Tonko, Velázquez Lead New York Delegation in Calling on EPA to Maintain Efforts to Fight Climate Change

WASHINGTON, DC - Representatives Paul D. Tonko (NY-20) and Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), along with members of the New York Congressional delegation, called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to uphold its 2009 "endangerment finding" that greenhouse gas emissions endanger public health and welfare. In their letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, the lawmakers urged the agency to uphold its climate protections, stressing the need to protect New Yorkers from the escalating costs, damage, and dangers associated with climate change.

"We are deeply concerned by the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposal to rescind the 2009 Endangerment Finding and what that will mean for New York State and our constituents' health and safety. By undermining the scientific and legal basis for EPA to protect people from the pollution that causes climate change, this proposal will condemn New Yorkers to a less safe, less prosperous, and less livable environment for generations to come," the lawmakers wrote.

In the letter, the lawmakers emphasized that New Yorkers are already living with the consequences of climate change, from Montauk to Niagara Falls and Prospect Park to Plattsburgh. They warned that these impacts are projected to intensify in the decades ahead unless significant and rapid action is taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with global scientific consensus.

"Since the Endangerment Finding was issued in 2009, New York has experienced numerous destructive, climate-fueled extreme weather events, including Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011, Superstorm Sandy in 2012, Hurricane Ida in 2021, and historic snowstorms in Western New York in November and December 2022," continued the lawmakers. "These natural disasters have caused devastation throughout the state, resulting in billions of dollars in damage to infrastructure, private property, and ecosystems."

The lawmakers warned that rising temperatures will bring more dangerously hot days across New York, threatening public health and key industries like farming. They also pointed to warmer, more humid conditions fueling the spread of ticks and increasing cases of Lyme disease, raising health risks and costs for families.

The letter concluded: "We urge you to abandon efforts to rescind the Endangerment Finding and maintain standards that are working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the health and welfare of New Yorkers."

In addition to Velázquez and Tonko, the letter was signed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Reps. Yvette Clarke (NY-9), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Tim Kennedy (NY-26), George Latimer (NY-16), John Mannion (NY-22), Gregory Meeks (NY-5), Grace Meng (NY-6), Joe Morelle (NY-25), Jerry Nadler (NY-12), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Josh Riley (NY-19), Pat Ryan (NY-18), Tom Suozzi (NY-3), and Ritchie Torres (NY-15).

The full letter can be read HERE.