On Monday, April 13, from 12:00 to 1:00 P.M., NYCP’s Renewable Energy Speakers Series hosted Jonathan Cohen, the Policy Director for the New York Solar Energy Industries Association (NYSEIA). Jonathan explained solar legislation currently under consideration in Albany, including the Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power (ASAP) ACT (Senate S6570A). New York surpassed its 6 GW goal more than a year ahead of schedule, in October 2024! The state is now well on track to meet the Governor’s expanded goal of 10 GW by 2030, with over 3.4 GW under development. With this rapid installation of distributed solar, it is time to increase the goal to 20 GW by 2035. Listen to the recording to understand why New York should pass the bill this session and how we can do it.
In September, 2024, New York State kicked off the process to develop the State Energy Plan, which is supposed to be a comprehensive roadmap for a clean, resilient, and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers. The Energy Plan was last updated in 2020, when it was amended to incorporate the objectives of the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act). Since the 2020 update, the Climate Action Council produced its Scoping Plan, examining many of the energy issues that contribute to climate change and offering a number of recommendations for the State to implement. The State Energy Planning Board will now convene to begin the process of producing a draft, then a final plan, for this planning cycle. Currently planned to be considered by the Board in December 2025, the final plan will provide a 15-year outlook and focus on strategies to meet future energy needs and advance economy-wide decarbonization. The Hochul Administration has also expressed a desire to balance decarbonization with reliability, affordability, environmental and public health impacts and economic growth.
The climate emergency is here; how will New York’s Energy Plan meet this moment? New York State is required to update the State Energy Plan every 5 years and 2025 is the year a new plan will be put in place. What is the importance of the Energy Plan? Will the Energy Plan be compliant with the Climate Law? How can advocates participate to ensure the Energy Plan will result in a swift and equitable transition to clean energy?
Speakers included:
Janet Joseph, Principal, JLJ Sustainability Solutions (Former VP of Strategy and Market Development, NYSERDA)
Dr. Robert Howarth, Member, New York’s Climate Action Council and the David R. Atkinson Professor of Ecology and Environmental Biology at Cornell University
Christopher Casey, Utility Regulatory Director, New York, Climate and Energy at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
New Yorkers for Clean Power and esteemed speakers to learn more about the draft State Energy Plan, what’s in it, what’s missing, and how to take action before the October 6th deadline. Our panelists will address key highlights and recommendations for the building, power and transportation sectors respectively.
Our speakers:
Josh Berman, Senior Attorney of Sierra Club Environmental Law Program
Marguerite Wells, Executive Director of Alliance for Clean Energy New York
Jaqi Cohen, Director of Climate and Equity Policy Tri-State Transportation Campaign
Too many New Yorkers cannot afford their utility and heating bills, and the problem is only getting worse. This briefing will lay out the problem, identify some of the root causes, and highlight key policy solutions that will help lower energy costs now and into the future.
Laurie Wheelock – Executive Director, Public Utility Law Project (PULP)
Annie Carforo – Climate Justice Campaigns Manager, WE ACT for Environmental Justice
Allison Considine – Senior Campaign & Communications Manager, Building Decarbonization Coalition (BDC)
Visit our Teach In Archive for more: https://nyforcleanpower.org/teach-in-archive/
Join New Yorkers for Clean Power and the NY Energy Democracy Alliance for an interactive teach-in on the Green Affordable Pre-Electrification Fund, legislation that will help create a pathway to home energy upgrades for low and moderate income homes.
Our panelists include: Assemblymember Anna Kelles and State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, the lead sponsors of this crucial legislation, Jasmine Graham, Executive Director and Mid-Hudson Energy Transition, Avni Pravin, Deputy Director at the Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE), Matt Dennis, heat pump and weatherization sales at Halco Energy, and Annie Carforo of WE ACT for Environmental Justice.
New Yorkers need cleaner heat and lower bills. Tell Gov. Hochul, Speaker Heastie, and the NY Legislature to include the NY HEAT Act in the budget.
From Brooklyn to Babylon, 1 out of 4 New Yorkers resides within a half-mile of a large e-commerce warehouse. Along with fulfilling orders, these facilities bring a host of health and environmental hazards like asthma and heart disease. Historical practices of discrimination and racism placed warehouses near communities of color and low-income families, forcing them to face the brunt of these impacts. It’s time for a change.
The Clean Deliveries Act is a common sense bill that requires these facilities to track and reduce their pollution, thereby protecting the air of the neighborhoods where they reside.
During this Teach-In, we heard from:
Emmitt Mendoza-Gaspar, Chief of Staff for AM Marcela Mitaynes
Sam Becker of the Environmental Defense Fund
Jaqi Cohen of the Tristate Transporation Campaign
Antonio Rosario of the Teamsters
We then heard from the ElectrifyNY coalition about how you can take action to make this crucial bill a reality this session.
Join the Fight for Clean Deliveries: https://p2a.co/E83CRWT
New Yorkers need cleaner heat and lower bills. Tell Gov. Hochul, Speaker Heastie, and the NY Legislature to include the NY HEAT Act in the budget.
A new report to be released on January 18 by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) traces the growth of mega-warehouses in New York communities, driven in part by the e-commerce boom.
Following the release of a national report, the release of the New York Proximity Mapping Report shows the warehouse boom’s unequal health burden on New York communities.
ElectrifyNY, EDF, and NY State legislators joined for a press conference highlighting the report’s findings and the need for legislation like the Clean Deliveries Act. The Clean Deliveries Act would direct the state to conduct a review of emissions related to large warehouses and require warehouse operators to choose from an array of actions to minimize pollution.
Access the full report: https://globalcleanair.org/academic/report-one-in-four-new-york-state-residents-lives-within-half-a-mile-of-a-mega-warehouse/
Take action with ElectrifyNY to pass the Clean Deliveries Act: https://bit.ly/cleandeliveries