Statement in response to veto of NY TREES Act

In response to New York Governor Hochul’s decision to veto the NY Tropical Rainforest Economic and Environmental Sustainability (TREES) Act, Jeff Conant, Senior International Forest Program Manager at Friends of the Earth, has released the following statement: 

Governor Hochul’s veto of the TREES Act is an unfortunate delay to the urgent need for state-level climate action. Deforestation, forest degradation and the associated epidemic of violence against environmental human rights defenders continue to increase around the world. With the climate emergency deepening by the minute, the need for state level climate leadership is clearer than ever.  

The TREES Act has great potential to support New York businesses to gain a competitive advantage against multinational bidders, while leveraging state tax-payer dollars to protect, rather than destroy, the world’s remaining tropical forests.  As evidenced by support for the European Deforestation Regulation, many industries are ready to comply with stronger supply chain due diligence.  

We are hopeful that the TREES Act will be re-introduced in the year ahead and will enjoy the same overwhelming support from the NY legislature and state businesses that it has enjoyed for the previous two sessions. We eagerly await the moment when Governor Hochul’s administration gains the political will to address the grave issues that the TREES Act seeks to address and seizes the opportunity for climate leadership that this legislation affords.  

Friends of the Earth extends our thanks to Senator Krueger for her unflagging leadership to advance this legislation, and to the bill’s many champions for their determined efforts as we continue to work to end deforestation and uplift community land rights worldwide.