fossil fuel industry’s bottom line, and Trump seems willing to stop at nothing to slow it down – including breaking the law his own party just passed,” the Climate Action Campaign (CAC) writes. “We need to build as much clean energy as we can to help avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Thanks to Trump and his fossil fuel cronies, Americans are getting more pollution, higher bills, and more deadly extreme weather instead of the healthy, safe, and prosperous future we deserve.” (https://www.actonclimate.com/post/cacs-alt-on-trumps-latest-attack-on-wind-and-solar/)
It’s hard to keep track of all the aggressively, in-your face anti-climate, anti-environment, anti-public health actions trump has unleashed – this list was compiled with the help of AI:
Withdrew from the Paris Agreement again.
Prioritizes fossil fuel production while actively attacking clean renewable energy development: Trump’s “America First Energy Plan” prioritizes fossil fuel development, including oil, coal, and natural gas, aiming for energy dominance through deregulation.
Reviving oil pipeline projects that communities rejected.
Opened protected areas for drilling: Trump administration finalized decisions to open Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and other federally protected lands and waters to drilling.
Declared a “national energy emergency” during his 2025 inauguration to justify further expansion of fossil fuel extraction and streamline the permitting process for new oil and gas projects.
Rolled back Clean Power Plan
Weakened vehicle emissions standards:
Targeted renewable energy: The second Trump administration has halted new offshore wind projects, even ones that were nearing completion, and limited tax credits for wind and solar projects as well as credits enabling homeowners to incorporate solar energy.
Reduced Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) authority and budget, undermining its ability to enforce environmental regulations, while declaring it would not bother to regulate polluters.
Weakened the Clean Water Act: The administration repealed the 2015 Clean Water Rule, narrowing the scope of federal protection for wetlands and small streams and leaving more waterways vulnerable to pollution.
Scaled back national monuments: Trump dramatically reduced the size of several national monuments, including Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah, to open up land for resource extraction. In 2020, he opened the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument to commercial fishing. In the second term, he has gone back to reverse Biden’s re-designations.
Loosened methane regulations: The EPA weakened rules that limited methane emissions from oil and gas operations on public and tribal lands.
Targeted toxics and pollution standards: The administration rolled back standards for mercury and air toxics from power plants and loosened rules regulating coal ash disposal, and delayed or rescinded standards keeping “forever chemicals” out of drinking water.
Cut climate research funding including those at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and The National Weather Service, stopped satellite monitoring showing impacts of climate change, and cancelled reports that measure climate change.
Dismissed climate change: Trump and his administration frequently expressed skepticism about the scientific consensus on climate change and dismantled interagency groups designed to coordinate climate action and continues to call climate change a “hoax” and a “scam.”
Limited the “social cost of carbon”: An executive order disbanded the interagency working group that calculated the “social cost of carbon”—a metric used to quantify the economic damages from greenhouse gas emissions—and directed agencies to consider eliminating the calculation. Companies are discouraged from calculating the risk of climate change in their investments and public reporting.
Reduced public health protections: A 2018 analysis by Harvard researchers estimated that the environmental rollbacks could lead to thousands of extra deaths and millions of additional respiratory problems per decade due to increased pollution.
Meanwhile, a new study led by a Stony Brook University researcher projects that, due to climate change factors, there will be more wildfires in the coming decades, and their smoke could lead to tens of thousands of deaths by 2050.
Climate disasters have become more severe and more frequent and more costly even as Trump moves to shut down FEMA. The US spends $150 billion annually on climate-related disaster relief (as much as what Trump has allocated to militarize mass deportations), with recent years seeing even higher costs due to increased frequency of major events. The US experienced 27 billion-dollar disasters in 2024, totaling $182.7 billion – well above the 5-year average.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin has proposed rolling back carbon pollution standards for existing coal and new gas-fired power plants and dismantling standards that limit dangerous Mercury and Air Toxics (MATS) pollution from coal plants. These rollbacks would worsen air quality, hurt public health, and exacerbate the climate crisis.
