March 25, 2026
By Rich Davenport
So much for “environmentalism” in Democrat-controlled NYS. That’s the only conclusion one can draw from this one-party rule fiasco that has become Albany.
Last year, during the 2025 session, Democrat Senator from the 48th District, Rachel May, sponsored legislation, S4408, which would authorize NYS to lease state forests and other reforested state lands for “renewable” energy projects, in direct contradiction to the 1929 NY Law that established the state forest system, and it’s intent; to restore damaged lands of NY to natural areas that benefit NY with natural biodiversity, land and soil protection from erosion, while cleaning the air of through the natural process of photosynthesis. These lands provide NYers a place to commune with nature, discover the wild creatures around us, teach the next generations about the creatures that share our landscape, and instill a love for protecting our invaluable natural world.
But, in good form, while claiming they are just “following the law”, the NYS Senate claims this will help meet the demands of the arbitrary and capricious CLCPA, an Act that avoided serious debate when snuck into the budget process of 2019. NYers have borne the brunt of higher costs of everything since this law’s implementation began shortly thereafter.
Citing the potential revenue the state could gain, May declare it would be a good thing to lease the lands the state holds on our behalf in trust, for transmission lines and even solar or wind facilities, two power schemes that continue to provide unreliable, grid-destabilizing and more expensive everything for everyone, while doing nothing for the intended goal of “saving the planet.”
A companion bill in the NYS Assembly, A10483, remains in the Environmental Conservation committee, landing there a second time after the State Senate recklessly passed the measure last year. The measure was brought up again recently in the Senate, and once again passed this irresponsible body, and sent back to the Assembly for action. It committee it died last time, and it should die again there once and for all.
Hunting, fishing, hiking, bird and wildlife watching activities occur on these lands all the time, delivering incredible financial windfalls to NYS. Yet, these rural areas where our natural world still exists, is in the crosshairs of urbanites, at the expense of the local economies and natural benefits these forests deliver. This irresponsible action should rightly be defeated, yet, where are the “environmentalists?” Probably on the graft payroll that such “renewable” projects are rife with. Time is still there to contact your Assembly representative and express your opposition to selling off our forests to the lowest bidder. The future of our wild treasures is vastly more important than schemes that promise the moon, but deliver the garbage come production time, and we all get socked with higher costs as a reward.