NY Lawmakers and Advocates Call for State Action on E-commerce Mega-warehouse Pollution

NY Lawmakers and Advocates Call for State Action on E-commerce Mega-warehouse Pollution

As the federal government guts air quality protections, NY must step up to tackle pollution from diesel trucks and protect public health by passing the Clean Deliveries Act

Contacts

Nydia Gutierrez, [email protected]

Kevin Garcia, [email protected]

Following NYC Climate Week, elected officials, transit, and environmental advocates held a news conference and walking tour in Red Hook, a Brooklyn neighborhood inundated with e-commerce mega-warehouses, calling on Governor Hochul and the Legislature to counter the Trump Administration's efforts to repeal air and climate standards for vehicles by championing the Clean Deliveries Act. As the federal government slashes key environmental protections, with a particular eye towards weakening standards for vehicle emissions, the Clean Deliveries Act (S1180-B/A3575-B) is a solution for New York to reduce dangerous air pollution from diesel trucks, protect public health, and improve quality of life.

Massive e-commerce warehouse facilities and the high number of trucks associated with their operations are currently unregulated. The Clean Deliveries Act would address the problem of increased diesel truck emissions from e-commerce warehouses and the disparate health impacts in communities where these warehouses are clustered by directing the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to create a program requiring warehouse operators to take steps to reduce air pollution. Warehouse operators would have air emissions and mitigation plans that could include zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), on-site renewable energy sources, and other methods to reduce the frequency of truck trips.

The impacts in New York from these facilities have been substantial. As the state-wide 2025 Warehouse Boom report by the Environmental Defense Fund finds:

• State-defined disadvantaged communities cover 8.1% of the state but contain 50% of the warehouses.
• Four times more warehouse square footage was built over the last decade, compared to the prior decade.
• As a result of the warehouse boom, nearly five times more warehouse-generated diesel truck trips are estimated to have occurred over the last decade, compared to the prior decade.
• Annually, an estimated 13,500 new pediatric asthma cases are attributable to NO2 pollution - a main pollutant released by diesel trucks.

The escalating call for protecting public health and regulating polluting industries is falling heaviest on states as the federal administration continues to side with polluting corporations and fossil fuels over protecting people. Today's walking tour is the beginning of a series to demonstrate the harms communities across New York state are facing from the unfettered growth of e-commerce mega-warehouses and to call on New York to lead by passing the Clean Deliveries Act.

"We have fought hard to improve our air quality by enacting the nation-leading CLCPA, fighting fossil fuel power plants, and pushing for more electrification, but we cannot allow those achievements to be stymied by the proliferation of e-commerce warehouses," said Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris. "The Clean Deliveries Act I introduced with Assemblymember Mitaynes will address the proliferation of e-commerce warehouses and the impacts on the health of our communities, as well as make significant strides in our fight to combat climate change and make our communities safer and healthier.

"I introduced the Clean Deliveries Act because no family should have to sacrifice their health for the convenience of next-day shipping. For too long, working-class communities have been overburdened by pollution. With the federal government rolling back critical air and water standards, it is more urgent than ever that we regulate the operations of last-mile warehouses," said Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes. "New York State must step up and defend the right of New Yorkers to breathe clean air".

"The unregulated growth of e-commerce warehouses is plaguing low-income communities of color across the state every day. New York has the opportunity to lead the nation by enacting the first statewide program to cut emissions from e-commerce warehouse operations," said Kevin Garcia, Senior Transportation Planner with the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance. "We need bold climate action from our Governor and Legislature to protect our environment and communities."

"The boom in e-commerce over recent decades has led to massive warehouse operations that are magnets for diesel pollution," said Kevin Shen, Analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists. "With the Trump administration's attacks on science, public health, and the environment, it's crucial that Governor Hochul and the state legislature step up to protect communities across the state".

"The rapid, unregulated siting and operation of e-commerce warehouses poses a threat to public health and safety in Red Hook. For almost six years, while these companies break record profits, our community has dealt with the surge in traffic and emissions from three active warehouses. These warehouses border our schools, parks, community farms, and the largest public housing development in Brooklyn," said Michael Partis, Executive Director, Red Hook Initiative. "We stand with our partners in calling for the Governor and state legislature to pass the Clean Deliveries Act to deliver the vital relief from trucks and air pollution that our community needs."

"Warehouse square footage has skyrocketed across the state, with one in four New Yorkers living within a half mile of a warehouse. These warehouses are disproportionately located in disadvantaged communities: while these communities cover only 8.1% of the state, they contain half of all warehouses. Each warehouse can generate hundreds of polluting truck trips per day, pollution which in turn leads to known health issues including thousands of new childhood asthma cases each year," said Dr. Karla Sosa, New York State Affairs Manager, Environmental Defense Fund. "It is critical that we fulfill the fundamental right for all people to breathe clean air and pass the Clean Deliveries Act."

"As the Trump Administration guts air quality standards for polluting vehicles, New Yorkers are counting on our Governor and Legislature to step up to the plate by passing the Clean Deliveries Act," said Liz Moran, New York Policy Advocate for Earthjustice. "The unregulated growth of e-commerce mega-warehouses, and the increasing dirty diesel truck traffic that comes with them, is jeopardizing health and quality of life for communities across the state. The Clean Deliveries Act is the commonsense solution that will allow New York to stand up to the federal government's attacks on public health and reduce pollution in accordance with our nation-leading climate law."

"New York can't wait any longer-massive corporations and their mega-warehouses are suffocating historically disadvantaged communities with toxic truck pollution. With federal climate progress under attack, the Clean Deliveries Act must pass this session to hold corporations accountable, protect our lungs, and finally deliver the healthier future every New Yorker deserves," said Jaqi Cohen, Director of Climate Policy and Equity at Tri-State Transportation Campaign.

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