Air Quality Health Advisory Issued for New York City Metro Region

 

In Effect for Wednesday, February 18, 2026

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton and State Department of Health (DOH) Commissioner Dr. James McDonald are issuing an Air Quality Health Advisory for fine particulate matter on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, for the New York City Metro region due to light winds and limited atmospheric mixing. 

The pollutant of concern is: Fine Particulate Matter  

The advisory will be in effect from 12:00 a.m. until 11:59 p.m.    

The Air Quality Health Advisory region consists of: New York City Metro, which includes New York City, Rockland, and Westchester counties; 

DEC and DOH issue Air Quality Health Advisories when DEC meteorologists predict levels of pollution, either ozone or fine particulate matter (PM2.5), are expected to exceed an Air Quality Index (AQI) value of 100. The AQI was created as an easy way to correlate levels of different pollutants to one scale, with a higher AQI value indicating a greater health concern. 

Fine Particulate Matter

Fine particulate matter (PM) consists of tiny solid particles or liquid droplets in the air that are 2.5 microns or less in diameter. PM 2.5 can be made of many different types of particles and often come from processes that involve combustion (e.g., vehicle exhaust, power plants, and fires) and from chemical reactions in the atmosphere. 

Exposure can cause short-term health effects, such as irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, and shortness of breath. Exposure to elevated levels of fine particulate matter can also worsen medical conditions such as asthma and heart disease. People with heart or breathing problems, and children and the elderly may be particularly sensitive to PM 2.5. 

When outdoor levels are elevated, going indoors may reduce exposure. If there are significant indoor sources of PM 2.5 (tobacco, candle or incense smoke, or fumes from cooking) levels inside may not be lower than outside. Some ways to reduce exposure are to minimize outdoor and indoor sources and avoid strenuous activities in areas where fine particle concentrations are high. Additional information on ozone and PM 2.5 is available on DEC's website and on DOH's website. 

Additional information on PM 2.5 is available on DEC's website and on DOH's website (PM 2.5). A new DEC fact sheet about the Air Quality Index is also available on DEC’s website or by PDF download. 

To stay up-to-date with announcements from DEC, sign up to receive Air Quality Alerts through DEC Delivers: DEC's Premier Email Service. A toll-free Air Quality Hotline (1-800-535-1345) was also established by DEC to keep New Yorkers informed of the latest air quality situation.

DHS Announces Historic Next Step in Border Wall Project

 

DHS is continuing to bring in America's best to coordinate a unified view and approach for the completion of President Trump’s border wall  

The United States Department of Homeland Security today announced that, after an extremely competitive bidding process and engagement with dozens of companies, the highly respected Parsons Government Services Inc. will oversee and manage the completion of border wall construction.  

This partnership — via the newly announced owner’s agent contract announced on February 17, 2026 — will build upon President Trump’s already historic success at wall construction while streamlining and supercharging its completion.  

“With President Trump back in office, we have delivered the most secure border in American history – and we did so in the immediate aftermath of the worst border crisis in history that came from four years of Joe Biden’s disastrous open-borders policy. This administration understood that we needed to hit the ground running and produce results right away, and that’s what we did,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “For the last nine months in a row, Border Patrol has released zero illegal aliens into the interior of the country, while CBP recorded the lowest total number of encounters in the agency’s history in 2025. Now, we’re ready to move forward with completing President Trump’s border wall. We’re accelerating our efforts by using private sector expertise with the unprecedented level of investment from President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Act." 

Under President Trump’s leadership, DHS is continuing to leverage America’s best to deliver on the completion of the border wall. Parsons, which provides unparalleled expertise in leading major infrastructure projects, will oversee and manage the project, and work to ensure border wall construction is on time and under budget. This will provide for the American people’s safety and security while managing their tax dollars in the most efficient way possible. This border wall construction will be covered out of the One Big Beautiful Bill Border Wall funds — which are not impacted by government shutdowns. 

President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act provided DHS with a $46.5 billion investment to complete the border wall – the largest border security investment in a generation.  

Funding from President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act provides modern infrastructure, advanced technology, and increased law enforcement staffing to help secure the border. Specifically, the legislation funds border barriers, non-intrusive inspection technology at ports of entry, fleet modernization, facility recapitalization, expanded hiring, and increased training capacity for CBP’s workforce.  

