Federal and State candidates were sent our candidate questionnaire in August 2026. This non-partisan candidate questionnaire is intended to inform voters about where candidates for U.S. Congress (House of Representatives) and for the State Legislature (Senate and Assembly) stand on issues impacting the Adirondack Park. Candidates’ answers are published with all candidates’ answers exactly as they are written and are not summarized or edited. Candidates who did not respond to the questionnaire have no answers published.
Federal U.S. House of Representative Candidates
Name of Candidate: Blake Gendebien
Office Sought: U.S. House of Representatives NY-21
1. Do you believe that climate change is real and is caused or contributed to by human use of fossil fuels?
Yes. As a farmer, I don’t have the luxury of debating whether climate change is real, I live it every season. Ten years ago in my hometown of Lisbon, nobody grew soybeans because we were too far north and the growing season was too short. Now nearly every farm in our area grows them, because the climate has shifted that much in a decade. The science is clear that human use of fossil fuels is a major driver of these changes.
2. What is your position on the “Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act” (S.25/H.R.1135)?
I support the core principle of this legislation. My concern is making sure that cost doesn’t get passed straight through to the farmers and rural families who are already stretched thin. A tax on extractors and refiners can easily show up down the line as higher prices at the pump, on diesel, propane, and fertilizer, all things a working farm depends on every single day. I’d want to see this bill structured so that big oil and gas companies actually absorb the cost of the damage they’ve caused, rather than passing it on to the people who can least afford it.
3. What is your position on the “Stop Climate Shakedowns Act of 2026” (S.4340/H.R. 8330)?
I oppose this bill. It would strip communities and states of the ability to hold big energy companies accountable in court. If a company’s product or practices cause real, documented harm, they shouldn’t get a free pass. Rural communities like ours are on the front lines of these costs, and I don’t think Congress should be in the business of protecting the polluters from accountability.
4. What is your position on the “Freedom to Frack Act” (H.R.3790)?
New York made its own decision on fracking through its state legislature, and I don’t think Washington should be threatening to pull federal funding from our state, funding our communities rely on for roads, water infrastructure, and other basic needs, just to punish New York for a policy choice within its own authority to make. I believe in energy solutions that work for the North Country, like our hydroelectric power. Using federal dollars as leverage to override a state’s decisions sets a dangerous precedent.
5. What is your position on the resolution “Recognizing that climate change poses a growing threat to public health and necessitates coordinated action to mitigate its impacts and safeguard the health and well-being of all people in the United States” (S.Res. 318/H.Res. 568)?
I support this resolution. Climate change isn’t an abstract issue, it’s already affecting the health of people in our communities, from more extreme heat and worsening air quality to the stress that flooding and severe weather put on families and first responders. Rural areas like the North Country often have fewer hospitals and health care resources to begin with, so when climate-driven health emergencies hit, the strain is even greater.
6. Add any other statement you would like to make about the issue of climate change.
Climate change isn’t a talking point for me, it’s something I’ve lived on my farm for decades, through shifting growing seasons and less predictable weather. That reality extends to the Adirondack Park, a defining feature of this district, where a changing climate threatens forest health, water quality, and the winter recreation economy so many communities depend on. Protecting the Adirondacks has to be part of any serious climate agenda here, alongside real investment in clean energy like our regional hydropower, and real partnership with farmers and rural communities.
7. Add any other statement you would like to make about legislation that you would propose or support impacting the natural resources and human communities of the Adirondack Park.
I’ll support policies that fully fund conservation and land management in the Park, protect water quality in the Adirondack watershed, and invest in the infrastructure, like broadband, roads, and affordable housing, that year-round residents and small businesses need to thrive alongside tourism.
Name of Candidate: Paul D. Tonko
Office Sought: U.S. House of Representatives NY-20
1. Do you believe that climate change is real and is caused or contributed to by human use of fossil fuels?
Climate change is an undeniable reality driven overwhelmingly by human greenhouse gas emissions. Tackling the climate crisis is a top priority, requiring urgent, science-based action to transition to a carbon-free economy while protecting clean air and water.
2. What is your position on the “Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act” (S.25/H.R.1135)?
I strongly support holding major fossil fuel companies accountable for the environmental and economic damage caused by their emissions. Making major polluters contribute to federal climate adaptation, resilient infrastructure, and community transition funds ensures taxpayers do not bear the sole financial burden of climate-driven disasters.
3. What is your position on the “Stop Climate Shakedowns Act of 2026” (S.4340/H.R. 8330)?
I strongly oppose this legislation. This bill is designed to shield corporate polluters by preempting state and local efforts to hold fossil fuel companies liable for climate-related harms. Federal policy should empower state and local communities to protect their natural resources and recoup costs, not grant legal immunity to major polluters.
4. What is your position on the “Freedom to Frack Act” (H.R.3790)?
I strongly oppose H.R. 3790. This bill unfairly penalizes states like New York that have exercised their authority to ban hydraulic fracturing to protect drinking water and public health. Withholding federal energy efficiency and community grants from states that prioritize environmental protection is an attempt to override local democracy and promote continued fossil fuel extraction.
5. What is your position on the resolution “Recognizing that climate change poses a growing threat to public health and necessitates coordinated action to mitigate its impacts and safeguard the health and well-being of all people in the United States” (S.Res. 318/H.Res. 568)?
As Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment, I strongly support and back this resolution. Climate change directly impacts public health through worsening air quality, extreme heat, vector-borne diseases, and severe storm events. A coordinated, comprehensive federal framework is essential to protecting vulnerable populations and safeguarding public health.
