Tucked into its proposal for the next fiscal year's budget, the New York Assembly is proposing to divert clean-energy funds.

Clean-energy programs not only create jobs, they also help clean the air and lower energy bills.The Assembly wants to shift $200 million away from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Those funds -- paid by consumers and businesses on their utility bills, rather than from taxes -- are intended for clean-energy and energy-efficiency programs.

NYLCV opposes this move, and has joined a broad coalition of energy, environmental, conservation and business groups in writing a letter to lawmakers and legislative leaders.

Reallocating the funds for NYSERDA’s existing clean energy programs threatens to destabilize them, risking the loss of economic development opportunities and protection from volatile fossil fuel prices, as well as improvements to public health and the environment.

New York’s energy-efficiency and renewable-energy programs are delivering significant economic, environmental and consumer benefits to New Yorkers and have been well administered by NYSERDA.