To the Editor: Once upon a time — wait, was it only 2019? — New York State passed what was proclaimed as the most ambitious climate law in the nation. Alas, passing a law isn't the same as actually doing something. The Hochul administration has slow-walked implementation to the point of abandoning the ambitions of this law as unrealistic ideals. (Try telling that to China, which is doing for clean tech what we're doing for AI. My goodness, if we don't raise those tariffs, we could be driving EVs that recharge in five minutes.)

Enter Earthjustice, an environmental powerhouse from San Francisco, to file a lawsuit in the Ulster County courthouse in Kingston. They argue that the 2019 law wasn't a wish list. To ignore it, to dismiss it, is to violate the law. Even the governor must abide.

You'll recall how Governor Hochul dithered and dawdled over implementing the congestion pricing program for lower Manhattan, which has proven to be a solid success, at least if you breathe and drive downtown. (Pat Ryan opposed this project.)

The heart of the 2019 law was to be a "cap and invest" carbon tax to support a green energy fund. The rules for this system were due in 2024. More dithering and dawdling? Or outright dumping? The latest state energy plan mentions this system "in passing" according to New York Focus "as an "option the state should 'continue to evaluate.'"

Another blow: the 2019 vision relied heavily on California's plan to require all new cars to be EVs by 2035. Until now, California has had the right to set its own emissions rules to address the smog capital that is Los Angeles. New York has the option of adopting California's standards. But Trump recently killed this plan, the first president ever to block California's progress. (Pat Ryan voted with Republicans to kill this California EV plan.)

We know the Trump view of global warming: Bring It On! But Governor Hochul? The best she can do is to propose a new nuclear power plant for upstate New York? (Thank goodness she persuaded global warming to pause for the next 10 years.) Why not try what we already have? The 2019 law.

Where is the boldness in our political leadership? I fear that it has packed its bags and moved to China.

Will Nixon

Kingston