As Secretary Noem recently said on The Dan Bongino show, DHS is on track to complete border wall construction by early 2028. 

Statement from Speaker Julie Menin and Finance Chair Linda Lee on the Mayor’s Preliminary Budget Proposal

 

Today, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Council Member Linda Lee, Chair of the Committee on Finance, issued the following statement on Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Preliminary Budget Proposal:

“The Mayor’s Preliminary Budget marks the beginning of a critical conversation about how we safeguard New York City’s fiscal future while protecting New Yorkers.

“At a time when New Yorkers are already grappling with an affordability crisis, dipping into rainy day reserves and proposing significant property tax increases should not be on the table whatsoever. The Council believes there are additional areas of savings and revenue that deserve careful scrutiny before increasing the burden on small property owners and neighborhood small businesses, which could worsen the affordability crisis.

“The Council will release its own projections ahead of preliminary budget hearings and will conduct a thorough review of the Administration’s financial projections. Our goal is to deliver a balanced budget that protects essential services, addresses the affordability crisis, and reflects shared fiscal responsibility.” 

Court Orders EES Coke Battery to Comply with Clean Air Act and Pay $100 Million Civil Penalty

 

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan ordered DTE Energy Company and three of its subsidiaries to comply with the Clean Air Act and pay a penalty of $100 million in a decision issued today concerning a coke battery in River Rouge, Michigan.

The EES Coke facility (Facility) is located on Zug Island, between River Rouge and Detroit, in an area that fails to meet federal standards for sulfur dioxide in the air. The Facility uses coal and other raw materials to produce metallurgical coke, an input for making steel. The court found that the Facility increased its sulfur dioxide pollution as a result of changes the company sought to its state air permit in 2014. For example, the Facility emitted over 3,200 tons of sulfur dioxide pollution in 2018, compared to permitted baseline sulfur dioxide levels of under 2,100 tons per year.

In an August 2025 order, the court found that the Facility violated the Clean Air Act. The court then held a two-week trial in September to determine which DTE Energy Company entities were liable and the appropriate relief for the violations.

“This decision demonstrates that the Department of Justice will seek relief against companies that fail to comply with the nation’s environmental laws,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “This ensures a level playing field for all businesses and advances the Administration’s initiative to Make America Healthy Again.”

In today’s decision, the court found that emissions from the Facility caused asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, increased blood pressure, and increased risk of cancer, asthma, Alzheimer’s disease, and early deaths.

The court found that DTE Energy Company, DTE Energy Resources LLC, and DTE Energy Services Inc. were all liable as operators of the EES Coke facility. The court found each entity “exhibit[ed] a high degree of control over the Facility, including over environmental decision-making and operations.” In addition, the court had previously found that EES Coke Battery LLC was liable as an owner and operator of the Facility.

Turning to civil penalty, the court found that a penalty of $100 million was appropriate for the primary claim. The court found that the evidence showed that defendants saved about $70 million by failing to comply with the Clean Air Act as required, and were thus able to use that money in other ways. The court also found that the DTE Defendants each had a “substantial” ability to pay for relief ordered by the court.

Next the court ordered defendants to seek New Source Review permits from the Michigan Department of the Environment and Great Lakes (EGLE) within 250 days. The required permit applications will include proposals for stringent pollution controls consistent with the lowest achievable emissions rate and best available control technology, as determined by EGLE. The Court noted that the desulfurization technology described at trial for potential use at the Facility was “mature and well-established in the coking industry.”

The Environmental Protection Agency investigated the case.

Bronx Man Charged With Federal Narcotics Offenses Resulting In Death

 

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), James C. Barnacle, Jr., announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging TEDDY CACERES, a/k/a “Tito,” with distribution of narcotics resulting in death in connection with the April 13, 2025, fentanyl overdose death of a resident of Yorktown Heights, New York.  CACERES was also charged with drug and firearms offenses in connection with the search of his Bronx residence in January 2026, during which law enforcement found a significant quantity of fentanyl and a loaded firearm.  The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman. 

“As alleged, Teddy Caceres sold fentanyl that tragically claimed a life,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “That did not deter him from dealing in death.  Nine months later, when law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence, Caceres was once again allegedly in possession of fentanyl, as well as a loaded firearm.  New Yorkers want streets free from those who distribute deadly fentanyl, and together with the NYPD, the FBI, the DEA and our other law enforcement partners, the women and men of the SDNY will hold them accountable.” 

