Statement from Open New York and Regional Plan Association Regarding Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Proposal To Modernize the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA)
“Modernizing the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) is key to a future for New York with lower rents, lower utility bills, and real solutions to the climate crisis. With Governor Kathy Hochul’s call for reform in the State of the State address, New Yorkers move one step closer to a future that they can afford.
When the law passed in 1975, SEQRA rightly targeted dirty power plants and other challenges of the time. But today, those same provisions are used to block senior housing above a grocery store in Manhattan, a daycare center in Buffalo, timesaving transit upgrades in the Capitol region, and cost-saving green energy projects in the Hudson Valley—the very solutions that address our state’s climate and affordability challenges.
SEQRA must evolve so genuine environmental review cannot be hijacked to oppose what communities need and want. As New Yorkers grapple with rising rents and soaring utility bills, the outdated SEQRA process allows just one local opponent to halt progress, frustrating communities that have worked for years to move essential projects forward.
New Yorkers overwhelmingly support these reforms, recognizing that faster approvals will lead to lower rents, improved mobility, reduced energy costs, and much-needed climate action.
We commend Governor Kathy Hochul for pushing to modernize SEQRA and call on the New York State legislature to pass SEQRA reform in the state budget. It’s time for us to unlock the potential of our state and ensure that every family can thrive in a greener, more affordable New York.”
