(RepublicanNews.org) – According to a working group in New York State, even million-dollar homes in gated village communities can be “disadvantaged” and “underserved” when the topic is climate change.
The Climate Justice Working Group (CJWG) recently published a list of what it considers “disadvantaged communities” as required by the 2019 state law called the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. The law states that “disadvantaged” areas must receive at least 35% of “clean energy” funds from government programs.
“Clean energy” is a shifting term that seems to be applied to whichever form of energy generation is currently favored. Within the past 20 years, natural gas had been touted by governments as “clean” until it recently became politically dirty. Similarly, nuclear power plants that emit no polluting gasses were once described as providing clean energy, but are now considered harmful by the climate-conscious left.
New York officials with complicated titles are not afraid to say how proud they are of their work product. Doreen Harris, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority President and CEO, said the adoption of the CJWG’s report “solidifies New York State’s commitment to climate justice for those underserved communities most impacted by air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.”
The list of “underserved” and “disadvantaged” communities includes some interesting choices. For example, it includes toney neighborhoods in the Hamptons on Long Island.
Tuckahoe and Shinnecock are two of these. In Tuckahoe, the median home price is $4.2 million. The larger legal town surrounding these neighborhoods has a median income of $108,545 a year, 57% higher than the national median income shown on U.S. Census Bureau charts.
Another official from yet another environmental state agency defended the classification system but did not comment specifically on the rich towns that were included. Haley Viccaro of the New York Department of Environmental Conservation said many factors are taken into account when deciding if a community is disadvantaged or underserved. These include “environmental burdens” and “health vulnerabilities,” she said.
Copyright 2023, RepublicanNews.org
