Volume 14, Issue 8

August may have slowed down for most, but NYC-EJA just sped up. Read on to learn more about our transportation and other resiliency campaigns, as summer winds down.

On August 23, NYSERDA and DEC held an Equity and Climate Justice Roundtable to gather input from stakeholders to inform the development of New York’s State's Cap (Trade) and Invest (CT&I) program. The public forum consisted of a presentation by State agency staff, followed by responses from panelists from Environmental Justice and Climate Justice organizations on proposed program elements. Amongst the panelists was NYC-EJA's Executive Director, Eddie Bautista, also a member of the Climate Justice Working Group, who emphasized that a just cap-and-invest program will refrain from the use of trading, offsets, and unlimited banking. Watch the recording of the roundtable here.

Additionally, NYC-EJA separately raised our concerns by co-authoring an op-ed on the State's proposed CT&I program with Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas, EJ chair of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus. The State cannot let Cap (Trade) and Invest continue to be a distraction from the direct emission reductions and climate investments our communities need.

In mid-August, NYC-EJA members UPROSE, in partnership with El Puente and NYC-EJA, hosted a community gathering about the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) to discuss the proposals released by NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) for redesigning the BQE. The three groups are working to ensure the final proposal is a thorough, corridor-wide plan centered on racial justice and equity. The gathering was a participatory mapping workshop that sought community input to understand problems around the BQE and solutions that are climate-resilient, improve accessibility in the neighborhood, and address the environmental and health impacts of air pollution.

On August 31, following the release of a letter signed by seven labor unions representing thousands of New Yorkers, alongside elected leaders and labor allies, the ElectrifyNY coalition hosted a virtual press conference to call on Governor Hochul to include the Green Transit, Green Jobs (GTGJ) bill (S.6089/A.6414) in the 2024-2025 budget. The bill will require every public transit authority by 2029, to purchase only new zero-emission buses as they replace their aging buses and includes several safeguards to protect existing workers during this transition. Speakers noted the interconnectedness of green transit and green jobs to reach our climate targets and the commitments that transit agencies, both in New York State and internationally, have made to transition to a zero-emissions fleet. Watch the full press event here.

In August, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) held its second Traffic Mobility Review Board (TMRB) meeting. The TMRB is a six-member panel that will recommend toll prices, schedules, credits, discounts, and exemptions for NYC’s congestion pricing program. The meeting was a follow-up to questions raised by the panel during the first meeting. While these two meetings did not include a public comment period, once the TMRB makes its recommendations, the MTA will move forward with its process for setting tolls, which includes a public hearing. During the program’s Environmental Assessment review process, due to the projections for increased truck traffic and tailpipe emissions in the Bronx, NYC-EJA submitted a list of policies for the MTA to achieve a “net-positive” outcome to reduce emissions and vehicular traffic. NYC-EJA will continue monitoring the recommendations the panel put forward to ensure that a “net-positive” program is achieved.

NYC-EJA made its long-awaited debut at AFROPUNK Brooklyn 2023 on Saturday, August 26th. For a tantalizing three minutes, NYC-EJA Executive Director Eddie Bautista and Deputy Director Eunice Ko spoke to the AFROPUNK crowd about the urgency of climate justice and announced the establishment of the NYC Climate Justice Hub, a new partnership with the City University of New York (CUNY) to advance climate solutions from frontline communities across the city.

On September 20th, join us for an event focused on how we reimagine fossil fuel power plant sites, our working waterfront, and supply chain to deliver direct benefits for Environmental Justice communities. We are bringing together a diverse panel of environmental justice organizations, elected officials, community leaders, academia, and renewable energy experts for this special event sponsored by New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, NAACP-NYCHA, and Rise Light & Power.

Time: 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Location: Verizon Executive Education Center at Cornell Tech - Roosevelt Island

2 W Loop Rd, New York, NY

Find more details about the event here, register today!

The Real Deal: Amazon to double same-day delivery hubs (8/1/23)

The New Republic: The Progressive Way to Save Cities From Superstorms (8/2/23)

City Limits: Opinion: Delivering on the Promise of a Renewable Rikers (8/2/23)

Planetizen: The Most Influential Contemporary Urbanists (8/2/23)

Office of NYC Comptroller: New York State’s Use of Federal Roadway Funds Overlooks Key Climate and Transportation Safety Goals, NYC Comptroller’s Report Reveals (8/4/23)

Crain’s NY: State's $1B highway spending at odds with climate goals: report (8/8/23)

Politico: New York City’s Grid Gap (8/21/23)

Politico: New York City’s energy grid faces a power shortfall. Here’s why. (8/21/23)

AMNY: Opinion: Make cap & trade work for all NYers: Environmental justice must be a factor in state emissions program (8/22/23)

Planetizen: Can New York City Go Green Without Renewable Rikers? (8/24/23)

City Limits: As Climate Change Brings Hotter Temps, Can NYC Improve its Cooling Center Program? (8/28/23)

Earthjustice: Advocates, Unions, and Electeds Call on Governor Hochul to Include Green Transit and Green Jobs In Upcoming Budget (8/31/23)