Introducing the ‘Queens Green Promise’

Elizabeth Crowley is a candidate for Queens borough president. Campaign photo

By Elizabeth Crowley

Queens is a beautiful place with precious resources — first and foremost, our people and our environment. To protect both, we need a borough president with bold ideas and the experience to reimagine how we protect our environment.

With the pandemic nearing its end, and the post-COVID-19 recovery beginning, we have an unprecedented opportunity to not only create thousands of green jobs but also build towards a sustainable future that our children can be proud of. That’s why, on this Earth Day, I’m proposing the Queens Green Promise: a plan to revamp our environmental infrastructure with a focus on green energy for the challenges of the twenty-first century, all while reinvigorating our local economy.

 First and foremost, we must commit ourselves to a carbon-free future. I have long called for Queens to become the first completely renewable borough in New York City. In the short term, I would work to ensure people are aware of all the available financial assistance options to insulate their homes. I would also focus on dramatically increasing solar panels in all public buildings and schools. But to plan for the long-term, I will vigorously seek city-, state-, and federally-based investments to update our infrastructure.

Since I left the city council, I have continued to lead on transit issues. Simply put, Queens has not received its fair share of funding from the city and state – but that will change under a Crowley borough presidency. I will work tirelessly to end transportation deserts throughout Queens by increasing subway and commuter rail access, protecting bike lanes, and expanding ferry service to Flushing. Furthermore, from Bayside to the Rockaways, I will fight tooth and nail to protect our bus lines from radical MTA cuts. In the short term, we will reduce commute times and make it easier for people to save money by taking public transportation. Of course, the medium- and long-term benefits of these actions will be to take more cars off the road, ease congestion, and curb carbon emissions. 

I will also focus on protecting our water. When elected, I will build a team of leaders from waterfront communities and professionals to design an improved resilient plan for Queens, focusing on storm protection for areas like Flushing Creek and Jamaica Bay. My water platform also tackles combined sewer outfalls, which would ensure that our water is protected from excess raw sewage.

We need a borough president with a forward-thinking agenda that will propel Queens into a nationwide leader in municipal environmental action. Let’s take advantage of this once-in-a-generation opportunity to combat climate change, protect our air and water, and create thousands of good-paying, union jobs.

Elizabeth Crowley is a candidate for Queens borough president.