State Senator Rachel May is touting the funding she helped secure in the state budget to support clean water and the environment.
While in Skaneateles on Friday, the senator for New York’s 48th Senate District, remarked on her achievements in helping to secure millions of dollars to support clean water and air.
“Environmental stewardship is deeply personal to me as the senator representing Central New York and four of our precious Finger Lakes. It is crucial that we proactively protect our freshwater and shield communities from the effects of pollution and climate change. That’s why I have fought to restore cuts to clean water funding and bolster the Environmental Protection Fund. I will continue advocating for these resources, fully aware of how much they contribute to our region’s beauty, recreation, and economy,” said Senator Rachel May.
Her victories include:
- Restoration of $250 million in Clean Water funding, for a total of $500 million.
- Restoration of direct support funding as part of the $400 million Environmental Protection Fund
- Increases the state share for Climate Smart Communities Grants for disadvantaged communities and communities experiencing financial hardship
- $560,000 total for the Great Lakes Commission
- $15 million towards the goal of planting 25 million trees by 2033
- $22.25 million for Water Quality Improvement
- $1.2 million for Eastern Finger Lake Coalition
- $17.25 million for Soil & Water Conservation Districts
- $14.275 million for Waterfront Revitalization
- $3.5 million for Finger Lake-Lake Ontario Watershed
- $1.85 million for Biodiversity Stewardship, with $500,000 for Pollinator Protection
- $15.2 million for the Climate Resilient Farms Program to help promote sustainability and resiliency in agriculture.
Her bills to combat harmful algal blooms and enhance water data reporting have also passed the Senate.
May’s district includes all or part of four Finger Lakes – Cayuga, Owasco, Skaneateles, and Otisco – as well as parts of Lake Ontario and Onondaga Lake.
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