The American Lung Association in New York is criticizing state leaders for delaying key climate initiatives, arguing the decisions could slow efforts to reduce air pollution and improve public health.
The criticism comes after the conclusion of New York’s 2026 legislative session, during which Gov. Kathy Hochul delayed implementation of portions of the state’s climate agenda, including timelines for electric school buses and the state’s proposed cap-and-invest program.
“We’re very disappointed because both electric school buses and the cap-and-invest program are major boosting of public health in New York State,” said Max Micallef, manager of advocacy for the American Lung Association in New York, during an interview with Radio Catskill. “The governor decided to roll back these portions of the climate law.”
Micallef said one of the most significant changes was delaying the state’s transition to electric school buses. Under the revised timeline, school districts will have additional time to begin replacing diesel-powered buses with electric models.
He argued many districts were already preparing for the transition.
“Over 60% of the school districts in New York State are already actively planning to electrify their school bus fleets,” Micallef said. “This delay does not help.”
Micallef also challenged claims that electric school buses would significantly increase costs for taxpayers, saying the state has funding available through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to help districts purchase buses and install charging infrastructure.
The Lung Association is also urging state leaders to revive the proposed cap-and-invest program, which would require major industrial polluters to pay fees based on their greenhouse gas emissions.
Micallef said the program is designed to encourage companies to reduce emissions while generating revenue for investments in public health, environmental improvements and clean energy.
“It would basically put a fee on the amount of emissions that they produce,” he said. “These funds would then go back into especially low-income communities … and would help build up our health care system, our public health infrastructure, as well as creating green jobs in New York State.”
The American Lung Association says reducing fossil fuel combustion is directly tied to improving respiratory health.
Micallef cited the organization’s annual State of the Air report, saying more than 282,700 children in New York are living with pediatric asthma, an increase of about 30,000 cases from 2024. He also said more than 10,000 New Yorkers are living with lung cancer.
“The longer we stall these public health and environmental initiatives, these numbers increase,” he said.
He noted that several counties continue to receive poor grades for particle pollution, including Albany County, while other areas, including parts of rural New York, either receive failing grades or lack sufficient air quality monitoring.
“We couldn’t even measure properly the particle pollution in Greene County … or Sullivan County because they don’t even have enough air quality monitoring,” Micallef said.
Micallef also expressed concern that New York did not advance stronger environmental protections as federal policies have shifted.
“We heard a lot of rhetoric from the governor’s office and legislative leaders saying the federal government is doing environmental and public health rollbacks and New York was going to be a champion,” he said. “What we saw last legislative session—not much.”
With lawmakers not expected to return to Albany until January unless a special session is called, Micallef said local governments can continue to take steps to protect residents by maintaining cooling centers during extreme heat, encouraging people with respiratory conditions to monitor air quality and wear masks when pollution levels are elevated, and continuing to advocate for stronger state action.
“We have some work to do,” he said.
Image: Electric buses are plugged into charging a station in Oakland, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2024. New York has delayed its electric school bus mandate by five years, pushing the deadline for districts to invest in zero-emission buses from 2027 to 2032 and fully electric fleets due in 2040 instead of 2035. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)