“Climate pollution is worsening health and living conditions for so many of our families nationwide, which is why people across party lines strongly oppose their repeal,” stated Climate Action Campaign Director Margie Alt. “The EPA was created to protect people, not polluters. Eliminating these vital air pollution and climate protections will make our families sick, poison the air, and make extreme weather triggered by the climate crisis more deadly and destructive. The EPA should honor its mission to protect our health and environment, not advance an agenda that puts polluters first.”
Thousands of Americans are now dying each year from heat stroke, with global warming setting new records for temperature year after year.
“Clean energy has lowered Americans’ bills, created hundreds of thousands of jobs, and helped fight climate change. But it’s bad for the fossil fuel industry’s bottom line, and Trump seems willing to stop at nothing to slow it down – including breaking the law his own party just passed.
Even as his administration works aggressively to harm the environment, unleash climate change rather than mitigate against it resulting in public health emergencies ranging from epidemics, to heat stroke, to asthma, to heart disease, trump is working to dismantle public health altogether.
A kind of catch-all for protest in what has become a rolling series of protests, other issues being voiced included democracy, rule of law, immigrant rights, human rights, Palestinian rights, ending war and conflict.
As CGI marks its 20th anniversary, the 2025 Annual Meeting has been reimagined to drive action on urgent global challenges, around the theme of “What’s Next”
Featured participants announced today include Noubar Afeyan, Founder and CEO, Flagship Pioneering; Co-Founder and Chairman, Moderna; Matt Damon, Co-Founder, Water.org and WaterEquity; Anthony Capuano, President and CEO, Marriott International; Cindy McCain, Executive Director, World Food Programme; Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO and Founder, Chobani; Abigail Disney, Filmmaker, Writer, Philanthropist, and Activist; Ryan Gellert, CEO, Patagonia; Audrey Tang, Cyber Ambassador, Taiwan; Wendy Abrams, Co-Founder and CEO, Eleven Eleven Foundation; Donna Karan, Founder, Urban Zen Foundation; Katherine Maher, President and CEO, NPR; Neil Buddy Shah, CEO, Clinton Health Access Initiative; and more. Learn more about this year’s full program and participants at https://clintonglobal.org/2025
NEW YORK, NY — The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) announced more leaders from across business, government, philanthropy, and civil society, convening at the CGI 2025 Annual Meeting September 24-25, uniting around this year’s theme of “What’s Next.” These leaders are poised to take action to confront new and worsening challenges on climate, health, the economy, humanitarian response, democracy and human rights, truth and information, education, and innovative finance.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of CGI. Since 2005, more than 500 million people in more than 180 countries have had their lives improved by more than 4,000 Commitments to Action launched through CGI.
Last month, in a letter marking CGI’s 20th anniversary, President Clinton issued a stark call to action to the CGI community, outlining changes to this year’s meeting: “Given the scope of the challenges we face, this year’s CGI meeting will be different – by necessity. We need to redefine how we show up, how we work, and how we find ways to honor our common humanity.”Read President Clinton’s Call to Action here.