“The FBI and our law enforcement partners will do everything in our power to decimate the drug trafficking industry and save American lives,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr.  “Teddy Caceres is an example of the problem; he allegedly continued to traffic fentanyl even after he contributed to the fatal overdose of an unsuspecting victim.  The FBI remains determined to investigate and charge those who threaten our community’s safety with narcotics and firearms.”

According to the allegations contained in the Indictment, other public filings, and statements made in public court proceedings:[1]

On or about April 13, 2025, the victim was found unconscious by members of her family at their residence in Yorktown Heights, New York.  The victim was transported to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.  At the family’s residence, law enforcement recovered several yellow glassines filled with fentanyl, consistent with the yellow glassines that video surveillance captured CACERES had sold to the victim the day before.

Approximately nine months later, on or about January 14, 2026, law enforcement executed a search warrant at CACERES’s apartment in the vicinity of Pelham Parkway South in the Bronx, New York, where they recovered a black .45 caliber Glock 21 with a magazine loaded with 18 .45 caliber live rounds, and 17 cartridges of 9mm ammunition, as well as two large blocks of fentanyl.

CACERES, 43, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with one count of distribution of narcotics resulting in death, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, crack cocaine base, and methamphetamine, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; one count of firearms use, carrying, and possession, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; and one count of possession of a firearm after a felony conviction, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI, New York City Police Department, and Yorktown Police Department.

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

NYC PUBLIC ADVOCATE’S STATEMENT ON THE CITY BUDGET

 

"Someone has to pay for the gaps left behind by the gross mismanagement of the previous administration – and the governor can decide who. Either the wealthiest New Yorkers can pay their fair share, or working class New Yorkers will see their costs raised and possibly services cut.

"There are no simple solutions without raising revenue from the wealthiest of the wealthy. The  real cost of cutting services often leads to spending more down the line – such as the cost of incarceration relative to prevention, long term healthcare versus crisis response, or shelter versus homes – and slashing New Yorker’s essential services now is something we would all be paying for years later. And while I’ve pushed for over a decade to reform the city’s unfair property tax system, including in court, to raise those taxes without reform would be extremely harmful for working class New Yorkers.

"To achieve the vision and goal of a more affordable New York for working families, we need to address the reality of the budget left behind. Finding government savings is important, provided that services are upheld – but we cannot raid the savings of low income and middle-class New Yorkers to insulate the wealthiest people and corporations in our city.

"I appreciate this administration grappling with a difficult and honest conversation rather than avoiding it. Over the next months, as we analyze and debate the budget in New York City, we will at the same time be looking to Albany to meet the demand for economic justice and relief."

Mayor Mamdani Releases Balanced Fiscal Year 2027 Preliminary Budget

 

Confronting inherited fiscal mismanagement, Mayor outlines two paths forward: tax the rich & end the drain — or force working New Yorkers to pay the price 

TODAY, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani released the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Preliminary Budget, outlining the scope of a fiscal crisis inherited from the prior Administration and presenting two clear paths forward: raise revenue from the wealthiest New Yorkers and most profitable corporations and end the drain of City resources to the State — or balance the budget on the backs of working and middle class New Yorkers.   

  

“There are two paths to bridge the city’s inherited budget gap. The first path is the most sustainable and fairest: raising taxes on the wealthiest and corporations, and ending the drain by fixing the imbalance between what the City provides the State and what we receive in return,” said Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani. “If we do not go down the first path, the City will be forced to go down a second, more harmful path of property taxes and raiding our reserves — weakening our long-term fiscal footing and placing the onus for resolving this crisis on the backs of working and middle-class New Yorkers. We do not want to have to turn to such drastic measures to balance our budget. But, faced with no other choice, we will be forced to.”  

  

Upon taking office, the Mamdani Administration identified a pattern of underbudgeted essential services, including rental assistance, shelter operations and special education — that widened projected gaps stated in the November 2025 Financial Plan Update to roughly $12 billion across FY 2026 and FY 2027. To restore transparency and stability, the Mamdani Administration launched aggressive new savings initiatives, maximized the use of in-year reserves and incorporated updated revenues. Through Executive Order 12, Mayor Mamdani is requiring every city agency to designate a Chief Savings Officer (CSO) to identify recurring efficiencies. These savings initiatives are projected to save $1.77 billion across the two fiscal years.   