6. Add any other statement you would like to make about the issue of climate change.
Addressing climate change requires an economy-wide commitment that pairs ambitious emission reduction targets with strong investments in clean energy technology, grid modernization, and environmental justice. Clean energy transition is both an environmental necessity and an unparalleled economic opportunity. Federal climate policy must focus on creating high-paying domestic jobs, lowering energy costs for working families, reauthorizing vital programs like the Weatherization Assistance Program, and guaranteeing that frontline and rural communities receive the resources needed to build climate resilience.
7. Add any other statement you would like to make about legislation that you would propose or support impacting the natural resources and human communities of the Adirondack Park.
The Adirondack Park is a national treasure and an vital economic engine for Upstate New York. Protecting the Park requires bold action on three main fronts:
1) Air Quality & Ecosystem Protection. Building on our history of combating acid rain, we must maintain strict enforcement of the Clean Air Act to prevent upwind air pollution from degrading Adirondack high-peaks ecosystems, lakes, and forests.
2) Clean Water & Infrastructure. Upstate communities require robust federal funding through State Revolving Funds to upgrade drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, ensuring pristine water quality while alleviating financial burdens on rural municipalities.
3) Sustainable Rural Development: Protecting wilderness and supporting local Adirondack communities go hand-in-hand. I support targeted federal investments in rural broadband, clean transportation, outdoor recreation infrastructure, and land conservation programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund to keep Adirondack communities vibrant and resilient for generations to come.
State Senate Candidates
Name of Candidate: Melissa Seale
Office Sought: New York State Senate District 45
1. Do you believe that climate change is real and is caused or contributed to by human use of fossil fuels?
Yes
2. Do you support the Climate Change Superfund Act (S.2129b/A.3351) that passed the Legislature and was signed by the Governor in 2024?
Yes
3. Add any other statement you would like to make about the issue of climate change.
Climate change is not a distant threat, it is impacting New York communities today through stronger storms, flooding, extreme heat, and rising costs for families and businesses. I will fight for clean energy investments that create good paying jobs, strengthen our infrastructure, and protect our farms, waterways, and neighborhoods.
4. Will you vote in favor of the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (S.1464a/A.1749a)? If yes, will you co-sponsor the bill?
Yes
5. Will you support legislation that updates and expands New York’s Bottle Bill (e.g., S.5684/A.6543)?
Yes
6. Will you support legislation that requires the Department of Environmental Conservation to collect genetic date from large canids to learn more about the presence, location and numbers of wolves in New York State (S.10461)?
Yes
7. Will you support legislation that reduces the use of road salt on roads in the Adirondacks?
Yes
8. Will you support legislation that increases electrification of the transportation sector such as the NYS Clean Ferries Bill (S10381/ A11303)?
Yes
9. Do you support creating new statutory incentives for private landowners to protect their forests for climate protection and wildlife conservation purposes?
Yes
10. Will you support updating the Adirondack Park Agency Act?
Yes
11. What are your thoughts on potential amendments to Article 14 of the New York State Constitution that protects the Forest Preserve as “Forever Wild”?
I believe amendments should remain rare, narrowly tailored, and approved only when they provide an overwhelming public benefit while resulting in no net loss, and preferably a net gain, of permanently protected forest preserve lands. Climate change makes this more important than ever.
12. Add any other statement you would like to make about legislation that you would propose or support impacting the natural resources and human communities of the Adirondack Park.
I would fight for legislation that strengthens both the natural resources and the communities of the Adirondack Park. I would prioritize funding for clean water, infrastructure and support, sustainable, forestry, and local agriculture.
State Assembly Candidates
Name of Candidate: John Gunther
Office Sought: New York State Assembly District 114
1. Do you believe that climate change is real and is caused or contributed to by human use of fossil fuels?
Yes
2. Do you support the Climate Change Superfund Act (S.2129b/A.3351) that passed the Legislature and was signed by the Governor in 2024?
Yes
3. Add any other statement you would like to make about the issue of climate change.
Need to conserve our use of fossil fuels while investing in research for green energy alternatives
4. Will you vote in favor of the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (S.1464a/A.1749a)? If yes, will you co-sponsor the bill?
Yes
5. Will you support legislation that updates and expands New York’s Bottle Bill (e.g., S.5684/A.6543)?
Yes, working with Jade Eddy, see Post Star article, cover story.
6. Will you support legislation that requires the Department of Environmental Conservation to collect genetic date from large canids to learn more about the presence, location and numbers of wolves in New York State (S.10461)?
Yes
7. Will you support legislation that reduces the use of road salt on roads in the Adirondacks?
Yes, attending Salt Summit, Oct 8 in Albany
8. Will you support legislation that increases electrification of the transportation sector such as the NYS Clean Ferries Bill (S10381/ A11303)?
Yes
9. Do you support creating new statutory incentives for private landowners to protect their forests for climate protection and wildlife conservation purposes?
Yes
10. Will you support updating the Adirondack Park Agency Act?
Yes
11. What are your thoughts on potential amendments to Article 14 of the New York State Constitution that protects the Forest Preserve as “Forever Wild”?
[no response]
12. Add any other statement you would like to make about legislation that you would propose or support impacting the natural resources and human communities of the Adirondack Park.
Bottle Bill, three issues. 1. increase handling fee for redemption centers from 3.5 cents to 6 cents immediately. 2. Require all plastic bottles and cans to carry a mandatory deposit fee. 3. Increase the deposit fee on plastic bottles and cans to 10 cents, like CT, which saw a dramatic increase in bottle redemption