To tackle these challenges, the CGI 2025 Annual Meeting is bringing together leaders of major charitable foundations, nonprofits, businesses, governments, unions, and more to chart solutions. Featured participants announced today include:
Global advocates and activists including Stacey Abrams, Founder, American Pride Rises Network; Wendy Abrams, Co-Founder & CEO, Eleven Eleven Foundation; Vedika Bhandarkar, President and Chief Operating Officer, Water.org; Deepak Bhargava, President, Freedom Together Foundation; Matt Damon, Co-Founder, Water.org & WaterEquity; Abigail Disney, Filmmaker, Writer, Philanthropist, and Activist; Lindsay Ell, Artist, Songwriter, and Philanthropist; Dr. David C. Fajgenbaum, Co-Founder, Every Cure; Donna Karan, Founder, Urban Zen Foundation; and Audrey Tang, Cyber Ambassador, Taiwan;
Journalists and leaders across media including Errin Haines, Editor at Large, The 19th; Margaret Hoover, Host, Firing Line with Margaret Hoover, PBS; Andrew Jack, Global Education Editor, Financial Times; Raj Kumar, Founding President and Editor-in-Chief, Devex; Nishant Lalwani, CEO, International Fund for Public Interest Media; Katherine Maher, President and CEO, NPR; Alan Murray, Founding President, The Wall Street Journal Leadership Institute; Matthew Segal, Co-Founder, ATTN; Jessica Sibley, CEO, TIME; Vitus Spehar, Creator, Under The Desk News; and Michael Vito Valentino, Editor-in-Chief, NowThis;
Business leaders including Noubar Afeyan, Founder and CEO, Flagship Pioneering; Co-Founder and Chairman, Moderna; Rima Al Mokarrab, Chair, Tamkeen; Anthony Capuano, President and CEO, Marriott International; Michael Dowling, CEO, Northwell Health; Ryan Gellert, CEO, Patagonia; Lutz Hegemann, President Global Health, Novartis International AG; Joe Kiani, Founder and Executive Chairman, Willow Labs; and Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO and Founder, Chobani;
Philanthropic leaders including Tonya Allen, President, the McKnight Foundation; DeAngela Burns-Wallace, President and CEO, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; Marla Blow, CEO, Skoll Foundation; Somachi Chris-Asoluka, CEO, The Tony Elumelu Foundation; Kellea Miller, Executive Director, Human Rights Funders Network; Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder and CEO, Acumen; Carmen Rojas, President and CEO, Marguerite Casey Foundation; John-Arne Røttingen, CEO, Wellcome Trust; and Mark Suzman, CEO and Board Member, Gates Foundation;
Civil society and NGO leaders including Manish Bapna, President and CEO, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC); Kathy Higgins, CEO, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation; Lisha McCormick, CEO, Last Mile Health; Sania Nishtar, CEO, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; Kelley Robinson, President, Human Rights Campaign; Peter Sands, Executive Director, The Global Fund; Neil Buddy Shah, CEO, Clinton Health Access Initiative; and Janti Soeripto, President and CEO, Save the Children US;
Government and multi-lateral leaders including U.S. Senator Chris Coons of Delaware; St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew; Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs; Michelle Lujan Grisham, Governor, New Mexico; Cindy McCain, Executive Director, World Food Programme; and more.
As part of President Clinton’s call to action last month, this year’s CGI Annual Meeting will be reimagined to promote collaboration through Working Groups – facilitated, action-focused sessions where leaders will collaborate with mission-aligned organizations to drive real solutions in the areas that matter most and are under the greatest threat. These Working Groups include cross-sector collaborations on Climate, Democracy and Human Rights, The Economy, Education, Health, Humanitarian Response, Innovative Finance, and Truth and Information.
Sponsors for the CGI 2025 Annual Meeting include AFT, All Hands & Hearts, Amalgamated Bank, APCO, Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, Bob and Jane Harrison, Cure, Doha Forum, Equity Group Holdings Plc, Flagship Pioneering, Former Congressman David Trone, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Integra Capital, Interenergy Group, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Kokoro, MEBO International, Northwell Health, Pfizer, Pinterest, Sino-European Manufacturing Club, Strauss Media Strategies, Inc., Tarsadia Foundation, The EKTA Foundation, The Nima Taghavi Foundation, The John D. Evans Foundation, The Kiani Foundation, The Marc Haas Foundation, Ukraine Children’s Action Project, Varkey Foundation, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Postcode Lottery Group is serving as a partner for the CGI 2025 Annual Meeting. Devex and Grist are media partners for the CGI 2025 Annual Meeting.
To mark the Clinton Global Initiative’s 20th Anniversary, Social Goods — a purpose-driven small business — and the Clinton Foundation are partnering to unveil a new, limited-edition collection where every item sold supports Foundation programs that advance solutions on economic opportunity, climate, public health, gender equality, and more.
