Friday, June 26, 2026, 1 p.m. (New York City time), Committee Room - City Hall
Committee: Committee on Economic Development
0:30 Can I jump good afternoon
0:30 welcomes today's New York City
0:32 council hearing for the
0:35 committee on economic
0:35 development joint with the
0:38 committee on workforce
0:39 out an appearance car with a
0:44 sergeant at arms movin
0:46 gforward and no one is t
0:47 oapproach the days chair we are
0:53 ready to begin all right good
0:55 afternoon everyone and welcome
0:57 to the joint hearing of the
0:59 committees on economic
1:01 development and workforce
1:03 development today is Friday
1:04 June 26 I'm Virginia Maloney
1:05 and I chair the economic
1:09 development committee joining
1:09 me is Council Member Julie Won
1:11 chair of the committee on
1:14 workforce development.
1:15 Today we are here to ask
1:16 about the state of the green
1:19 economy action plan and if it
1:21 remains the city's strategy t
1:25 ogenerate green jobs the plan
1:25 was drafted together by ed and
1:28 was released in February 2024
1:33 under.
1:33 The last administration it
1:34 identified 130000 jobs that
1:38 exist in the City and set a
1:40 target for creating nearly
1:44 400000 a green jobs by 20 40
1:49 . Since no permanent leader
1:50 has been appointed since the
1:51 nwe're unclear about what the
1:53 progress is if any has been
1:55 made regarding the plan the
1:57 New administration was not
1:58 involved in developing the
2:00 plan and has not stated
2:00 whether or not it intends to
2:04 preserve or advance and
2:06 additionally congress has
2:06 stripped away much of the
2:08 federal funding that the plan
2:09 was built around so given the
2:12 change in circumstances the
2:14 committees want to explor
2:15 ewhether or not the green
2:17 economy action plan remains
2:20 viable and whether or not it
2:21 has the resources necessary t
2:24 oimplement
2:25 . Beginning with jobs the City
2:26 projected 400000 green jobs by
2:29 20 40 and that means we would
2:31 have to create
2:31 . 267000 Green jobs over the
2:36 next 14 years.
2:36 However the center for a
2:37 nurban future found that the
2:39 City added roughly 2000 jobs
2:41 since 20 23 at that rate we
2:43 would not hit the target until
2:46 well into the next century so
2:47 today we want to understand
2:50 how the administratio
2:51 nreconciles these numbers and
2:52 whether or not the goal still
2:55 remainsnd a how it's publicly
2:59 tracking against progress.
3:00 Second we want to dig into
3:00 the off share offshore wind
3:03 project which is the most
3:04 visible component of this plan
3:07 the City made significant
3:08 investments in south brooklyn
3:10 marine terminal to serve a
3:11 sthe assembly hub for empir
3:14 ewinds projecting the creation
3:16 of 13000 jobs across the cit
3:17 yby 20 35 empire wind was
3:20 intended to demonstrate the
3:21 core premise of the green
3:23 economy action plan proving
3:25 that climate investments can
3:27 create good paying local jobs
3:30 but the project faces
3:31 uncertainty with the federal
3:33 government issuing a stop
3:34 order on empire wind in and
3:38 construction has only
3:39 continued because the court
3:42 intervened so the committees
3:42 are seeking the clear answer
3:44 on what the city's oversight
3:46 is at the south brooklyn
3:47 marine terminal and how is
3:49 preparing for the possibility
3:51 that construction there might
3:55 be halted again unfortunately
3:56 the federal government's
3:57 actions undercut much of the
3:58 intentions of the plan last
4:00 summer congress rolled back
4:02 the clean energy tax credits
4:04 that much of this plan relied
4:06 on so when he says certain
4:08 commitments are still on track
4:10 we're thrilled to hear that
4:11 but want to understand a bit
4:12 more about where the funding
4:15 is coming from and lastly
4:16 building carbon ization or
4:17 lowering a building's carbon
4:19 footprint accounts for mor
4:20 ethan half of the green jobs
4:21 that are projected in this
4:23 plan and depends on the
4:25 successful implementation of
4:26 local law in 97 by setting
4:29 carbon emissions for large
4:30 buildings local law 97 creates
4:32 the demand for retro fits and
4:34 the work force needed to
4:36 complete them
4:37 . Meeting the employment
4:38 targets outlining the plant
4:39 assumes that local law 97 is
4:42 being enforced and implemented
4:43 on schedule and we want to
4:45 discuss the progress of those
4:46 buildings retrofits to dat
4:47 ehow many jobs are currently I
4:51 nthe pipeline and how we are
4:52 supporting d carbon across the
4:54 City
4:54 . Before we hear from the
4:55 administration I want to thank
4:57 the committee's staff for
4:59 their hard work starting with
5:01 senior counsel alex pauline
5:03 off senior policy analyst
5:04 william hong yanked and
5:06 financial Ana analyst spencer
5:07 coon and with that I will turn
5:09 to chair juan for her opening
5:12 remarks.