  

After applying savings, revenue adjustments driven by an upward revision of $7.3 billion in tax revenue, and State support — including $1.5 billion in from Governor Kathy Hochul and an additional $97 million in Foundation Aid — the City faced a remaining two-year gap of $5.4 billion. The Mamdani Administration’s preferred solution is recurring revenue: increasing personal income taxes on New Yorkers earning more than $1 million annually and raising taxes on the most profitable corporations, while recalibrating the City’s long-imbalanced fiscal relationship with the State.  

  

Absent new revenue authority, the City will be forced to use the only tools currently available to increase revenue and fill this gap: property taxes and the use of reserves. The $127 billion FY 2027 Preliminary Budget assumes a 9.5 percent property tax rate increase — generating $3.7 billion in FY 2027. The City also applied $980 million from the city’s Rainy Day Reserve Fund in FY 2026 and $229 million from the Retiree Health Benefit Trust in FY 2027 in order to balance the budget as legally required.   

  

Of $14 billion in city-funded agency expense changes across the two fiscal years, the vast majority fills underbudgeted needs. Roughly 4 percent – $576 million – supports targeted investments, including: $100 million in FY 2026 for snow removal; $5 million in FY 2026 for warming centers and shelter connections for homeless New Yorkers; $11.9 million in FY 2027 for new Street Health Outreach & Wellness (SHOW) mobile units and a new Bridge to Home site for people living with severe mental illness; $5.3 million in FY 2026 and $38 million in FY27 for 200 new attorneys and 100 support staff to reduce tort liability and advance affordability efforts; and more than tripling baseline funding for HRA’s Community Food Connection program with an addition of $54 million in FY 2027. The Preliminary Five-Year Capital Plan totals $113 billion in all-funds and includes $662 million in FY 2027 to modernize and preserve more than 3,200 affordable housing units and $48.2 million starting in FY 2027 to fully fund the renovation and expansion of Bellevue’s Adult Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program.   

  

Attorney General James Takes Action to Defend Temporary Protected Status for Haitian Immigrants

 

New York Attorney General Letitia James co-led a coalition of 17 other attorneys general in defending the legal status of hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrants, including many who have lived and worked in the United States for over a decade. The coalition filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in support of a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for attempting to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 350,000 Haitians. Attorney General James and the coalition argue that terminating TPS for Haitians would jeopardize the safety, health, and economy of communities throughout the country and upend the lives of families who have been living and working in the United States for years.

“Every day, Haitian immigrants contribute immensely to New York, from working in our schools and hospitals to running successful small businesses,” said Attorney General James. “This administration’s continued efforts to strip away the legal status of hundreds of thousands of Haitians will put families in danger and tear apart our communities. I will keep fighting to protect immigrants’ rights and ensure Haitians with TPS can continue living, working, and raising their families safely in this country.”

Nearly one in four TPS holders nationwide is Haitian. Attorney General James and the coalition argue that eliminating TPS for Haitians would cause chaos in the lives of hundreds of thousands of families, including the many U.S. citizens living with a Haitian family member with TPS. In 2022, 87,000 U.S. citizen children and 116,000 U.S. citizen adults lived with a Haitian TPS holder. TPS-holder parents would be forced to choose between abandoning their children and returning to Haiti alone, taking their families with them to a dangerous and unfamiliar country, or remaining in the U.S. without legal status and with the constant fear that they could be forcibly separated and deported to Haiti at any time.

As Attorney General James and the coalition explain in the amicus brief, canceling Haitian TPS holders’ legal status would jeopardize their work permits, harming states’ economies and public health. At least 56,000 New Yorkers are Haitians who hold TPS, and terminating their legal status would impact an important source of tax revenue for the state. Haitian TPS holders pay over $140 million annually in New York state and local taxes and contribute over $800 million to the state’s economy. In addition, ending work authorization for hundreds of thousands of Haitians with TPS would deprive many of them and their families of their employer-sponsored health insurance. Without legal status, Haitian immigrants and their loved ones would be less likely to seek treatment at hospitals and clinics, where the Trump administration has increased immigration enforcement.

Attorney General James and the coalition are urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to reject the federal government’s motion to stay the district court’s decision preventing DHS from terminating TPS for more than 350,000 Haitians while the case continues.

Joining Attorney General James in submitting this brief are the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.