NYPIRG

09/02/2026

📰 NYPIRG in the news: Advocates want more support for private colleges in N.Y. state budget as they face uphill battle 🎓💵

"Good government group NYPIRG has been sounding the alarm over funding levels for months. Senior Policy Advisor Blair Horner told Spectrum News 1 that state support has eroded over decades largely because New York has strayed from a pledge made to private institutions as the State University of New York system expanded decades ago.

'The state promised in 1968 to provide resources to offset any potential downsides to that happening,' Horner said. 'How do you turn a promise into long-term reality?'

Horner says a start would be New York acknowledging it has the resources to reverse course."

Good government group NYPIRG has been sounding the alarm over funding levels for months.

09/02/2026

"If this ruling stands, then New Yorkers or New York taxpayers are out somewhere in the neighborhood of $75 billion that they're going to get either in increased taxes or reduced services, or both."

- NYPIRG Senior Policy Advisor Blair Horner

Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday that the state is reviewing its options after a federal judge in Syracuse struck down New York's Climate Change Superfund Act.

09/01/2026

🗳 In this edition of NYPIRG Senior Policy Advisor Blair Horner's Capitol Perspective blog: Election Season Ramps Up

"The groups urged that 'candidates for New York office safeguard the integrity of the state elections.'"

Read more: https://www.nypirg.org/capitolperspective/election-season-ramps-up/

09/01/2026

NYPIRG's statement regarding the August 31 decision to block New York's landmark Climate Change Superfund Act:

"New Yorkers may not be focused on the legitimate legal distinctions between a lawsuit brought by New York City against major oil companies and a state law that requires companies to be responsible for some of the costs of the worsening climate, with its devastating flash flooding, more intense heat waves, rising sea levels, and choking air quality from wildfires. What New Yorkers know for sure is that the damages caused by the worsening climate are hammering their wallets and unless this decision is reversed, they will face higher taxes or reduced public services — or both — to the tune of $75 billion. NYPIRG urges New York State Attorney General Letitia James to file an appeal, not only to protect the public's health and wellbeing, but to protect taxpayers too."

- NYPIRG Senior Policy Advisor Blair Horner

🌎 Read the full statement...

08/27/2026

🗳 NYPIRG joins with reformers urging candidates for office to defend the integrity of New York's elections!

A coalition of New York's leading civic organizations today called on all candidates for office to combat statements that assert — without evidence — that previous elections have been "stolen," or otherwise raise such concerns.

The groups cited New York's system of ensuring election security — most notably its reliance on paper ballots — as proof that the state's elections are dependable.

Check out the full statement...

08/25/2026

📰 NYPIRG in the news: Uber and Waymo Have Spent More Than $15M This Year Lobbying New York Pols 💰

"Uber spent as much as it had to spend in order to win. Big money talks, and the public is reduced to often just an observer of the battles at the state capital."

- NYPIRG Senior Policy Advisor Blair Horner

So much for affordability. Big Tech spent massive sums to back it's state legislative aims this year.

08/21/2026

Need help navigating New York's Small Claims Court system? NYPIRG offers FREE help with consumer problems and complaints. Seek justice with our Small Claims Court Action Centers across the state. Visit nypirg.org/sccac or call our Consumer Helpline at (800) 566-5020. ⚖️

08/18/2026

Listen to NYPIRG Senior Policy Advisor Blair Horner on WAMC Northeast Public Radio 🔊 Commentary: Climate disasters and the cost to New York taxpayers

"New York has tried to establish a program that would require the world’s largest fossil fuel companies to cover some of those costs." 🛢️💵

The costs to New Yorkers will go beyond the damage to the public’s health and environment; it will hammer our wallets too.

08/17/2026

🌎 This edition of NYPIRG Senior Policy Advisor Blair Horner's Capitol Perspective blog: Climate Disasters and the Cost to New York Taxpayers

"The report found that New York State is projected to surpass half a trillion dollars on infrastructure spending related to climate change by 2050. And that number is conservative."

Read more: https://www.nypirg.org/capitolperspective/climate-disasters-and-the-cost-to-new-york-taxpayers/

08/17/2026

📰 Letter to the editor: Oil companies don't need taxpayer subsidies 🛢️💵

"By passing the 'Stop Climate Polluter Handouts Act,' we can repeal nearly 20% of these subsidies and return $350 million in annual revenue to New York taxpayers to help address energy affordability."

- NYPIRG Senior Environmental Program Coordinator Eric Wood

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, gasoline prices across the country averaged $2.81 in January 2026 and skyrocketed to $4.48 by April 2026.