State Policy

Green Transit, Green Job Bills

The Green Transit, Green Jobs bills address two of our urgent crises–our current high levels of unemployment and our ongoing crisis of climate change–by using government procurement for the public good. With the transportation sector contributing to 36% of emissions in NY State, lawmakers and advocates recognized the need to address this high polluter sector through a package of legislation that can also stimulate our economy through good green jobs.

Introduced January 2020, the Green Transit: S3535/A3090 will require every public transit authority by Jan 1, 2029 to purchase only new zero-emission buses as they replace their buses. The introduced bill provides a complementary transportation goal to the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) that set “one of the most ambitious climate targets by a legislature anywhere in the world” by aiming for zero greenhouse emissions by 2050.

While California first regulated transit agencies’ transition to zero emission buses in 2018, the Green Transit bill leads the way by creating permanency through legislation and addresses funding through the Department of Transportation’s five year Capital plan. By electrifying transportation, there is an economic ripple effect through infrastructure development to support the new technology and investment in the renewable energy sector. Governor Cuomo’s Green New Deal aims for  70% of the State’s electricity to come from renewable energy by 2030, with the majority of this power coming from in-state renewables. This shifts energy expenditures away from out-of-state purchases of oil to in-state purchases of locally-generated electricity and keeps this money in the New York economy.

In addition, packaging the bill with the complementary Green Jobs bill maximizes the benefits of government spending by ensuring the electric bus purchases not only help reduce carbon emissions in New York State but also helps with good green job creation.

The  Green Jobs Bill: S3405/A2083 could encourage job growth in New York State’s transportation manufacturing sector and provide a just transition for diesel-bus-reliant jobs through retraining programs. The Employment Plan will require every public transportation system eligible to receive public funds to use a “best value” contracting framework for purchasing electric buses. This “best value” framework incentivizes bidders by giving credit to proposals with good wages, benefits and safety training, as well as usage of registered apprenticeship programs and job creation for underrepresented individuals. The proposed bill also includes a big win for transparency and public accountability by requiring that the transit agency post the labor commitments and compliance reports on their website.

With these bills, New York State can use the power of our public dollars to invest in a fair, climate-safe economy.