By Rebecca Martin
Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger recently sent a letter largely supporting the Governor’s proposed changes to New York’s environmental review law, the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), suggesting that with a few “tweaks”we could “get the housing that we need”. However, significant portions of the letter are out of step with the realities of the debate, which is being pushed into the state budget without proper public scrutiny.
In particular, her affordable housing request is currently dead in the water.
Politicians who identify strongly as environmentalists may feel between a rock and a hard place, having to choose where to draw the line with this Democratic Governor, who is rolling back environmental protections—deciding whether to defend SEQRA or New York’s climate law, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). Leaders like Jen Metzger, Senator Michelle Hinchey, and Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha have spoken forcefully in defense of the CLCPA, while Metzger is the first to come out with a statement on SEQRA.
If a choice must be made, it shouldn’t be SEQRA that is sacrificed. The CLCPA, while critically important, is still being implemented. SEQRA, on the other hand, already exists and functions as one of the most important tools communities have to review, shape, and mitigate major development projects before they occur.
Maybe Metzger’s position is influenced by her history serving in the State Senate as one of the architects of the CLCPA. That’s understandable, but it also highlights the complexity of this moment. Climate action and environmental review should be complementary, not competing priorities.
While Metzger and others emphasize targeted exemptions to accelerate housing, there are serious reasons for caution regarding the Governor’s proposal. To suggest that it could be acceptable with minor “tweaks” misses the risks. The proposed SEQRA reforms, as drafted, include broad exemptions for major housing and mixed-use developments without clear limits or safeguards. Key terms like “previously disturbed land” are vague, and there are few geographic or environmental guardrails. This could allow sprawling developments on sensitive or polluted sites, strain existing infrastructure, and reduce local oversight—particularly in communities outside New York City.
The reality is that if the proposed sweeping SEQRA changes are adopted through the state budget pushed by Governor Kathy Hochul’s administration, we all lose, and the people who will lose the most are those living in communities without zoning laws.
These are often rural communities that lack the planning infrastructure of larger municipalities. They are also the communities least likely to be closely following the details of this policy debate in Albany. Yet under the proposed changes, these lands could effectively be opened up to whatever development the state prioritizes—whether local residents want it or not. Without strong zoning protections, and with SEQR significantly weakened, local governments could have very little authority left to shape what gets built in their own communities.
It’s hard not to conclude that the push to gut SEQRA is connected to the state administration’s development priorities. Whether those projects are energy infrastructure, housing developments, or large-scale facilities like data centers, the effect would be the same: fewer opportunities for communities to review, question, and mitigate projects before they are approved. “Let Them Build” alright – but what and how?
SEQRA was created to ensure environmental impacts are considered and mitigated and that the public has a meaningful voice in decisions that shape their communities. Weakening it may speed up approvals—but it will also weaken local democracy.
And that’s a tradeoff New Yorkers should think carefully about before it’s made for them—and right now, by just two decision makers, without any opportunity for public comment: Andrea Stewart-Cousins in the Senate and Carl Heastie in the Assembly.
Two people, both under pressure from the Governor. It’s not hard to imagine how that will go.
Call your senator and demand that their leadership remove the Governor’s SEQRA regulations from the budget before it’s adopted in April. The budget is not the place for SEQRA reform.
READ our FAQ about the proposed SEQRA changes proposed by the Governor