March,2022 Report

Environment Committee 3/13/22

15 Billion in the State Budget for the CLCPA!!!!!

Call Governor Hochul and demand $15 billion for climate, jobs, and justice 877-235-6537

This funding is essential to meet New York's goals established in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, our landmark climate law. Without the money to fulfill the mandates of this law, the CLCPA is only a piece of paper! The 15 billion would only amount to 6.9 percent of the entire state budget. (Hochul is recommending only 1.5 billion!)

Unfortunately, with the budget due April 1, time is growing short to win the funding necessary to meet the urgency of the climate crisis.

Call Governor Hochul to demand she support $15 billion to prevent climate catastrophe, move New York off fossil fuels, and protect our communities: 877-235-6537.

And please share this with your people! If we don’t push hard for this-it won’t happen!!!!!!!

Danskammer update: Their appeal is in court. No action as of now, but will keep you updated if there is one in the future. You can always get updates at stoptheplant.org

U-ACT ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE ACTIONS FOR 4/11

ACTION 1:

From the Stop Danskammer Coalition (U-Act is a member)

Thank you, again, to those of you who took part in the public hearings last week! We’ve requested an additional hearing for registered speakers who were not given the chance to speak, and we can keep you posted on that.

Our show de force worked so much that it scared our opponents! As a result, over the weekend following the hearings, the main union that supports a new Danskammer asked its members to send in many pro-Danskammer comments. They are mostly all prefabricated, identical template comments -- not nearly as personal, informed, nor impactful as ours! BUT -- we still want to make sure the Siting Board recognizes the overwhelming opposition to the plant. So, we’re doing a big push for written comments to the siting board. Please submit the comment you either prepared and didn’t get to share, or one that you read last week. We have an easy comment form on our website stoptheplant.org along with talking points in case you’d like to submit another comment. You can submit as many as you’d like!

ACTION 2:

Climate and Community Investment Act (CCIA)

The Climate and Community Investment Act (CCIA) would raise $15 billion per year from corporate polluters and use it to create good, green jobs, invest in frontline communities, and build a renewable economy for New York State. Please contact your NY State Senator and Assemblyperson via phone or email. Ask them to support the CCIA!

Suggested script, feel free to put into your own words or copy/paste:

Dear Senator__________/ Assemblyperson___________,

I am a constituent and it's important to me that New York State continues to lead on climate and environmental justice. Please support the Climate and Community Investment Act, and include it in the 1 house bill! It's so important, it should be a part of the budget. The CCIA is the PEOPLE's climate plan for our state. It will get our state off of fossil fuels, invest billions of dollars in Black, Brown, and low-income communities most impacted by pollution and climate change, and create 150,000 good, green jobs for New Yorkers. It's clear: we need to pass the CCIA in 2021! Thank You!

(Your name, any affiliation you want to include, and your address).

U-Act Environmental Committee Actions 2/14/21:

1.I received this letter from NY Renews a few days ago. I have signed up for a virtual lobby visit with Skoufis. If you are interested, there is a link in the following paragraph and I’ve included an explanation of the bill they are trying to pass after this letter. This group was instrumental in getting the CLCPA passed, and it would be great to support their work. LMK if you want more info.

Dear Amy,

Our time is now. Soon, the Climate and Community Investment Act (CCIA), the most sweeping and transformative climate bill in the country, is going to be introduced to the NYS Legislature. It’s our job to make sure it passes. Sign-up to work with other local activists in your community to tell your legislators to take action at a virtual lobby visit.

As our nation and state face multiple crises at once—a pandemic, financial crisis, and white supremacist insurrections—our work is more important than ever. The CCIA is a pivotal part of how we fight these crises, by taking money out of the pockets of big corporate polluters and investing it into a just, green transition.

In the coming weeks, we’re lobbying legislators across the state to pass the CCIA and make polluters pay. Committed and knowledgeable lobby visit hosts have started setting up these meetings near you. They have all the tools, skills, and training you need to lobby your elected representatives. Not every visit has been scheduled yet, but you can sign up and will receive a notice once the visit has been scheduled. Will you join us at a virtual lobby visit?

Finally, if you don’t see a visit near you, you can sign up to lead a visit and just email xaver@nyrenews.org once you do to get all set up. We need to turn up the heat on these legislators if we want to pass the CCIA in 2021. The race to the finish line starts now.

Let’s run there together— sign up to attend a virtual lobby visit near you.

The Climate and Community Investment Act (CCIA) raises $15 billion per year from corporate polluters and uses it to create good, green jobs, invest in frontline communities, and build a renewable economy for New York State.

Community investment

One-third of the funds raised will go to community-based

organizations in frontline communities for local programs like community-owned solar, making homes, apartments,

and schools more energy-efficient, and investing in

adaptation infrastructure. Additional funds will be

available for current fossil fuel workers and host

communities.

