New York governor’s State of the State highlights transportation, water and clean energy priorities

January 22, 2025

New York Governor Kathy Hochul delivered her 2025 State of the State address last week, laying out her agenda for the year. 

Gov. Hochul’s proposals include making New York more affordable for residents, growing the economy and workforce training and subway safety. 

Hochul also detailed her agenda on transportation, water and clean energy. 

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Her transportation proposals include historic investments in New York City’s public transit system, major upgrades to rail service across the state—particularly in the Hudson Valley Region—and funding for statewide transit and road improvements. The plans also look to reconnect communities divided by outdated infrastructure, enhance safety in work zones by making the Automated Work Zone Camera program permanent, and improve safety near elementary schools in New York City. 

The transportation agenda includes some of the following proposals: 

  • Advance Second Avenue subway and other improvements: The MTA will advance the Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 extension to East Harlem, upgrade signal systems on segments of the A/C and B/D/F/M lines serving over 1.5 million daily riders, improve accessibility at more than 20 stations and introduce hundreds of new electric buses. These and other investments are funded by New York’s first-in-the-nation congestion pricing program. 
  • Modernize rail service for faster, more reliable travel: A proposed major investment in Hudson Valley rail service is meant to boost capacity, reduce delays and shorten travel times by up to 15 minutes each way for some trips. It also seeks to reduce “super-express” Metro-North Hudson Line trips to under 90 minutes. The plan includes the planning, evaluation, and design of rail capital improvements between New York City and Poughkeepsie. 
  • Reconnect communities in Albany and the Bronx: Albany’s Interstate-787 and the Cross Bronx Expressway have divided neighborhoods, displaced families and reinforced inequities for decades. Building on transformative projects like the Interstate-81 reconstruction in Syracuse, Gov. Hochul plans to move forward with initiatives to reconnect these communities. 

As part of her State of the State address, Gov. Hochul announced a $500 million funding commitment for clean water, part of a broader vision to protect drinking water and address environmental sustainability across New York. 

Those proposals include: 

  • Protect New York’s Infrastructure: Building on the success of the 2024 Green Resiliency Grant (GRG) program, which provided $60 million for transformative projects, Gov. Hochul proposes extending the GRG program using Environmental Bond Act funding. The new round will prioritize high-impact risk reduction projects, including porous pavement, rain gardens and stormwater retention systems, to help communities develop greener, more resilient infrastructure. 
  • Invest in Coastal Resiliency: Gov. Hochul will work to launch a new Department of State grant program to support nature-based solutions like living shorelines and ecosystem enhancements to combat the risk from extreme weather and rising sea levels. 

When it comes to the climate and energy, Hochul announced plans to invest more than $1 billion to address the climate crisis and achieve a more sustainable and affordable future. 

Proposals laid out in the State of the State include: 

  • Public power for public entities and creating clean energy: The governor will direct state agencies and the New York Power Authority to enter into contracts in pursuit of achieving 100% renewable energy for state agencies by 2030, resulting in at least 500MW of renewable energy. 
  • Advanced nuclear master plan and blueprint: The State of the State outlines the creation of a Master Plan for Responsible Advanced Nuclear Development in New York. To support the development of this initiative, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has released a Blueprint for Consideration of Advanced Nuclear Energy Technologies, providing a framework for the next steps in the process. 
  • Decarbonizing New York’s SUNY and CUNY campuses: The governor plans to decarbonize SUNY and CUNY campuses using Environmental Bond Act investments by integrating renewable energy tech and electrifying facilities. This proposal would include adopting advanced thermal energy networks and other renewable energy solutions. 

To check out Gov. Hochul’s other 2025 State of the State agenda items, click here


Photo courtesy Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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