Transportation News: State Wide

It’s been one year since New York made history by launching the nation’s first Congestion Pricing Program, and the results are in: less traffic, faster buses, better air quality, and millions of dollars going to improve our mass transit system. “It takes bold leadership to advance policies that improve our communities and daily lives – especially when they aren’t universally popular at the start,” said NYLCV President Julie Tighe. “That’s exactly what Governor Hochul showed by advancing congestion pricing forward to deliver real results for New Yorkers.”

The New York League of Conservation Voters and NYLCV Education Fund are proud to release our 2026 State Policy Agenda, which outlines the League’s top priorities, including the Sustainable Future Fund and the Clean Air Initiative, advancing affordable clean energy projects, decarbonizing buildings with thermal energy networks, passing a Clean Fuel Standard, and achieving zero waste.

Under New York State law, all new light-duty passenger vehicles must be zero-emission by 2035, with all medium- and heavy-duty passenger vehicles following suit by 2045. However, there are significant barriers to reaching these goals due to charging and grid infrastructure shortfalls, exacerbated by federal rollbacks. 

Voters in the vast majority of school districts with ESBs on the ballot said yes to protecting kids’ health, reducing harmful diesel pollution, and accelerating the transition to a fully electric school bus fleet by 2035.

New Yorkers across the state - from the North Country to the Hudson Valley - went to the polls on

We’re all familiar with the yellow school buses of our childhood: the rattling sounds of metal, the squeals of our peers, leather seats that had seen better days. Their presence was an integral part to so many childhoods – so what’s being changed? Transportation is a leading contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in New York, accounting for a third of total overall emissions. Not only are these emissions harming the planet, but research has shown that they are also harming New York’s children, leading to higher levels of asthma.