Andrew Cuomo Is SO Worried About Climate Change That He Used A Helicopter For A 13-Mile Trip

New York’s liberal Gov. Andrew Cuomo is VERY concerned about the state of the climate. He’s used it as part of his platform for quite some time.

If Washington won't lead on climate change, the states will. pic.twitter.com/vbddR2ffx4

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) August 23, 2017

With or without Washington, we're working to aggressively fight climate change. #ParisAgreement pic.twitter.com/xXf5N3BcE0

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) May 31, 2017

Withdrawing from the Paris Accord is reckless.

I’m signing an Executive Order affirming NY's role in fighting climate change. #ActOnClimate pic.twitter.com/IMHVdNrHJc

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 1, 2017

Ignoring science and disbanding advisory panels won’t make climate change disappear. New York is committed to honoring the Paris Agreement. https://t.co/ivQF7UUpNX

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) August 21, 2017

A lot of Democrats are upset with him. They don’t think he’s doing enough, and now I’m just wondering how they feel about him knowing that he used a helicopter for a 13-mile ride. Yes, really. In fact, he takes taxpayer-funded planes and helicopters more often than other state governors. NYT has a full analysis.

On a hot July day in 2017, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo visited a country club on Long Island to address business leaders about the future of rail lines that are the lifeblood of commerce and suburban commuters.

“Today, we’re talking about transforming the Long Island Rail Road,” Mr. Cuomo told the crowd, and “bringing it into the next century.”

The governor left the same way he came: via helicopter. He had flown from a helipad near his Manhattan office to an airport nine miles from the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, instead of driving the roughly 30 miles, or taking the train system he was promising to transform.

Taxpayer-paid flights are commonplace for Mr. Cuomo, who took 195 trips in state planes and helicopters in 2017, according to an examination of state records. His travels reflect an active governor in a big state who has used aircraft liberally — as many as four flights a day, for distances long and short — and who is entitled, like previous governors, to fly the fleet by law.

Well that’s just dandy!

If you thought opting for a helicopter ride instead of driving 30 miles was bad, get a load of this. Cuomo once used a helicopter to meet Chris Christie for breakfast. The diner was only 13 miles away from his office. Yeah.

"In May 2017, Mr. Cuomo flew in a state helicopter from Westchester to a private breakfast with Chris Christie, the Garden State’s former governor, in northern New Jersey. The meeting was not on his official calendar…..The diner is about a 13-mile drive to his office." https://t.co/yn093bEVQR

— Jesse McKinley (@jessemckinley) September 7, 2018

But the environment, amirite?

.@NYGovCuomo office says part of the reason for heavy use of state aircraft is "it helps pilots meet the minimum airtime needed to keep their licenses," per @ShaneGoldmacher. https://t.co/BG93fBw7XU https://t.co/8spRwUe90R

— Jesse McKinley (@jessemckinley) September 7, 2018

Christie was often criticized for his use of the state helicopter, nearly 100 trips from 2015-2017.

But @nygovcuomo took took 195 flights in 2017 alone.

Great @ShaneGoldmacher dive into Cuomo helicopter use –> https://t.co/wQYZFrJobO

— Nick Corasaniti (@NYTnickc) September 7, 2018

His hypocrisy knows no bounds.

h/t NYT