A bigger bottle bill, again?

Jan 10, 2024

With help from Jason Beeferman

A pile of plastic bottles.

Advocates are pushing for the 5-cent bottle deposit rate to be raised to 10 cents, and estimates conclude the change could raise up to $200 million for the state. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The 5-cent deposit aimed at incentivizing New Yorkers to return that soda can for recycling will be a focus for lawmakers this session — if advocates get their way.

Revamping the system first established in 1983 has been a priority for advocates, including the New York Public Interest Research Group, for years. Recently, redemption centers that collect and sort containers for a 3.5 cent fee have joined the clamor as inflation pushes their costs higher and the statutory fee remains unchanged since 2009.

Increasing the deposit to a dime and expanding the bill to cover more containers would raise between $40 million and $200 million for the state, according to a new analysis backed by NYPIRG.

More than 300 groups signed on to a letter urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to include the measure in the budget. Supporters held a press conference today in Albany.

“The state’s ‘Bottle Bill’ has been a tremendous success, but it needs an update,” said NYPIRG executive director Blair Horner in a statement. “The governor must include modernization in her budget – it both raises revenues for the state as well as helps struggling redemption centers.”

Hochul didn’t mention waste issues at all in her State of the State or accompanying policy book. The chairs of the Environmental Conservation committees have been more focused on a new system to reduce packaging waste. But Assemblymember Deborah Glick did say she also wants to tackle the bottle bill this session.

The Business Council of New York State, Inc., which opposes the Legislature’s packaging proposal, opposes an expansion of the bottle bill, arguing it would raise costs to consumers.

“As the state continues to consider broad ‘producer responsibility’ legislation for a wide range of packaging, it makes little policy sense to also expand a parallel post-consumer material management program,” said Business Council spokesperson Pat Bailey in a statement.

WELCOME BACK TO NEW YORK PLAYBOOK PM! We are returning Playbook PM year-round, while also putting its focus on Albany — from the Legislature to the governor to the power brokers shaping the Capitol agenda.

From the Capitol

A mother and daughter wait for food assistance at Universe City, a decentralized food hub in the Brownsville neighborhood in Brooklyn.

A mother and daughter wait for food assistance in Brooklyn. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images

MARCHING FOR FOOD INSECURITY: The Alliance for a Hunger Free New York marched to the Million Dollar Staircase today to advocate for nutrition security and for frontline community food providers because nearly one in seven children are going hungry.

“NYS is falling behind in addressing the needs of our communities; 2.2 million New Yorkers are considered food insecure…” the group’s media advisory said. “With the removal of COVID-era benefits and the effects of inflation, NYS Community Food Providers are seeing continued increases in service levels.”

Food insecurity is growing at a faster rate statewide compared to the rest of the country, the group said. From 2021 to 2023, New York saw an 87 percent increase in those that did not have enough food during a one week period. Nationwide, there was only a 35 percent increase, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey.

Places like the Bronx (39 percent), Herkimer (28 percent) and Oswego (26 percent) counties experienced the highest levels of food insecurity, compared with counties Wyoming (11 percent), and both Columbia and Lewis counties hovering at 12 percent, according to the state Department of Health. — Shawn Ness

DEPARTURE LOUNGE: Micah Lasher, who has served in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration as her director of policy since 2021, is departing the governor's amid talk of him running for the Upper West Side seat being vacated at year's end by Democrat Danny O’Donnell.

Lasher’s last day in the governor’s office is today. Lasher declined to comment about his future plans.

"Micah Lasher is a brilliant policymaker whose impact will be felt long into the future of our state,” Hochul said in a statement to POLITICO.

“I was fortunate to have Micah by my side from the early days of my administration as we worked to make New York more affordable, more livable and safer. He’s an incredible public servant and we'll miss his contributions greatly."

Lasher is scheduled to appear tonight at a candidate forum. — Nick Reisman

FROM CITY HALL

Mayor Eric Adams attends Governor Kathy Hochul’s State of the State address at the State's Capital Building on Tuesday, January 9, 2024.

Mayor Eric Adams appeared on The Capitol Pressroom today and voiced opposition for a new tax on higher earners. | Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

ADAMS ALBANY AGENDA: The mayor took to the capital airwaves today — for the second time in as many days — to discuss his priorities in Albany and argue against a new tax on high earners to pad the budget.

Adams has made housing one of his main focuses this year and said stakeholders should not focus too much on specific legislation like the “good cause” eviction bill, which a bloc of legislators wanted in exchange for reauthorizing a tax break for developers.

