ESFPA E-News

State Budget Update

Two months late and in the cloak of “three-leaders-in-a-room” style, the SFY 2026 State Budget was finally adopted and signed into law by Governor Hochul last Thursday. A record $268.5 billion spending plan has ballooned over one-hundred billion dollars in less than a decade. It includes significant aid to New York City to help the city cover a $12 billion deficit and provides significant aid to municipalities statewide to help meet rising costs to local governments.

 Key budget highlights include:

• Environment – Major amendments to the Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act which ESFPA advocated for righting the ship on emissions accounting and finally treatment biomass more justly.

• Utility Relief – Provides on-time rebate checks to residential rate payers ranging from $100 to $200.

• Childcare and Labor – Allocates $3 billion in direct childcare subsidies and includes a provision for setting $0 state income tax on tips up to $25,000.

• Education – Includes $39 billion allocated for school aid and on-going funding for universal pre-K programs.

For a more detailed look at the budget see our memo here:

End of Session This Week

Thursday, June 4^th is the last scheduled day of the 2026 Legislative Session, and by all accounts the Assembly Speaker and Senate Majority Leader are on track to have their houses ready to adjourn on Thursday or Friday.  All legislators are up for election this year and several are facing primaries. Primary Day in New York is Tuesday June 23rd, and members are anxious to get back to their districts to campaign. Everyone is tired of Albany with the Budget running so late.

This is going to be a wild week, and we will easily see over 500 bills move through both houses of the legislature. Depending on how many will be debated we could even see more. ESFPA has a handful of bills that we are watching and working on with all hopes of keeping them from passing both houses.  Here is our short list:

• 1749-A/S. 1464-A Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act (EPR) - Bill is likely to pass the Senate but is very close in votes in the Assembly. This legislation continues to exempt non-packaging paper but was recently amended to include "commercial" and tertiary" packaging (e.g. pallets). ESFPA opposes.

• A.6192-D/S. 5759-C Moratorium on Biosolids - Would enact a 5-year moratorium on land spreading and the use of composts derived from biosolids from public and private wastewater treatment plants, including industrial wastewater treatment plants at paper mills. ESFPA is advocating for an exemption for wood pulp mill biosolids. ESFPA is seeking amendments.

  A 10138/S. 9115-A is a similar bill including the moratorium.

• A. 10633/S. 9462 Deer Management in the Northern Zone - Would amend the Environmental Conservation Law to allow the use of Deer Management permits for the taking of antlerless deer in the Northern Zone of New York. ESFPA supports.

• A. 9255-A/S. 8918-A The Facilitating Resilient Affordable Mass Timber Expansion Act (FRAME ACT) Would authorize tax credits for timber harvested on sustainably managed forest lands used to develop mass timber buildings used in public buildings. Would also authorizes tax credits for investments in mass timber manufacturing facilities in New York. ESFPA supports and is seeking amendments.

• A. 472-B/S, 1343-B Clean Fuel Standard Would establish a Clean Fuel Standard to incentivize the production of renewable and zero emission clean fuels in New York. ESFA supports.

• A. 9571/S.172 Short-term Disability Amendments Would amend New York's Labor Law to increase short-term disability payments by as much as 600% and expand the definition of benefits. ESFPA opposes.

Reminder: Pack Forest Open House

Warrensburg, NY - Tues. June 23rd, 2026, 8:30 AM 3:30 PM

On Tuesday June 23^rd the Warren County Soil & Water Conservation District together with SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry will be hosting a Working Woods Exchange at Pack Forest in Warrensburg, Warren County.  This is a full day event filled with working forest demonstrations and exhibits. 1 New York Logger Training TLC continuing education credit will be awarded for attendance. 

Here is the schedule for the day's events:

Registration & Coffee - 8:30 AM

• provided at no cost to attendees.

Opening Discussion- 9 AM

Field Tours - 10:15 - 12:30PM

• Climate Adaptive Silviculture
• Prescribed fire
• Tree marking exercise & discussion

Lunch - 12:30 - 1:15PM

• provided at no cost to attendees.
• Door prizes announced!

Field Tours - 1:15 - 3:30 PM

• Old growth and recreation
• Hemlock management
• Best Management Practices (BMPs)

Click the link below to register:

NYS Log-A-Load for Kids

From Trevor Keough, Chairman of NYS Log-A-Load for Kids

As many of you know, Mark Mowrey has officially handed over the reins of Log-A-Load for Kids to me. It is a great honor, and I want to sincerely thank Mark for his years of dedicated service to such a meaningful cause.

As we look ahead, this is our opportunity as an industry to give back, make an impact, and truly change lives. I have always understood the importance of this cause, but as a new father, it has taken on an even deeper meaning. It brings greater passion, purpose, and energy.

Log-A-Load for Kids is more than an opportunity for our industry to come together. It is a chance to make a real difference in the lives of children and families facing unimaginable challenges. As foresters, loggers, landowners, and industry professionals, we are always thinking about the next generation of forests we are managing. In the same way, this cause calls on us to support the next generation of people.

Our forests face constant pressure from pests, invasive species, deer browse, and more. The children we support through Log-A-Load face pressures far more serious. They are dealing with life-changing challenges that no child or family should face alone. This is where we step in.

While I am reaching out to each of you individually, I am also calling on our industry as a whole. Individually, we make an impact, but together, we become a movement. A movement that changes lives, strengthens our communities, and brings hope to those who need it most.

There is no denying that this has been a challenging year. Rising fuel costs, tighter markets, and ongoing uncertainty surrounding tariffs on forest products have impacted us all. Yet, in times like these, it is more important than ever that we come together. The challenges we face are real, but so are the needs of the families we are working to support.

A key purpose of this letter is to ask for your support, both through donations and through your engagement. I invite each of you to join this movement, to get involved, and to give back in whatever way you can.

As we approach Woodsmen’s Field Days, our largest fundraising event, we need your help. We are looking for volunteers to support the booth, donations for raffle items, and financial contributions to benefit the charity and the community. My personal goal this year is to raise $35,000 to donate directly to Log-A-Load for Kids.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or would like to get involved. Your support, whether through time, resources, or leadership, will make a meaningful difference.

Thank you for your continued commitment to this important cause.