Volume 14, Issue 7

With a hotter than usual July came a busier than usual month for NYC-EJA and our members. As we bid adieu to our first official heatwave, read what we have been up to this past month.

On July 12th, the NYC Council Committee on Oversight and Investigations, the Committee on Environmental Protection, Resiliency and Waterfronts, and the Committee on Health jointly held an oversight hearing on the Adams administration's response to the June air quality emergency — when NYC’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was over 400 and the skies turned orange. Our Deputy Director, Eunice Ko, testified to share NYC-EJA’s concerns about the administration's response and ways that it can address gaps in the City's emergency preparedness planning and response, as well as in its long-term climate and adaptation strategy. Watch a recording of the hearing here and read Eunice’s full testimony here.

On July 26, the Last-Mile Coalition participated in the City Planning Commission’s public hearing on the City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality. The City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality would modernize our city’s zoning regulations to transform our energy grid, retrofit our buildings, shift to electric vehicles, transit, and other modes, and support our climate goals. The Coalition called on the Department of City Planning to introduce a zoning text amendment to address the siting and operations of last-mile warehouses. The Coalition has submitted a zoning text amendment application that, if adopted, would create a special permit process for new last-mile warehouses and address the clustering of these facilities. NYC-EJA’s Transportation Planner, Kevin Garcia, noted that the City would overlook a profound health disparity impacting New Yorkers of color and low-income New Yorkers if it does not introduce a zoning text amendment to regulate last-mile warehouses. Watch the Coalition’s testimonies here.

On July 24th, NYC-EJA co-hosted a community workshop alongside the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) as part of the State’s Extreme Heat Action Plan (EHAP) process. The event was organized as one of many regional workshops across the State to gather community input on current conditions, community experiences as well as community solutions to the effects of extreme heat across NYC. Community groups from all boroughs were present including NYC-EJA members Brotherhood Sister Sol, El Puente, THE POINT CDC, and UPROSE.

NYC-EJA and other ElectrifyNY coalition members were invited to tour an NYCSBUS depot in the eastern Bronx in July. The coalition learned about school districts' infrastructure obstacles with electrifying their bus fleets, the funding necessary to meet the State’s 2035 target, and how diesel buses can be retrofitted to be fully electric. After receiving a demonstration of the on-site electric vehicle chargers, coalition members toured an electric bus at the depot to experience the difference between a diesel bus and an electric bus.

On July 11, NYC-EJA joined Riders Alliance and other advocates to call on Mayor Adams to move forward with the Fordham Road Busway. 75% of bus riders in NYC are people of color, and bus riders, on average, earn an annual salary of $28,000. Installing a busway could help about 85,000 daily riders on the Bx12, Bx22, Bx17, and Bx9 routes. Busways are one of the City’s tools to improve rider travel times and bus reliability. Busways exist across the city, including the 14th Street Busway in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, but not in the Bronx. Building out the busway would provide better bus service in the Bronx and reduce tailpipe emissions by granting truck drivers a dedicated route to move goods faster.

On July 8th, our South Bronx based member Nos Quedamos hosted their 'We Are Melrose' festival to celebrate the organization’s 30th anniversary. Held at Yolanda Garcia Park, which is named after one of the founders of Nos Quedamos, the celebration included a street naming, "Harvesting Culture" award ceremony (at which NYC-EJA was honored), and lots of song, dance and celebration which honored the legacy of the organization. We congratulate Nos Quedamos for all the work they have done to support the Melrose community and wish them a bright future ahead!

Gothamist: Is NYC ready for summer heat? An environmental watchdog doesn’t think so. (7/5/23)

Bronx Times: Advocates for Fordham Road bus lane changes continue to push city, second protest planned for Tuesday (7/10/23)

Gothamist: Adams administration faults state air quality forecasts at heated NYC Council hearing (7/12/23) 

The City: Could Clean Air Centers Come to NYC? (7/17/23) 

Amsterdam News: Could Clean Air Centers Come to NYC? (7/17/23)

The City: Con Ed Just Asked New Yorkers to Limit Energy Use — Here’s Why (7/27/23)

Politico: Environmental groups push to regulate last-mile warehouses (7/31/23)