Volume 15, Issue 1

2024 started off very busy for NYC-EJA and our members! January was packed with with press conferences, report releases and public hearings. You can read all about our campaign updates below.

^{Photo Credit: Patrick Nevada}

On January 17th, NY Renews held a press conference in Albany to uplift the need for the Climate Jobs and Justice Package (CJJP) and the NY Renews' People’s Climate Justice Budget which is a $1 billion budget plan to direct money towards communities on the frontlines of environmental injustice. We were joined by Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas, Senator Jessica Ramos, Assemblymember Anna Kelles and other allies!

On January 22nd, our Deputy Director Eunice Ko addressed allies in the NY Renews coalition on a mass call that focused on responding to the Governor's Executive Budget and sharing important updates on the State's Cap-Trade-And-Invest Regulatory process. If you missed it, you can watch the Mass Call Recording here (Passcode: 1ScRD&ZK).

NYC-EJA, along with key allied organizations, successfully submitted written comments on the proposed draft DEC Program Policy (DEP-23-1) Permitting and Disadvantaged Communities under the CLCPA. Our comments were informed by the State Comptroller’s audit report that focused on air quality monitoring with respect to NYS Department of Environment Conservation (DEC) issued facility permits and registrations. Our full comments can be found here.

Additionally, on Jan 3rd, DEC and NYSERDA released the draft Disadvantaged Communities Investments and Benefits Reporting Guidance for NYS entities, for public comment. On Feb 1st DEC and NYSERDA will host an information session at 2pm to provide an overview of the proposed guidelines and answer questions on the draft guidance and future implementation.

This month the PEAK Coalition released a new report, Accelerate Now! The Fossil Fuel End Game 2.0, which documents New York's progress toward replacing harmful peaker power plants with cleaner alternatives since the release of the first Fossil Fuel End Game report back in 2021. In a webinar on February 6th, the report authors discussed the negative impacts these power plants have on surrounding communities, highlighted progress and barriers impeding the speed of the transition, and recommended pathways forward to accelerate the transition from peaker plants to clean alternatives.

Earlier this month, NYC-EJA provided testimony during the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hearing to grant California the waiver request to begin implementing the Advanced Clean Cars (ACC) II program. The ACC II program will require all new passenger cars and trucks sold in New York State to be zero-emissions by 2035. In December 2023, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) adopted the ACC II program, one of the most significant opportunities to address tailpipe emissions and a policy that will drive electric vehicle adoption across the state. Any delay in approving the waiver for ACCII could make states, such as New York, give up one or more model years of the program, weakening the benefits to public health and environmental justice communities.

In January, ElectrifyNY, in partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund, released the NY Proximity Mapping Report, which calls attention to the disproportionate impact of e-commerce last mile mega warehouses on disadvantaged communities. New York e-commerce mega-warehouses attract hundreds of thousands of freight truck trips daily, making them top sources of air pollution in communities where they are located, and exacerbating the pollution burden faced by many communities of color and low-income communities. The report highlights the Clean Deliveries Act as a solution to tackle the emissions from these unregulated e-commerce last mile mega warehouses. Watch a recording of the webinar that provides an overview of the report and explains why elected leaders support this bill.

On January 24, alongside Last-Mile Coalition partners, NYC-EJA testified at the City Planning Commission City of Yes for Economic Opportunity hearing. The coalition called for the Department of City Planning to include a proposal for the siting and operation of last-mile warehouses. This proposal would complement the package of “Micro-Distribution Facilities” proposal. Read the Coalition’s full comments here.

To close out the month, alongside ElectrifyNY members and a union-built electric bus, NYC-EJA made the trek to the state’s capital for a call to action for Governor Hochul to include the Green Transit, Green Jobs bill (S.6089/A.6414) in the SFY 2025 Final Budget. The Green Transit, Green Jobs bill would require that all new buses purchased by New York public transit authorities be zero-emissions by 2029 and would keep the state in line with its Scoping Plan. The bill also incentivizes the manufacture of electric buses in New York’s high-need communities and maximizes the benefits of government spending by ensuring that zero-emission bus purchases not only help reduce carbon emissions in New York State but also contribute to good green job creation. This call for state action will clean the air in New York’s streets and neighborhoods while providing good green manufacturing jobs to communities.

In the latest episode of CUNY TV's DiverseCity show, the PEAK Coalition toured the South Bronx with reporters to talk about air pollution and community-led efforts to replace peaker power plants with renewable energy and storage. Check out the full episode here.

This January the Urban Design Forum launched Rewire, a yearlong series that will consider how to reshape the existing city to build climate positive neighborhoods and advance ideas to adapt existing buildings and public spaces to reduce carbon and be protected from climate impacts. At the inaugural event, our Deputy Director Eunice Ko, was invited to share NYC-EJA's institutional history driving climate action in NYC, reflect on organizing wins and accomplishments, discuss strategies for the successful implementation of Local Law 97, and outline long-term goals for advancing climate justice.

The Energy Mix: New York City Too Slow to Shutter Dirty Gas Peaker Plants: Advocates (1/19/24)

NY Daily News: Opinion: Advocating for congestion fees: Traffic pricing will advance racial justice (1/21/24)

Streesblog NYC: Poorer Brooklynites Bear the Brunt of Online Delivery Boom: Report (1/23/24)

Gothamist: 1 in 3 New Yorkers live near mega-warehouses. That can cause serious health issues (1/24/24)

Earthjustice: Green Transit, Green Jobs, Proposed Bill Brings Clean Transportation and Good Green Manufacturing Jobs to New York (1/30/24)

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