Why You Should Vote YES for Prop 1

Election day for this year’s mid-term election is November 8, early voting begins October 29, and absentee voting is already underway. So let’s talk about proposition 1 on your ballot (which could be on the front or back – be sure to locate it) so you can make an informed decision when you vote.

First, know that New York State lawmakers passed the Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act back in April. Because it’s a bond act, this historic piece of legislation now comes to the voters for approval.

The Bond Act is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to protect clean drinking water, modernize infrastructure, and improve quality of life across the state. Here are the 5 big reasons you should vote YES:

1. Clean Drinking Water

Bond Act funds will be distributed to communities throughout the state to update aging or failing water, sewer, and stormwater infrastructure, improving drinking water quality, and preventing contamination, runoff, and pollution.

2. Modern Infrastructure

This ballot measure will help communities throughout New York make critical upgrades to water and sewer lines, replacing the 360,000 lead pipes identified in the state, and maintain water treatment plants. These funds will allow local municipalities to upgrade filtration systems against contaminants such as PFOA toxins and lead particles that have made their way into our drinking water.

3. Public Health

The Bond Act will improve public health by mitigating the impacts of climate change, cleaning the air we breathe, and expanding access to parks and natural areas that provide physical and mental health benefits. It will fund community gardens, green roofs, and cooling centers that save lives during heat waves.

These upgrades reduce emissions that pollute air, retrofit buildings to increase energy efficiency, and electrify vehicles – including the school buses our kids ride every day.

By ensuring 35-40% of funds go to community projects in disadvantaged neighborhoods, the Bond Act will help advance environmental justice too.

4. Wildlife Habitat

Every New Yorker depends on what our natural resources provide: clean water, fresh air, food for our families, and places to explore the great outdoors. The Bond Act will also support family farms, protect forests and lakes, and improve habitat for birds, fish, and other wildlife.

Conservation projects have a high return on investment; for every dollar dedicated to land or water protection, $7 is returned in local revenue.

5. Local Jobs

Replacing lead pipes, upgrading sewers, fixing roads, retrofitting buildings, and expanding clean energy all create jobs and strengthen local economies. If approved by voters during this year’s election, the Bond Act would support nearly 100,000 well-paid, local jobs making all of these things a reality.

Passing this referendum is our chance to invest in protecting our most vital natural resources. The Bond Act saves communities money through increased efficiency, mitigates additional damage to the environment through crumbling infrastructure, increases access to outdoor spaces, invests in underserved communities, improves health and quality of life for New Yorkers, and creates nearly 100,000 jobs.

Be sure to vote this year, and vote YES! on Prop 1.

Paid for by Vote Yes for Clean Water and Jobs