Coalition: Climate Plan Must Include Equity Investments, No False Solutions

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***: October 5th, 2021

Contact: Arielle Swernoff | (646) 450-5461 | arielle@nyrenews.org 

Web: @NYRenews | www.nyrenews.org

Coalition: Climate Plan Must Include Equity Investments, No False Solutions

Later this month, the Climate Action Council is expected to release its roadmap to meet the climate mandates passed into law in 2019. NY Renews, the nearly 300 member coalition behind the bill, wants to make sure that this plan actually does what it’s supposed to do: reduce emissions, and invest in disadvantaged communities most marginalized and harmed by our fossil fuel based economy and hit hardest by the climate & COVID-19 crises. 

The coalition today released its bottom lines, six principles the Climate Action Council must include in order for the plan to adhere to the law, in a letter to the Governor and members of the Council. The bottom lines include: 

  • Funds to Frontline Communities: A minimum of 40% of all state climate and equity spending must go to frontline Black, brown, and low-income communities, as required by the CLCPA

  • Climate & Equity Screens: Decisions of all state agencies, including the CAC, must be subject to the climate and equity requirements of the CLCPA: decisions can’t increase our emissions or the burdens on frontline communities. These screens must both be included in the scoping plan and apply across government while the scoping plan is being developed. 

  • Reduce Emissions and Co-Pollutants: Identify specific measures in all sectors to rapidly and equitably reduce our emissions, including co-pollutants, the noxious by-products of burning fossil fuels that cause asthma and health problems, in line with the CLCPA

  • No New Fossil Fuels: A ban on new fossil fuel infrastructure and generation, and plans to take existing infrastructure off-line

  • No False Solutions: The plan cannot include false solutions (i.e. biofuels, renewable natural gas, biomass, blue or green hydrogen, waste-to-energy), which are supported by the fossil fuel industry and either  do not meaningfully reduce emissions or allow the continuation of existing fossil fuel infrastructure. Instead, we must invest in proven technologies such as wind, solar, and reducing our energy needs in order to transition to a zero emissions economy

  • Respect Indigenous Sovereignty: Indigenous communities must be properly consulted and have a leadership role in decision making  throughout the implementation process given the vast implications around policies, land practices, and funding mechanisms currently being discussed to realize the aims of the legislation

In addition, the coalition is calling for the plan to include:

  • Strong labor standards for all projects

  • A guaranteed just transition for workers and communities that currently burdened by the overwhelming siting of fossil fuel and other polluting infrastructure

  • Democratic participation in the plan development and implementation process 

Despite strong activist representation on the Climate Action Council and the Climate Justice Working Group (a body advising the CAC), the Council does include appointees from the fossil fuel, oil, and gas industries, who have been pushing techno-fixes and false solutions. The majority of the council is made up of agency heads and gubernatorial appointees, making the plan an early test of Governor Hochul’s orientation on issues of climate justice. 

“The CLCPA is not a mere suggestion — it is the law of the land. We cannot let the blueprint for achieving New York’s goals get watered down by climate deniers and the fossil fuel industry. These bottom lines are the absolute minimum we need to see in the Climate Action Council plan to ensure New York is meeting its mandates for climate, jobs, and justice,” said Brahvan Ranga from  For the Many, a member of the NY Renews Steering Committee.  

“We are at risk of having a scoping plan that ignores not only the letter and spirit of the law, but the needs of frontline communities across New York State. That can’t happen. We need the Climate Action Council to step up and ensure that all parts of the law are applied: that frontline communities get the money they need, that we rapidly and justly reduce pollution, and that we don’t include false solutions,” said Eddie Bautista, Executive Director of NYC-EJA, and a member of the NY Renews Steering Committee.

“Governor Hochul has a golden opportunity to demonstrate that she’s a true leader on climate, jobs, and justice by directing agency heads to deliver a plan that prioritizes the needs of New York communities. The letter and spirit of the law is clear: we need immediate action to reduce pollution, invest in proven climate solutions, and ensure frontline communities are protected,” said Lisa Tyson, Director of the Long Island Progressive Coalition and member of the NY Renews Steering Committee. 

“It is critical that the Governor and the Climate Action Council put in the scoping plan a mandate that all industry sectors reduce greenhouse gas emissions at a rate sufficient to ensure that we meet the targets in the law,” said Bob Cohen, Research and Policy Director of Citizen Action of New York and a NY Renews Steering Committee member. “We need a bold response by state agencies that is equal to the climate crisis we face and that makes New York’s 2019 climate law a reality.””

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NY Renews