ALBANY, New York — The fate of more than a billion dollars in federal funding that New York officials expected to support progress on their climate goals has been thrown into question.
President Donald Trump’s unprecedented effort to freeze funding for environmental programs continues to impact New York’s clean energy initiatives — despite a court order directing disbursement of the money. Some nonprofits are in limbo, while others are moving forward with their federally funded projects, albeit tentatively.
Why it matters: Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D) administration has millions on the line: including a $250 million solar grant, more than $300 million for home energy efficiency rebate programs and more than $175 million for electric charging infrastructure. New York City and school districts across the state were also expecting more than $230 million in federal electric bus funding that POLITICO reported is still on hold.
NYSERDA, the state’s premier clean energy agency, did not respond to questions about the status of federally funded programs. The authority’s president and CEO Doreen Harris downplayed the immediate impacts to lawmakers during a budget hearing last month.