Previously announced participants include Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda; Prime Minister Philip Davis of The Bahamas; Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados; President Vjosa Osmani of Kosovo; Nazanin Ash, CEO, Welcome.US; Suyen Barahona Cuan, Executive Director, Colmena Fund; Priscilla Sims Brown, President and CEO, Amalgamated Bank; Rolando Gonzalez Bunster, Chairman and CEO, InterEnergy Group; Brendan Carr, CEO, Mount Sinai Health System; Tim Cadogan, CEO, GoFundMe; John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Operation HOPE, Inc.; Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Founder and Chair Emeritus, The Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development; John King, Chancellor, State University of New York; Ann Lee, Co-Founder and CEO, Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE); Nancy Lindborg, President and CEO, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation; Lisha McCormick, CEO, Last Mile Health; Patricia McIlreavy, President and CEO, Center for Disaster Philanthropy; Denis Mukwege, President and Founder, Panzi Hospital; James Mwangi, Group CEO, Equity Group Holdings; Reema Nanavaty, Director, Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA); Binaifer Nowrojee, President, Open Society Foundations; Michelle Nunn, President and CEO, CARE USA; Daniel O’Day, Chairman and CEO, Gilead Sciences; Kennedy Odede. Co-Founder and CEO, Shining Hope for Communities; Maribel Pérez Wadsworth, President and CEO, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Ai-jen Poo, President and Executive Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) and Caring Across Generations; Bill Ready, CEO, Pinterest; Maria Ressa, Co-Founder and CEO, Rappler; Liz Shuler, President, AFL–CIO; Karlee Silver, CEO, Grand Challenges Canada; Charlotte Slente, Secretary General, Danish Refugee Council; Darren Walker, President, Ford Foundation; Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers; and more.
JOINT LABOR DAY STATEMENT ON OFFSHORE WIND FROM GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL, GOVERNOR MAURA HEALEY, GOVERNOR NED LAMONT, GOVERNOR DAN MCKEE, AND GOVERNOR PHIL MURPHY
“On Labor Day, we honor the strength, skill, and determination of America’s workers. From construction sites and factories to ports and power plants, working people are the backbone of our economy and the foundation of our shared prosperity.
“Nowhere is that clearer than in the offshore wind industry, where labor is on the front lines. Today, more than 5,000 workers—many of them proud union members—are directly engaged with building this new American industry, with many thousands more manufacturing products across 40 States that will help lead to a new era of U.S. energy independence. These projects represent years of planning, billions of dollars in private investment, and the promise of tens of thousands of additional jobs. They are revitalizing our ports, strengthening our supply chains, and ensuring that America—not our competitors—leads in clean energy manufacturing and innovation.
“We are looking for the Trump Administration to uphold all offshore wind permits already granted and allow these projects to be constructed. Efforts to walk back these commitments jeopardize hardworking families, wasting years of progress and ceding leadership to foreign competitors. Workers, businesses, and communities need certainty, not reversals that would cost tens of thousands of American jobs and critical investment. Sudden reversals would also impact countless other workers and taxpayers on scores of non-energy public projects. The U.S. markets operate on certainty. Canceling projects that have already been fully permitted–including some near completion—sends the worrisome message to investors that the work can be stopped on a whim, which could lead them to decide to either not finance different projects or impose higher interest rates that would ultimately place a bigger burden on taxpayers.
“At the same time, we remain committed to ensuring that the electric grid is reliable, resilient and affordable. Offshore wind and other renewables are central to that effort, but it must be complemented by a diverse mix of resources—including nuclear power, natural gas, hydropower, and other technologies—that together keep our system strong and our energy sources secure. Doing so will also help us attract major economic development projects that will offer economic security for American workers and transform communities as we move to a 21st century economy. As Governors, we are committed to delivering on this energy system for our states and working with the Trump Administration to advance projects that meet these objectives.
