ADK Council applauds FY2026-27 budget plan

ALBANY | New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's budget plan for the coming fiscal year proposed $750 million for clean water infrastructure projects -- a 50 percent increase in state funding over the current budget, with $50 million of that dedicated to rural housing development -- and steady funding of $425 million for the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). Her environmental capital projects proposals came as part of a $260 billion budget plan. An FY2026-27 budget is due for approval by the Legislature by April 1. "A fully funded Environmental Protection Fund and an increase in clean water funding are essential to both the environmental and community needs in the Adirondack Park," said Adirondack Council Executive Director Raul J. Aguirre. "The EPF provides vital support for scientific research, to build a pipeline for the conservation professionals of the future, for the prevention of air pollution from other states, as well as for land protection and recreational infrastructure needs across the six-million-acre Park. It also helps rural communities in the North Country handle essential functions, such as manage the burden of trucking solid waste from Hamilton and Essex counties outside of the park for disposal." "The Governor's proposal for boosting clean water funding can lift a significant burden from small Adirondack communities, responsible for completion of multi-million-dollar wastewater treatment facilities and drinking water systems in towns with only a few hundred year-round residents," he said. "These projects protect public health and purify rivers that flow to the rest of the state, where many are tapped for drinking water outside of the park boundary." Thanks to a 2024 change in the rules for the program, Adirondack communities are eligible for state grants covering up to 50 percent of the project costs. In the EPF section, the Governor proposed maintaining funding at $425 million, including up to $1 million for Survey of Climate change and Adirondack Lake Ecosystems (SCALE) and partial funding for the Timbuctoo Climate and Careers Institute at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Newcomb, with remaining funds coming through the SUNY budget. The Clean Water Infrastructure section proposes a five-year, $3.75 billion investment, equating to $750 million for clean water infrastructure annually. Out of that $750 million, $50 million is designated for clean water projects in rural communities. Aguirre noted that building modern water and wastewater infrastructure in the Adirondack Park's 130 official hamlets would promote the construction of necessary new workforce and attainable housing. Best of all, it would happen in places where new development would provide the greatest economic boost and cause the least harm to the Adirondack Park's ecological health and wild character. "Our communities need more affordable homes on Main Street, near schools and markets and the business district," he said. "Providing sufficient water and wastewater treatment capacity is the essential first step to last progress and sustainability." Aguirre also applauded the Governor's commitment to SCALE, which is a program carried out by world-class research scientists and helps New York decision makers to understand how climate change is affecting Adirondack water quality, flooding and drought patterns, fisheries health, invasive species infestations, and New York's most sensitive natural resources and wildlife species. Aguirre noted that the information gathered by SCALE is more critical than ever as the Adirondack Park faces increasing risks from federal regulatory rollbacks and weakened pollution controls that have long protected the Park's clean air and pristine lakes and rivers, he said. He added that advocates are hoping to secure $2 million in this year's final approved budget.

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ADK Council applauds FY2026-27 budget plan

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