FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, December 12, 2024
Contact: Lee Ziesche, info@publicpowerny.org, 954-415-6228
Billboards Call on HocHul & NYPA to Build 15 GW of Renewables
To Create Union Jobs, Slash Energy Bills and Shut Down Harmful Gas Plants
White Plains, New York – Public Power NY unveiled two billboards near the New York Power Authority (NYPA) Headquarters, calling on Governor Hochul and NYPA to build 15 gigawatts(GW) of renewable energy by 2030.
The digital billboards rotate between three variants, highlighting key benefits building 15 gw: lower electricity bills for New Yorkers through the REACH program, an end to the state’s most polluting “peaker” plants, and the creation of 25,000 new green union jobs.
In just two months, over 5300 New Yorkers sent public comments and packed public hearings demanding that NYPA commit to building 15 GW of public renewables in order to meet the state’s climate targets, rather than the far smaller amount of 3.5GW that NYPA proposed in its draft plan.
At a board meeting earlier this week, NYPA only reported receiving 272 comments–missing input from over 5000 New Yorkers. Politico reported that comments were going to spam, stoking concerns that NYPA, led by CEO Justin Driscoll, have minimized public support for 15GW of renewables.
Advocates are calling on NYPA to locate and listen to the missing comments calling for a 15 GW buildout. These 5300 New Yorkers calling for 15 GW are joined by unions including the AFL-CIO, Building Trades Council, and PSC-CUNY, as well as the American Lung Association, 40+ lawmakers, and an array of climate organizations like South Bronx United. The buildout which would not only help the state meet its legally mandated climate targets but shut down harmful peaker plants, create tens of thousands of good paying union jobs and lower energy bills for those who need it most.
###
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.