West Hudson Valley News

Assemblyman Chris Tague (R,C-Schoharie) recently highlighted the importance of full agriculture funding in the state budget during a joint budget debate of the Agriculture and Environmental Conservation committees in the New York State Assembly.

Tague, in collaboration with the Assembly Majority Conference, acknowledged positive developments in the budget discussions. He stated, "We’ve agreed on some important allocations like funding for the Clean Water Infrastructure Act, which could continually provide clean water to hundreds of thousands of New York families. That is worth celebrating."

However, Tague expressed concerns about certain overlooked proposals, noting, "a number of proposals coming from the Assembly Minority Conference continue to be ignored such as the integration of Nourish NY products into the state’s agriculture and food supply chain (A.5708) and the ignoring of concerns regarding the aggressive Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which is poised to unfairly burden our state’s farmers as the state hastily tries to reduce general emissions production."

The assemblyman also raised issues regarding the development of wind and solar farms, emphasizing the importance of local input in sustainable land use practices. Tague remarked, "the loss of farmland and unsustainable waste management associated with the development of wind and solar farms—implemented without the input of local authorities, mind you—give me pause."

In conclusion, Tague reaffirmed his commitment to advocating for the best interests of farmers, stating, "I will continue to fight for what our farmers believe is best, no matter what the agenda of the day may be."