They’re putting some real green into eco activism.
Environmental activist groups that sued to force Gov. Kathy Hochul to ram through the state’s controversial green laws are rolling in greenbacks — with several reporting revenues of over $100 million.
Earthjustice, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, has $139 million in revenues and $244 million in net assets, according to its most recent 2024 tax filing.
Another plaintiff, the Sierra Club, has $173 million in revenue, according to its 2023 tax filing, the most recent.
Those groups and others accused Hochul of improperly stalling to draft rules on how the state would implement the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019, which aims to reduce carbon emissions.
A state Supreme Court judge sided with the activists last fall and ordered the state to issue the rules to implement the law.
Hochul has since proposed amending the law to stretch out the compliance timetable, saying the lofty were impractical and causing costs to skyrocket.
“We cannot meet the Climate Act’s 2030 targets without imposing new and additional crushing costs on New York businesses and residents,” Hochul said.
Hochul’s administration released a memo in February claiming that the current plan to meet a 2030 emissions goal would wallop New York households with an additional $4,000 in costs between gasoline and utilities.
Pro-business advocates were amused at hearing how well-funded the climate change activists who accuse them of “corporate greed” are.
“They are big money. The environmentalists are more heavily funded than we are. They are the big greenies,” said Paul Zuber, executive vice president of the Business Council of New York State.
State Conservative Party Chairman Jerry Kassar said the environmentalists use their enormous war chests — fueled by well-heeled donors to scaremonger and bully liberal politicians — to back their agenda.
“They tell green tales that the world is coming to an end without scientific evidence,” Kassar said.
Another Albany insider said, “These groups love to spotlight who is funding whom — except when it comes to them. It’s hypocrisy at its worst.”
Earth Justice and the Sierra Club declined to comment.
Other plaintiffs in the case include Citizen Action of New York, which had assets of $1.77 million in net assets, its 2024 tax return revealed.
People for Sustainable Housing raised $5.2 million in funds, according to its 2024 filing.