Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office announced today a statewide listening tour on the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act. New York voters passed the $4.2 billion initiative in November. A public meeting will be held in the Adirondacks, though it’s not confirmed as to when or where.

Hochul said the listening tour will take place over the next few months. It “will offer an opportunity for the public, municipalities, and other potential applicants to learn how they can leverage these funds to help New York State reach our climate goals while growing our economy.”

If you needed a refresher, here are the pots of money and how the $4.2 billion is divvied, according to today’s announcement:

• $1.5 billion for climate change mitigation;
• $1.1 billion for restoration and flood risk reduction;
• $650 million for water quality improvements and resilient infrastructure;
• $650 million for open space land conservation and recreation; and
• $300 million for other projects not allocated in the act.

The first in-person meeting will be held Tuesday in Buffalo. You can keep track of the bond act funds and meetings at ny.gov/bondact.

The 2024 state budget had not been approved as of early Monday afternoon, and there was talk of another budget extender bill. This is the fourth year in a row the budget is late. One of these newsletters we will have a budget story for you and what’s in it for the Adirondacks.

In Adirondack Park Agency news, former Gov. George Pataki and his wife are applying for a permit to rent some of their Lake Champlain cottages. It is interesting to be writing about Pataki in this bond act newsletter, considering he was the last governor to usher a similar environmental spending initiative. In 1996, voters passed a $1.75 billion bond act, one of Pataki’s many legacies.

You can read more about that his short-term-rental proposal here.

The APA is also reviewing new application materials for a proposed luxury resort and subdivision in Jay. It’s not clear whether the application is complete, but we should be hearing from the APA on that toward the end of the month. Read more here.

Photo at top: The boat launch at Moffitt Beach Campground on July 21, 2022 in Lake Pleasant. The campground received funding for this boat launch in the Clean Air/Clean Water 1996 Environmental Bond Act. Photo by Gwendolyn Craig

This first appeared in Gwen’s weekly “Adirondack Report” newsletter. Click here to sign up.