The Public Power NY Coalition released the following statement on Governor Kathy Hochul’s announcement that the New York Power Authority will provide massive discounts to Amazon:

Not only is Governor Hochul cozying up with Billionaire Bloomberg, she is now hijacking New York’s existing public renewable energy to provide discounts to Amazon, the country’s most notorious union buster. At a time when utility rates have skyrocketed and almost 30% of New Yorkers were unable to pay at least part of their energy bill in the past 12 months, it is laughable that she would direct utility discounts to Amazon in the name of “economic development” instead of directing them to struggling New Yorkers. This is the same anti-worker, anti-union agenda that spurred her to push forward Hector LaSalle as the judicial nominee and motivates her removal of the Build Public Renewables Act’s gold-standard labor language in her Executive Proposal. 
New York Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt did not create the New York Power Authority to provide discounts to the world’s richest men. He created it to give back to the people the power that is theirs. We will continue to fight to pass the full Build Public Renewables Act, take our power back today, and ensure New York leads the way forward to a future we’ll be proud to pass on to generations to come.

The Build Public Renewables Act (BPRA) became a key issue in budget negotiations after the Governor included a stripped down version of the bill in her executive budget proposal. Advocates and legislators have hit back hard, calling for the full BPRA, and Public Power NY unveiled a billboard earlier this week saying “More New Yorkers want to Build Public Renewables than voted for Kathy Hochul”. 

The coalition will be holding a big rally calling on Hochul to support the full BPRA in the War Room of the State Capitol on Thursday, March 23 at 11am. More info on the rally 

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Note to the editor:

About Public Power NY

The Public Power NY Coalition is a statewide movement of community and advocacy organizations, and thousands of New Yorkers fighting to pass the Build Public Renewables Act, the nation’s biggest climate bill. It will enable New York to unleash the New York Power Authority, the country’s largest public power provider, to build publicly owned, 100% renewable energy; slash energy costs for those who need it most; and create tens of thousands of green union jobs that will finally unionize the green energy sector. The bill is endorsed by unions representing over 1 million members in New York including 1199SEIU, NYSUT, PSC-CUNY, UUP, and UAW 9A.

Read our report: Public Power & Climate Leadership: Feasibility of 100% Fossil-Free NYPA by 2030