Attend a “haunted” NYSERDA Board meeting where we will give EMPOWER+ themed candy to the NYSERDA board members and staff. We will gather outside of the board meeting in halloween costumes to take pictures, talk with the press, and hand out EMPOWER+ candy. We will then go inside the NYSERDA board meeting to watch the board proceedings. While we will not be able to address the board directly, our presence at the meeting (and media coverage) will not be lost on the board members, staff or the Governor.

Governor Hochul and NYSERDA have implemented changes to scale back New York’s successful EMPOWER+ program that provides thousands of low-and-moderate (LMI) income households with energy efficiency and electrification incentives to lower their energy bills.

This summer, they stopped accepting applications from LMI customer’s contractors and told the contractors the program funding would likely be cut back from $220M to $70M.

Governor Hochul was given discretion in the State Budget to provide the EMPOWER+ program with between $50 to $300 million in the Sustainable Future Fund and the Governor is expected to give the bare minimum.

These actions are devastating the Clean Energy Sector workforce which are being laid off from their trained electrification and energy efficiency jobs. A workforce that New Yorkers built up over the last few years to move our energy transition forward.

At the same time that the Public Service Commission is approving huge rate hikes that invest in expensive, dirty fossil fuels they are cutting the programs that are helping LMI households reduce their energy bills!!

Come encourage Governor Hochul and NYSERDA to SCALE-UP EMPOWER+!!!