“On this Labor Day, we reaffirm our unwavering support for working people and the unions that represent them. We stand with America’s workers and strongly urge the Trump Administration to keep these projects on track—for our jobs, our families, our competitiveness, our energy security, and our future.”
Twenty years after the launch of the Clinton Global Initiative, President Clinton has issued a stark Call to Action: “Given the scope of the challenges we face, this year’s CGI meeting will be different – by necessity. We need to redefine how we show up, how we work, and how we find ways to honor our common humanity.” Read President Clinton’s Call to Action here.
President Clinton, Secretary Hillary Clinton, and Dr. Chelsea Clinton will convene global leaders for the 2025 CGI Meeting September 24-25 in New York City to chart out “What’s Next.”
Learn more about this year’s meeting, including working group topics and early participants, at https://clintonglobal.org/2025
If you want to be reminded that there is good in the world, that progress to solve the most intransient problems and existential crises of our time is possible, to hear and learn from the smartest, most successful, most accomplished people on the planet, the place to be is the Clinton Global Initiative. Since its founding in 2005, each session has been like an alternate universe to the dystopia contrived by evil forces digging deeper into society and eroding civilization. –Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
NEW YORK, NY — President Bill Clinton issued a Call to Action to the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) community to come together at a re-imagined Annual Meeting this September 24-25 designed to promote collaboration and take action to confront new and worsening challenges on climate, health, the economy, and more.
President Clinton outlined that this year’s meeting will look different than previous years to most effectively confront the challenges of 2025 and lay the groundwork for what’s next:
“The global development community is at an unprecedented crossroads, with growing humanitarian needs, fewer resources, and the landscape changing every day. Given the scope of the challenges we face, this year’s CGI meeting will be different – by necessity. We need to redefine how we show up, how we work, and how we find ways to honor our common humanity. This September, our goal will be to connect dots across issues, expose the consequences, and confront the complicated issues in front of us.”
To tackle these challenges, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and Dr. Chelsea Clinton have called together leaders of major charitable foundations, nonprofits, businesses, governments, unions, and more to chart solutions in 2025. More speakers will be announced in the coming weeks; today, CGI announced initial featured participants at the CGI 2025 Annual Meeting:
Heads of State and government leaders including Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda; Prime Minister Philip Davis of The Bahamas; Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados, President Vjosa Osmani of Kosovo, and Amy Pope, Director General, International Organization for Migration (IOM);
Business leaders including Priscilla Sims Brown, President and CEO, Amalgamated Bank, Rolando Gonzalez Bunster, Chairman and CEO, InterEnergy Group; Tim Cadogan, CEO, GoFundMe; James Mwangi, Group CEO, Equity Group Holdings; Daniel O’Day, Chairman and CEO, Gilead Sciences; and Bill Ready, CEO, Pinterest;
Philanthropic leaders including Nancy Lindborg, President and CEO, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation; Patricia McIlreavy, President and CEO, Center for Disaster Philanthropy; Binaifer Nowrojee, President, Open Society Foundations; Maribel Pérez Wadsworth, President and CEO, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Karlee Silver, CEO, Grand Challenges Canada; and Darren Walker, President, Ford Foundation;
Nobel Laureates including Denis Mukwege, President and Founder, Panzi Hospital; Maria Ressa, Co-Founder and CEO, Rappler; and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Founder and Chair Emeritus, The Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development;
Civil society and multi-lateral organization leaders including Nazanin Ash, CEO, Welcome.US; Ann Lee, Co-Founder and CEO, Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE); Lisha McCormick, CEO, Last Mile Health; Michelle Nunn, President and CEO, CARE USA; and Kennedy Odede, Co-Founder and CEO, Shining Hope for Communities;
Global Activists and Advocates including Suyen Barahona Cuan, Executive Director, Colmena Fund; Ai-jen Poo, President and Executive Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) and Caring Across Generations; Liz Shuler, President, AFL–CIO; Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers; and more.
