New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's operational spending declines as responsibilities grow according to a report issued by the State's Comptroller

Over the last decade new laws have expanded the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s mission to address the urgent threat of climate change and other pressing issues. Spending to support the Department’s operations, however, have declined by 10 percent according to a report released on January 28, 2021 by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

The Comptroller stated that “The Department of Environmental Conservation is leading major initiatives to attack climate change and has been entrusted with many new duties.” In the words of the Comptroller, “The expansion of DEC’s mission, combined with the state’s severe fiscal challenges, raises the question of whether the agency has the staff and funding it needs to carry out its critically important work.”  

Click HEREto access the text of the Comptroller's report.