5:12 Thank you so much karen
5:13 Maloney I want to acknowledge
5:13 that we've been joined by a
5:14 Council Member Amanda frias as
5:16 well as Council Member chanel
5:17 Thomas Henry my name is Julie
5:18 Won and I have the privilege
5:19 of chairing committee on
5:22 workforce development char
5:23 Maloney has laid out the
5:23 economic development side o
5:24 fthis plan I want to talk about
5:26 the parts that matter the mos
5:29 tmost to the work themselves
5:30 which is whether the City is
5:31 actually building a path for
5:32 New yorkers into these jobs a
5:35 plan that promises 40000
5:36 0green jobs by 20 40 means very
5:37 little of the people who nee
5:38 dthese jobs cannot get trained
5:42 for them
5:42 . The plan made three major
5:44 workforce promises first a
5:45 green collar training center
5:46 in every single burro second
5:50 for more than 12000 New
5:50 yorkers trained as green jobs
5:53 through apprenticeships and
5:53 pretense apprenticeshi
5:54 pprograms by 20 43 what the
5:57 plan calls of $600 million
6:00 investment in green career
6:02 pathways for young people I
6:02 want to know.
6:03 How many of these promises
6:04 have been kept and the numbers
6:06 behind them broken wndo by
6:09 fiscal year I also want to I
6:11 also want to be precise about
6:12 the $600 million since it
6:14 doesn't come from the green
6:15 economy action plan it's our
6:17 understanding that it comes
6:17 from the City of 20 2
6:19 3pathways to an inclusive
6:22 economy plan and it has spread
6:23 across public schools cooney
6:25 to serve about 250000 young
6:27 people across the entir
6:28 eeconomy not just green jobs so
6:30 how much of that $600 millio
6:32 nactually funds the green
6:34 training and is there any
6:36 green specific money in thi
6:37 splan at all or are we just
6:40 really labeling spending that
6:41 was already happening for
6:45 purposes federal funding is
6:45 another problem the work first
6:48 innovation and opportunity act
6:49 has been reauthorized and the
6:50 federal budget for next year
6:53 would fold workforce program
6:54 suntil a block grant and cut
6:55 more than from existing
7:00 . Programs a lot of the city's
7:01 trainings run on those federa
7:02 ldollars so we want to know ho
7:03 wmuch of the green training is
7:06 in this plan and depend on
7:07 federal dollars that now it's
7:09 at risk and what is the
7:12 administration's
7:12 . Will for prioritizing to
7:13 keep this money if it
7:15 disappears separately the
7:16 mamdani administration just
7:16 launched its own $4.5 million
7:21 green workforce program as a
7:21 pilot with the with the doe
7:25 fund we don't object to th
7:25 epilot but we want to know how
7:26 the pilot is going to be
7:28 impacting the green economy
7:30 action plan because it sends a
7:31 signal when a New
7:33 administration launches it's
7:34 all green jobs program instead
7:35 of funding the adrienne
7:36 already on the books we want
7:37 to know whether the plan I
7:39 sbeing quietly shelved and I
7:39 fnot we want to know
7:41 . Who is making sure that
7:42 work in tandem with each other
7:45 and how are the
7:46 responsibilities or portfolio
7:50 sdivided up what we'll be
7:50 looking for today is evidence
7:52 from New York City talent tha
7:53 tthe New yorkers this plan was
7:55 written for
7:56 . Are actually getting trained
7:57 and hired into good paying
7:58 jobs a stable green jobs.
8:01 Before we turn over to the
8:02 administration I'd like t
8:03 othank and acknowledge the work
8:05 force development committee
8:05 staff senior counsel alice
8:07 pauline off senior policy
8:09 analyst william honeck on
8:10 financial analyst spencer kun
8:13 with that I'll turn over t
8:13 othe committee counsel t
8:14 oadminister to the oath and I
8:15 also want to acknowledge tha
8:16 twe've been joined by a council
8:18 member cab on and council
8:22 member thank you ciara juan
8:23 alex falling off committee
8:24 counsel well members of the
8:25 administration testifying
8:26 today please raise your hands
8:29 . Do you swear or affirm to
8:30 tell the truth the whole truth
8:30 and nothing but the truth in
8:32 your testimony today and t
8:33 orespond honestly to council
8:36 member questions yeah I do
8:37 thank you you begin adrienn
8:42 eready.
