We hope that your 2023 is off to a roaring start - we know ours is! January has been jam-packed, with multiple coalitions co-led by NYC-EJA (NY Renews, Climate Works for All, PEAK Coalition, ElectrifyNY, and Last Mile Coalition, among others) hosting multiple retreats to prepare our policy agendas for the year. Read on for a taste of our January activities.
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NY Renews Lobby Day & Press Conference for the
Climate Jobs & Justice Legislative Package
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New York’s 2023 legislative session marks a pivotal moment in ensuring we get our Climate, Jobs, and Justice package (CJJP) into the hands of our state leaders. January 18th was a big day for climate action in Albany. NYC-EJA Executive Director Eddie Bautista MC’ed the NY Renews CJJP press conference in the capital with a number of allies including Senator Samra Brouk, Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas, Deputy Majority Leader Michaelle Solages, Assemblymember Anna Kelles, Assemblymember Kenny Burgos, and Senator Rachel May. Additionally, NYC-EJA, alongside 80 other organizations and over 150 advocates, attended meetings with elected officials to brief them on the CJJP and garner support to fully fund NYS Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA).
On January 19th, the New York State Senate Committees on Finance, Energy and Telecommunications, and Environmental Conservation held a joint hearing on the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and the Climate Action Council Final Scoping Plan. Celeste Perez, NYC-EJA's Policy Organizer, testified at the hearing, calling for dedicated climate funding directed to disadvantaged communities - “I am representing NYC-EJA and NY Renews, but I’m also representing the Bronx and other communities burdened by environmental injustice, pollution, and asthma." she said. Watch the entire hearing here and read Celeste's full testimony here.
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US Army Corps of Engineers NY/NJ Harbor
and Tributaries Study Continues
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In response to a number of coastal storms that have impacted our North Atlantic Coast, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is investigating measures to manage future flood risk in ways that support the long-term resilience and sustainability of the coastal ecosystem and surrounding communities, and reduce the economic costs and risks associated with flood and storm events.
As the time to submit comments (due by March 7, 2023) starts to narrow, NYC-EJA and our Columbia partners in the Resilient Coastal Communities Project have been busy attending as many USACE public meetings related to this Harbor and Tributaries study as possible, working to stay engaged and act as an environmental justice leader in the process. We are in the process of finishing our own draft comments and invite anyone interested in discussing the study, our comments, or their own comments to reach out to set up a meeting. Please also note that there are many additional public meetings both in-person and virtual that are coming up in the coming weeks - updates are on the main HATS page.
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PEAK Tours Ravenswood Generating Station |
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On Friday, January 20th, the PEAK Coalition toured Ravenswood Generating Station (including an inside look of "Big Allis") as part of the coalition retreat and learned about Rise Light & Power's plan to transition the facility to 100% renewables with offshore wind and battery storage. The company launched the Renewable Ravenswood vision on Tuesday, January 24 with the support of nearby NYCHA tenants and elected officials. NYC-EJA looks forward to helping accelerate the process of transitioning New York's largest power plant from a fossil fuel-burning polluter to a clean renewable energy hub.
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Cleaner Vehicles Zooming in on the Horizon |
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Just before the New Year, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced adopting two new rules to reduce emissions from the transportation sector. The Advanced Clean Cars (ACC) II rule would rapidly decrease emissions from new passenger cars and trucks by requiring an increasing number of those vehicles to be zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs). The Heavy-Duty Omnibus (HDO) regulation requires medium- and heavy-duty engine manufacturers to sell new, cleaner vehicles that meet more stringent NOx and particulate matter emissions standards. The ElectrifyNY coalition has called on Governor Hochul to adopt these rules, while the Final Scoping Plan of the NYS Climate Action Council noted that an aggressive and implementable mix of policies will be required to accelerate GHG emission reductions to the levels needed by 2030. These two policies will be instrumental in achieving the State’s goals.
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