Albany must make climate polluters — not NY taxpayers — pay | Opinion

It’s undeniable: climate change is hitting New York hard. Previously once-in-a-generation weather events are becoming more frequent and deadly. 2022’s holiday blizzard in Buffalo killed 39 people. The year before, Hurricane Ida killed 16 New Yorkers — many drowned in their own homes. In New York City, 370 residents die every year from heat-related deaths.

While New Yorkers suffer these tragedies, it’s costing us financially too. In just the first two months of 2023, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced nearly $750 million in taxpayer funding for storm repairs and climate-related infrastructure upgrades.

Experts estimate it could cost $100 billion in the next decade alone to make the necessary infrastructure upgrades to protect against rising sea levels, upgrade stormwater drainage and sewage treatment systems, prepare the power grid for severe weather, create systems to protect people from extreme heat, and more. These costs will fall on taxpayers, even though Big Oil — coming off of its most profitable year ever — is the clear culprit.

Let's put Big Oil on the hook

The Climate Change Superfund Act (S.2129/A3351) will put Big Oil on the hook to clean up the mess they knowingly made. It requires the companies most responsible for greenhouse gas emissions to pay $3 billion annually over 25 years ($75 billion total) for the environmental damage they have done. The legislation is modeled on the existing toxics superfund law (which deals with land and drinking water contamination) that makes polluters financially responsible for their environmental damages.

A recent report from Rebuild by Design, "Atlas of Disaster: New York State," identifies the impacts of recent climate disasters across New York State at the county level, from 2011 to 2021. The data shows that every single county in New York experienced a federal climate disaster between 2011 to 2021, with 16 having five or more disasters during that time. During this decade, more than 100 New Yorkers died as a result of climate-driven disasters. It’s only going to get worse.

More important highlights from this report:

• Suffolk, Herkimer and Delaware counties each experienced seven disasters each from 2011 to 2021 — the most of any county

• Greene County received the highest per capita post-disaster resistance in the entire country

• There are 868 superfund sites in New York state. During a flood event, these sites pose an additional risk to nearby communities as toxins are released into the water

In a separate report, Rebuild by Design estimated that the climate costs to New York could be $55 billion by the end of this decade. On top of that, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimated that it would cost $52 billion to protect New York Harbor alone. And while storms get worse, sea levels are rising and groundwater poses a higher risk of flooding — and we don’t even know how much yet. New York is facing staggering — and growing — climate costs.

The question before Albany is — who should pay? Right now, New York taxpayers are on the hook for the tens of billions of dollars needed to address climate change. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Let’s make the world’s biggest oil companies pick up the tab.

It is well established that Big Oil knew for decades of the dangers resulting from the burning of oil, coal and gas.  Instead of alerting the world to that danger, they did all they could to undermine the science and bamboozle the public. It worked. And now we face this enormous environmental crisis today.

But not only is it Big Oil’s fault, they have the money. 2022 was a record profit year for big oil, with the top companies’ combined profits reaching an astounding $215 billion.

Forcing oil companies to cover New York’s climate costs will not raise the price of gas or home heating. According to an analysis from the Institute for Policy Integrity at NYU Law, because companies’ payments would be based on historical contributions to greenhouse gas emissions, oil companies would have to treat these as one-time fixed costs.

“Regardless of market structures, oil companies are unable to pass on increases in fixed costs to consumers due to economic incentives and competition.”

Making polluters pay is overwhelmingly popular

According to a poll from Data for Progress, 89% of New Yorkers support fossil fuel companies covering at least some of the cost for climate damages. And that popularity is coupled with widespread organizational support.  Recently, more than 200 groups have urged Albany to take action to support the Climate Change Superfund Act, including labor unions DC 37 and UAW Region 9A, faith groups, environmental justice organizations, NY Renews, and more.

This week, state lawmakers are beginning the process of hammering out a state budget. Let them know that Big Oil — not New York taxpayers — should be on the hook for climate costs.

Blair Horner is executive director of the New York Public Interest Research Group.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY taxpayers climate change