“I think oftentimes we see that the bumper sticker slogans get in the way of producing a product,” Adams said on The Capitol Pressroom.

The mayor envisioned a bargain with both tenant protections and incentives for builders.

“We’re seeing a hemorrhaging of not only working-class people, but we’re concerned about losing that high tax base because that tax base pays for our police officers,” Adams said. — Joe Anuta

CUTS UN-CUT: Adams announced today he will reverse some of the recent budget cuts that have become toxic to his political brand.

In particular, the city will restore a canceled police academy class set to graduate in April and will also cobble together enough funds to keep a fifth firefighter on trucks at 20 engine companies.

“I'm happy to say that we'll be able to reverse some of the cuts to the NYPD and FDNY that we initially announced in November,” Adams said at a press briefing.

The about-face was music to the ears of the New York City Council, which has characterized the administration’s broader spending reductions as draconian. And with Adams’ announcement, lawmakers have likely gained stronger ammunition to call City Hall’s bluff during this year’s budget cycle, set to kick off Tuesday.

“Well golly gee,” Council Member Justin Brannan, who chairs the body’s finance committee, posted to social media during Adams’ press conference in a gesture of mock surprise.

Adams said the rollbacks were possible because of rosier revenue projections and reductions in estimated migrant costs — the total price tag has shrunk from $12 billion to around $10 billion through the summer of 2025, according to new figures.

However, officials declined to divulge key fiscal details about how the city’s budget picture has changed enough to allow cuts to be reversed. The November spending reductions, for example, were already insufficient to close a projected $7 billion budget gap for the upcoming cycle. — Joe Anuta

On the Beats

Solar eclipse

Gov. Kathy Hochul is already making plans for the April total solar eclipse, which is set to make its way across New York. | Photo courtesy of NASA.

SOLAR ECLIPSE: There are only 89 days until the state’s first total eclipse in almost a century, and Hochul wants to make sure viewers have a safe experience. Many cities will be in the “path of totality.”

“Whether you live in New York or are visiting to witness this generational spectacle, ensuring everyone can take in this year’s eclipse safely is our top priority,” Hochol said in a statement. “I encourage everyone to keep safety in mind so that we can all savor this experience… Come for the eclipse, but stay for New York and enjoy all our great state has to offer.”

Interagency task forces have been working together to spread awareness of the phenomena and spread the word on tips to stay safe and prepared, she said.

The state is placing an emphasis on residents’ public safety, making sure to have adequate traffic management due to an expected influx of out-of-staters coming to watch the eclipse. — Shawn Ness

MO’ MONEY FOR HEALTH CARE: Hochul announced today almost $1 billion in health care grants.

The grants include $650 million for improvements to health facilities’ cybersecurity; $50 million toward projects focused on innovating nursing homes; and another $250 million toward “transformative health care investments” under a larger statewide grant program.

Some of the health care investments will be doled out through the Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program IV and the first phase of Program V. The state has awarded about $4 billion in total funding through capital programs, Hochul’s office said.

“These funds will enable our health care providers and facilities to further modernize, integrate and protect health care services,” state Health Commissioner James McDonald said in a statement. — Jason Beeferman

HIGHER EDUCATION: Clinton Community College is relocating its campus to a space that will be rented from SUNY Plattsburgh, part of the college’s “new vision” going forward.

The move is the latest effort to save a community college suffering from low enrollment resulting in high overhead costs on unused space. It comes at a time where SUNY Chancellor John King and state lawmakers are lobbying to garner state aid to support community colleges struggling with shrinking enrollment.

SUNY officials say the situation at Clinton Community College is unique, but others may need to assess their operations as well to ensure their sustainability.

Last week, the campus announced it would be partnering with Plattsburgh on a dual-degree nursing program. This week, they are further cementing the partnership by renting unused space from Plattsburgh to relocate its campus and sharing services with the four-year institution.

The college made clear, the relocation is not a merger, even though there will be shared services. And there will be no program cuts or re-alignments.

“These coming months are critical, and I look forward to rolling up my sleeves along with the community to set a positive direction for the college,” David Favro, Clinton’s chair of the Board of Trustees, said in a statement. – Katelyn Cordero

AROUND NEW YORK

— Two prisoners in upstate New York say they were brutally beaten by guards and taken to a different facility to be waterboarded. (New York Times)

— The race for the 26th Congressional District is underway between state Sen. Tim Kennedy and former Grand Island supervisor Nate McMurray. (Buffalo News)

– Indicted New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez has brought Yaakov Roth onto his legal team. He once repped former Cuomo aide Joe Percoco and successfully got his convictions tossed. (POLITICO)

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