BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WBNG) — State leaders spoke Thursday with members of the Climate Action Campaign to highlight the importance of federal funding to make the Southern Tier a hub for clean energy innovation.
With potential funding freezes affecting the EPA, Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo (D-123rd District) raised concerns that some of the progress to bring clean energy jobs back to Broome County could be halted.
“The point of the Build Back Better funds that we got in this community was to position the United States and the Southern Tier as an important player,” Lupardo said. “We’ve come a very long way, and we do not intend to go backwards in this important work.”
Adam Flint with the Network for a Sustainable Tomorrow (NeST) said his organization had to scale back an incoming workforce development program because of these potential funding cuts.
“The money was all going to be appropriated, and it was going to create a great deal of activity, economic growth and jobs,” Flint said. “Right now, that’s just not happening.”
With projects like battery innovation at Binghamton University with New Energy New York and the recently announced expansion of BAE Systems, leaders say this funding could be crucial for the rebirth of the local economy.
“We want to make sure that low and moderate income residents of the state of New York can enjoy all of the benefits of the clean energy economy,” Flint said. “Both being able to get those benefits at home but also getting those jobs.”
Local leaders call on congressional delegates on both sides of the political aisle to protest this funding and reaffirm Broome County’s commitment to clean energy jobs.
In a statement provided to 12 News on Thursday, Congressman Josh Riley (D-NY19) said:
“Until greedy corporations shipped our jobs overseas, Upstate New Yorkers built the things the world needed to meet its biggest challenges. Federal legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS & Science Act promises to restore Upstate manufacturing, creating thousands of good clean energy jobs. I’m not going to let a bunch of politicians who don’t know the first thing about Upstate New York rip that away.”
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