Here in New York, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul has signed a bill holding fossil fuel giants financially accountable for pollution and contributing to the climate crisis. The Climate Change Superfund Act will require large fossil fuel companies to pay $75 billion over 25 years for climate damage repair, resilience and protection programs. New York State Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest hailed the bill’s passage into law, writing, “Corporate polluters have been poisoning our planet and our communities for too long—now they’re going to pay up. This is a win for working people and a step toward real climate justice.”

Meanwhile, Governor Hochul has vetoed the TREES Act, legislation that would require New York state to prove it is not purchasing products driving deforestation. It would have been the first anti-deforestation law in the U.S.