8:43 Good afternoon chair Maloney
8:43 and chair juan and members of
8:45 the economic development and
8:46 workforce development
8:47 committee's my name is sam
8:48 young and I serve at th
8:49 esenior vice president of the
8:50 green economy team at the New
8:51 York City economic development
8:53 corporation I'm here today
8:54 with michelle lamberti vice
8:55 president of government and
8:59 community relations I'
9:00 mexcited to share the progres
9:00 swe've made on the green
9:01 economy action plan or jeep
9:02 for short which was release
9:03 din spring of 20 24 I
9:05 npartnership with New York City
9:07 talent at we think in terms of
9:09 decades and generational
9:10 change under Mayor mom and
9:14 deputy Mayor is approaching
9:14 the green economy not only as
9:16 a climate imperative but as a
9:17 pathway to economic justice
9:19 delivering good paying job
9:20 sand expanding opportunity for
9:24 working people New York City
9:25 is surrounded by 520 of water
9:27 and shoreline with the risk of
9:28 writing seawater on her
9:31 doorstep we have seen
9:31 ahurricane leave our City dark
9:32 and under water heavy rain and
9:34 floodingave hdisrupted our
9:37 transportation and
9:38 infrastructure urban wildfires
9:39 have standard skyline red and
9:40 filled our air with ashes and
9:42 extreme mother has driven a
9:43 power bills and insurance
9:44 costs for working people we
9:47 cannot treat climate change is
9:48 something we can put off until
9:49 tomorrow it requires action
9:52 today the korean economy
9:52 action plan provides a rope
9:54 out to tackle these challenges
9:55 and invest in the sectors and
9:56 jobs that will help the City
9:58 combat climate change while
9:59 providing a pathway t
10:00 ostronger communities and
10:03 shared prosperity the
10:04 opportunity ahead significant
10:05 . The jeep projected that the
10:06 green economy could transition
10:08 and create approximately
10:09 400000 jobs by 20 40 jobs
10:11 across construction
10:15 engineering clean energy
10:16 building retrofits advance
10:18 dmanufacturing design
10:18 operations maintenance and
10:19 emerging industries all.
10:20 Right could you put the mike
10:20 closer to your mouth thank you
10:25 . I want to be clear realizing
10:25 the 20 40 projections will
10:28 take take decades 70% of the
10:30 400000 jobs projected or what
10:32 we call transitioning job
10:33 swhich we won't be able to
10:34 track until years down the
10:38 road these jobs do not appear
10:39 automatically or overnight
10:41 they require planning the jeep
10:42 is a projection of the long
10:43 term transformation of our
10:45 economy the result of
10:46 sustained public investment
10:47 from every level of government
10:49 City state and federal as well
10:51 as private investment
10:52 industrial development and
10:55 workforce growth
10:55 . Yet we're continuing to face
10:56 real challenges from federal
10:57 headwinds like the rest of the
10:58 nation job growth is slowing
11:01 and aggressive federal
11:01 rollbacks of key green economy
11:02 policies are having an impac
11:05 tdespite this we take it
11:06 forward looking approach to
11:08 growth development and the
11:11 green economy in the two years
11:12 since its release has been
11:13 focused on meeting key
11:14 commitments from the jeep
11:16 advancing major green
11:17 infrastructure investments and
11:18 activating workforce partners
11:19 across the City to prepare New
11:20 yorkers for the economy of the
11:24 future today I'll use my time
11:24 to share a handful of updates
11:27 on this work
11:27 . New yorkers have always used
11:28 innovation and ingenuity t
11:29 orespond to whatever challenges
11:31 come our way and we have
11:32 flourished because we have
11:33 invested in our people adjust
11:35 an equitable transition to the
11:37 green economy means creating
11:38 accessible career pathways for
11:40 working people at we are
11:42 supercharging our efforts to
11:44 educate train and position New
11:45 yorkers of all backgrounds t
11:45 obenefit from the green economy
11:49 earlier this year we announced
11:50 a $7 million investment into
11:52 communities green worked for
11:54 infrastructure this $7 millio
11:56 ninvestment will ensure
11:56 students graduate into a job
11:57 market with the skills to
11:58 change the world for the
11:59 better get a good paying job
12:01 and cement New York City as a
12:02 leader in climate action in
12:06 July 2025 we awarded $
12:07 3million from a green light
12:09 Inna fund alongside at $1.1
12:12 billion grant from counsel
12:13 member Oswald Feliz to fordham
12:14 university to create the bronx
12:15 green job center.
12:16 The first of its kind
12:18 workforce and entrepreneurship
12:18 hub that will build a
12:20 nequitable green jobs pipelin
12:21 ein the heart of the bronx and
12:25 last joint solar one to cut
12:26 the ribbon on New state of the
12:29 art environmental education
12:30 center in stuyvesant cove.
12:31 Park a decade in the makin
12:33 gthis education center will b
12:35 ea model for future urban
12:37 coastal resiliency while also
12:38 creating an immersive hands on
12:39 environmental learning
12:40 experience for niggers yorkers
12:44 of all ages we are als
12:44 ocreating career path for young
12:45 people through a maritime
12:47 career and aviation awareness
12:48 fair we hosted the seventh
12:49 annual fair this year and
12:50 connected more than 500 high
12:51 school students with india
12:53 experts on potential future
12:55 careers we were makin
12:56 gsignificant investments to
12:58 prepare local workers in New
12:58 yorkers from all backgrounds