CGI 2025 will have a sharper focus on CGI Working Groups – facilitated, action-focused sessions where leaders will collaborate with mission-aligned organizations to drive real solutions in the areas that matter most and are under the greatest threat. CGI Working Groups at this year’s meeting include:
Climate: scaling investment in transformative climate solutions; group leaders and select participants include Sarah Chandler, Vice President, Environment and Supply Chain Innovation, Apple; Reema Nanavaty, Director, Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA); and Sophia Kianni, Founder, Climate Cardinals;
Democracy and Human Rights: protecting democratic principles and upholding equality and justice; group leaders and select participants include Suyen Barahona Cuan, Executive Director, Colmena Fund; Gary Barker, Founder and CEO, Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice; Mona Sinha, Global Executive Director, Equality Now; and Melanne Verveer, Executive Director, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace & Security;
Economy: building resilient and inclusive global economic development amid widening inequalities; group leaders and select participants include Chetna Sinha, Founder, Mann Deshi Bank; Priscilla Sims Brown, President and CEO, Amalgamated Bank; John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Operation HOPE, Inc.; and Ai-jen Poo, President and Executive Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) and Caring Across Generations;
Education: advancing equitable and quality education for all; group leaders and select participants include Marci Alboher, Chief Engagement Officer, CoGenerate; John MacFee, CEO, JED Foundation; and Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers;
Health: safeguarding public health gains and increasing global health equity; group leaders and select participants include Brendan Carr, CEO, Mount Sinai Health System; Tabinda Sarosh, CEO, Pathfinder International; Jeff Sturchio, Chair, Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and Lisha McCormick, CEO, Last Mile Health;
Humanitarian Response: building response models to be more resilient, collaborative, and adequately resourced; group leaders and select participants include Rez Gardi, Co-Managing Director, R-SEAT; Patricia McIlreavy, President and CEO, Center for Disaster Philanthropy; Ann Lee, Co-Founder and CEO, Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE); Denis Mukwege, President and Founder, Panzi Hospital; and Charlotte Slente, Secretary General, Danish Refugee Council;
Innovative Finance: building investment opportunities for more flexible, impact-driven funding; group leaders and select participants include Vishal Ghotge, CEO, Kiva; Joan M. Larrea, CEO, Convergence; and Karlee Silver, CEO, Grand Challenges Canada;
Truth and Information: revitalizing information ecosystems to uphold trust, truth, and transparency; group leaders and select participants include Dan Foy, Principal, Gallup; Wame Jallow, Executive Director, MTV Staying Alive Foundation; and Maria Ressa, Co-Founder and CEO, Rappler.
The sessions are designed for strategic collaboration, problem-solving, and the development of new CGI Commitments to Action.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of CGI. At the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2005, President Clinton announced that he would be convening the first CGI meeting that September, timed to the U.N. General Assembly, with the requirement that attendees make a commitment to act on a pressing global challenge. Since then, more than 500 million people in more than 180 countries have had their lives improved by more than 4,000 Commitments to Action launched through CGI.
In his letter to the CGI Community, President Clinton wrote:
“The CGI community is built for moments like this. This year marks two decades of our community convening and responding directly to global crises — from the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti; to the U.S. economic downturn in 2009 with the launch of CGI America; to the Ebola outbreaks in 2014, 2015, and 2016; to the Caribbean hurricanes in 2017; to the COVID-19 pandemic; and more. We’ve launched more than 4,100 Commitments that have improved the lives of over 500 million people worldwide.
“We’re drawing on 20 years of lessons, momentum, and partnerships to meet this moment and build what’s next.
“Our programming and our physical space will be designed for action. Our time together will be focused on new working group convenings — sessions where project plans are drafted, commitments are accelerated, and coalitions begin to take root. Every participant will be urged to ask the hard questions, contribute their expertise, and identify paths forward.
“Now is the time to stand up and roll up our sleeves — and do our part to reverse the trend lines and begin charting a brighter future.”
Learn more about this year’s meeting, including working group topics and early participants, at https://clintonglobal.org/2025
