FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, November 21, 2024
Contact: Lee Ziesche, info@publicpowerny.org, 954-415-6228

Electeds, Union Members, and 200+ New Yorkers Roast Hochul & NYPA to Demand 15 Gigawatts of Public Renewables, Prioritizing CUNY/SUNY

(Dalourny Nemorin of South Bronx Unite calls on the New York Power Authority to build 15 gigawatts of public renewables in front of over 200 New Yorkers who gathered on the steps of the Gerald W. Lynch Theater)

Photo credit: Michael Paulson

Link to additional photos and Link to video and B-rolll

Please attribute footage to Public Power NY. Video shot by Jackson Segars and Lalo Remes.

New York, New York – 200+ New Yorkers called on Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to build 15 gigawatts(GW) of renewable energy at a rally and public hearing at John Jay College on Wednesday night. Speakers ranged from 14-year old students to an 89-year old member of PSC-CUNY, a union that has hosted ten of its town halls on decarbonizing its NYPA-powered facilities.

NYPA is holding public hearings across the state to receive feedback on its recently released draft plan to implement the Build Public Renewables Act (BPRA). NYPA’s draft plan proposes to build only 3.5GW of renewable energy, with very few projects planned for the Hudson Valley and downstate New York, where electricity demand is greatest.

In just over a month, 3000 New Yorkers have sent Public Comments to NYPA demanding 15 GW, echoing calls from the AFL-CIO, Building Trades Council, and environmental groups. Advocates, electeds and energy experts who fought for and won the BPRA say NYPA’s proposal does not go far enough to meet state climate goals.  The message to Hochul at hearings across the state has been to send the plan back to the drawing board and return with one that builds enough renewables to shut down harmful peaker plants, create tens of thousands of good paying union jobs and lower energy bills for those who need it most. 

“New York used to be an energy leader, but our state has fallen behind. The Governor and her agency heads are hinting that they will allow us to miss our binding climate goals, in open defiance of the law. Meanwhile, fossil fuel corporations are wreaking havoc on our planet and the working class is being crushed by exorbitant utility rates. We cannot rely on profit-seeking corporations to save us. If we want to ensure a liveable future for the next generations, NYPA must build 15 gigawatts of publicly-owned renewable energy by 2030,” said Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani

“When we won the Build Public Renewables Act we made a promise to our children and our next generations of New Yorkers that we will create a future where they can all thrive. We must fulfill that promise by building 15 gigawatts of public renewables by 2030 to make our communities healthier, more resilient, and more secure — all while creating good union jobs and lowering bills for the New Yorkers suffering most from the heat, power cuts, and the harms of fossil fuels,” said Assemblymember Phara Souffrant-Forrest.  

“We know we can’t count on the federal government right now — it’s up to New York to accelerate the energy transition we need by putting people over profit. That is exactly the responsibility of the New York Power Authority. NYPA’s leadership must acknowledge this mandate and revise the strategic plan to include at least 15 GW of renewables by 2030 to ensure we meet CLCPA goals. Only then can we get off expensive fossil fuels and build the renewable abundant energy we need to keep our electricity stable and affordable,” said State Senator Jabari Brisport. 

Advocates say implementing the BPRA gives NYPA a golden opportunity to fully decarbonize public schools by siting utility scale and distributed generation on SUNY and CUNY campuses and K-12 schools, and building enough capacity to meet their energy demands.

“CUNY and SUNY shouldn’t only be recipients of energy from the NY Power Authority; our colleges sit on public land and should house new renewable energy,” Jennifer Gaboury (PSC-CUNY) “We want to be good neighbors in our communities, not active polluters. All public spaces should be considered homes for renewable energy projects. With half the state’s population downstate, why are we not being asked to host and produce more? We can build 15 gigawatts of renewables by 2030 if we don’t ignore this opportunity in front of us. We need more green energy now!”

“Mott Haven in the South Bronx has the highest asthma rates in the country, especially among children, due to environmental racism that neglected our working-class Black and brown community for years. Families disproportionately face daily toxic pollution from nearby highways, power plants, and lack of green spaces,” Matthew Shore, Senior Organizer, South Bronx Unite. “South Bronx Unite has been advocating for the closure of our neighborhood’s four harmful peaker plants, all of which are owned by NYPA, and supporting the Build Public Renewables Act, which urges the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to develop 15 GW of renewable energy by 2030. NYPA’s draft strategic plan to build only 3.5 GW is insufficient and neglects frontline communities like Mott Haven. We strongly call on NYPA to revise its plan to build 15 GW of renewable energy by 2030.”

“We fought for and won the passage of the Build Public Renewables Act (BPRA) to lead the rest of the country towards a bold vision for public power in the 21st century. A New York 2040 that runs on 100% renewable energy, built by a new era of union jobs. The wind and sun make our bills go down, our air safe for children to breathe, and our future safe to imagine,” Gustavo Gordillo, Co-chair, New York City DSA. “The paltry draft plan abandons that vision, condemns New Yorkers to climate chaos and flouts the law. Our public powered future is not only possible, it’s a necessity. Gov. Hochul and NYPA must commit to building the 15 gigawatts of public renewables by 2030 that will make it our reality.”

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Note to the editor:

About Public Power NY

Public Power NY is a movement fighting to ensure New York effectively carries out the Build Public Renewables Act by building 15 Gigawatts of public renewables by 2030. Hailed as the first statewide Green New Deal law, BPRA was written by PPNY and passed in 2023 thanks to four years of organizing by a multiracial, multi-generational movement of climate and advocacy organizations, labor unions representing millions of New Yorkers and tens of thousands of New Yorkers who have taken action from upstate, downstate, and everywhere in between. With federal climate action off the table, BPRA has enabled NY to not just play defense against Trump, but lead the way the way FDR created NYPA to do.