Statement From Senate Republican Voicing Economic Concerns Over Aggressive New Mandate On Business

(ALBANY, NY) - New York State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt, along with Senator Dan Stec, ranking member of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, Senator Pam Helming and members of the Senate Republican Conference stood in opposition to the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act  (S.1464), a crushing mandate on businesses that will lead to higher costs for consumers. 

 

This bill would impose costly new mandates and additional burdensome red tape for New York businesses by forcing businesses to register with a packaging reduction organization and setting unrealistic timelines for the elimination of certain materials for packaging purposes. This legislation will further drive up the cost of doing business in the State, and will lead to more job losses and businesses leaving the state. It will lead to even higher consumer costs at a time when New York’s economy is already struggling and outmigration is at an all-time high. 

 

“In reality this bill will have very little impact on saving the earth, but a very big, very devastating real life impact on hardworking New Yorkers and businesses. This is nothing more than a crushing mandate that will make it more expensive to do business in New York and lead to higher costs on consumer goods at a time when so many New Yorkers are struggling,” said Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt. 

 

“The Harckham/Glick packaging EPR bill is the wrong approach for New York.  It will result in increased consumer costs and reduced consumer choice, and will be costly if not impossible for businesses to comply with.  In key respects, it differs significantly from what other states have recently adopted, including Minnesota and Maryland.  New York should adopt workable solutions, that focus on improving its recycling programs, not banning materials and products,” said Ken Pokalsky, Vice President, The Business Council of New York State.

 

“Democrats’ EPR legislation isn’t just unfeasible, it’s a massive tax on businesses and consumers. This billion dollar mandate will only lead to increased costs on our already overburdened families and make it harder for economic development in our state. At a time when New York is the most unaffordable state in the nation, we simply can’t afford EPR,” said Senator Dan Stec, ranking member of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee. 

 

“Wonder why prices at the grocery store keep going up? Every part of growing or producing food on our local farms, packaging food items at our local manufacturers, trucking the food to local grocery stores, and even refrigerating the food in the store has been impacted by costly state mandates. New York’s climate mandates have gone too far, too fast, affecting the cost of everything from farming to trucking to refrigeration. The EPR bill will add additional burdens and costs that consumers cannot afford. It’s time for New York State to be transparent about how much the Climate Act implementation is going to cost consumers and ratepayers,”said Senator Pam Helming, Senate Republican Conference Chair.

 

According to a Consumer Cost Study from May of 2024 conducted by the Business Council of New York State, consumers could be faced with a $1 billion dollar a year cost increase over a five year period. This could lead to increased household costs of $720 per household, at a time when New Yorkers are already struggling to make ends meet amidst skyrocketing costs and rates of inflation. 

 

“We just got through a budget cycle where my colleagues on the other side of the aisle couldn’t use the word “affordability” enough. But the difference between the Senate Republicans and those in the Democratic majority is that when we talk about affordability, it’s not lip service,” concluded Senator Ortt.