Creating good, green jobs

Research shows that the CCIA would create and sustain

over 150,000 good, green jobs over the first decade. The

CCIA includes gold-standard labor provisions, including

prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements. People

in frontline communities, formerly incarcerated New

Yorkers, women in non-traditional trades, and people

coming off of unemployment will be prioritized for jobs

building our renewable economy.

Building a renewable economy

Thirty percent of the money will go to large-scale

investments such as a major solar arrays, offshore wind,

grid stability, electric vehicle infrastructure, improvements to public housing and public transit. The Climate

Leadership and Community Protection Act, passed last

year, set nation-leading standards for getting off of fossil

fuels. The CCIA raises the money to get there.

Make polluters pay for the just transition

For too long, fossil fuel companies have dumped their toxic facilities and waste in Black and brown neighborhoods, sacrificing the health of entire communities in order to make obscene profits for shareholders. The Climate and Community Investment Act would make them pay, by instituting a fee on greenhouse gases and co-pollutants. The fee would largely be paid by the companies importing fossil fuels into New York state. At a starting price of $55 per ton of greenhouse gas emissions, which will increase year over year, the CCIA would raise around $15 billion per year over the first 10 years.

Protecting ratepayers

One third of the money raised by the CCIA would be used to provide direct assistance to low-and moderate income families via transit vouchers, weatherization or LIHEAP credits, or direct cash benefits. People will be automatically enrolled in this rebate program. Even if fossil fuel companies try to retaliate by raising costs, this energy rebate program will ensure that the lowest-earning 60% of New Yorkers will come out the same or ahead. Join us, and make NY the nation's climate leaderNew York led the nation when we passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act last year. It's time to build on that legacy by enacting a massive revenue and spending plan to meet our state's goals for climate, jobs, and justice. NY Renews is the 200+ member coalition that fought to pass the CLCPA, and now we're ready to win this money for our communities. Join us at www.nyrenews.org.

DANSKAMMER UPDATE & ACTION

FromJess Mullen Danskammer Campaign Manager jmullen@scenichudson.org

The Chair of the NYS Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment (Siting Board) will be determining next week whether Danskammer’s application is complete. Once that determination is made, it kicks off the formal permitting process.

Danskammer filed its application in December 2019, but the state has deemed Danskammer's application deficient twice because it contains insufficient information to demonstrate the project's consistency with the New York’s landmark Climate Act. Despite having now filed three supplements to its December 2019 application purporting to address how its project will comply with the mandates of the Climate Act, it remains clear that there is no way the proposed natural gas-fired power plant could possibly be consistent with New York’s greenhouse gas emissions requirements.

Action: link to submit a comment

Resources & Talking Points:

Danskammer will be prohibited from burning gas no later than 2040 under the Climate Act. In an attempt to explain to regulators how their plan could possibly be consistent with the law, Danskammer relies on completely speculative claims that it “could” convert its plant to run on hydrogen by 2040.

• There is no currently available technology nor infrastructure to make a fully hydrogen-fueled power plant a reality on a commercial scale.

• In order to produce energy via hydrogen, a large amount of new infrastructure would need to be built as hydrogen's properties present unique challenges and very high capital costs for new pipeline materials, compressor design and storage infrastructure. There is no plan whatsoever for this in Danskammer’s application.

• The gas turbines Danskammer plans to install at the plant could only handle a maximum of “up to” 30% hydrogen mix according to its manufacturer.

• Danskammer has been asked multiple times by the chair of the state Siting Board whether it would commit to converting to hydrogen; Danskammer has failed to make any such commitment.

• Danskammer’s talk of hydrogen is no more than an attempt to get a foot in the door for its polluting gas plant with no promises made other than they will comply with New York State law that will make fossil fuel plants illegal in 2040.

More info: recent article about hydrogen and Danskammer

Thank you for your help, and please feel free to share with your networks! We’ll let you know what happens with the upcoming decision and next step actions to take to #stoptheplant! Or go to stoptheplant.org We’re going to stop this thing!!!!!!

MISSION STATEMENT

The Environmental Committee was formed because of the imminent danger of climate change. Our mission is to keep members of the U-Act and greater community apprised of current actions they can take to address the greatest challenges humankind currently faces.

ACTION STEPS

• work closely with and disseminate information suggested by Food & Water Watch NY, State Senator Jen Metzger's office, Scenic Hudson, RIverkeeper.

CURRENT ONGOING ACTION

• CUOMO MONDAY!!!! (you can call any day) 877-235-6537. When you call, Food and Water Watch will direct you to his office and also give you a simple talking point.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• helped pass NY's Climate Action Bill which is the most comprehensive climate change leigislation in the nation

• helped to stop the first attempt to build the Williams Pipeline

• individual town presentations to help prevent peaker plant development locally

Contact person:

• Amy Kletter at amyrae52@gmail.com or Lori Morris at doctorlorimorris@gmail.com

Committee Members:

• Amy Kletter

• Lori Morris

• Renee Hack

Committee Meetings Notes