NY Renews Statement: Gov Hochul Drops Budget Proposal to Weaken NYS Methane Accounting Method

  

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***: April 5, 2023

Contact: Marie Scarles, marie@nyrenews.org, (646) 389-8429

Web: @NYRenews | www.nyrenews.org

NY RENEWS COALITION STATEMENT

NEW YORK STATE – In response to the announcement that the Hochul administration will not prioritize a re-calculation of methane emissions as part of the budget talks, the NY Renews coalition, representing hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers statewide, issued the following statement: 

“When Governor Hochul tried to sneak in a fossil-fueled methane accounting method that would gut New York State’s Climate Act during the final push of budget negotiations, New York’s climate and environmental justice movement responded swiftly and powerfully. NY Renews is proud to stand with a movement that stopped—for now—changes to New York’s progressive 20-year methane accounting method as written in law. 


Our coalition will continue to defend against changes to our state’s Climate Act, including changes to the definition of renewable energy as is being pushed by fossil fuel interests in Albany. We look forward to returning our attention to real ways to keep energy costs low for working New Yorkers by implementing NY's Climate Act via the Climate, Jobs, and Justice Package (CJJP), and particularly the CJJP bills being negotiated at present: the Climate and Community Protection Fund, the Climate Superfund Act, NY HEAT Act, and the Build Public Renewables Act. We will continue fighting to ensure that any ‘cap and invest’ proposal includes environmental justice safeguards.

We urge the NYS Legislature to continue fighting for their constituents during budget negotiations and call on Governor Hochul to follow their lead in securing climate justice, affordable renewable energy, good union jobs, and improved public health for New Yorkers statewide.”
 

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NY Renews is a coalition of more than 350 environmental justice, community, faith, labor, and multi-issue organizations fighting for just climate policy for New Yorkers. We are the force behind the nation's most aggressive climate law, the NY State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, enacted in 2019. The Climate, Jobs & Justice Package is the next step in our fight for climate justice in New York.

Aligned organizations that issued memos of opposition to S6030/A6039 include:

  1. 350 Brooklyn

  2. 350 NYC

  3. All Our Energy

  4. Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE)

  5. Alliance for a Greater New York (ALIGN)

  6. Beacon Climate Action Now (BCAN)

  7. Catskill Mountainkeeper 

  8. Citizen Action of New York (CANY)

  9. Clean Air Action Network of Glens Falls (CAAN)

  10. Climate Families NYC 

  11. Climate Reality Project

  12. Climate Reality Project, NY State Coalition 

  13. Climate Reality Project, Long Island, NY Chapter

  14. Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor

  15. Communities for Local Power 

  16. Concerned Health Professionals of NY

  17. Earthjustice 

  18. Energy Allies 

  19. Energy Justice Law & Policy Center

  20. Environmental Advocates NY

  21. Food and Water Watch 

  22. FrackBusters NY

  23. Grassroots Environmental Education 

  24. Green Education and Legal Fund

  25. Greening USAin

  26. Indivisible Mohawk Valley (IMV)

  27. Interfaith Climate Justice Community 

  28. Jewish Climate Action Network NYC (JCAN)

  29. Long Island Progressive Coalition (LIPC)

  30. Mothers Out Front

  31. Mothers Out Front Tompkins

  32. Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

  33. NYCD16 Indivisible

  34. New York City Environmental Justice Alliance 

  35. New York Climate Advocacy Project 

  36. New York Lawyers for Public Interest

  37. New York State Council of Churches

  38. New Yorkers for Clean Power

  39. North Country Earth Action

  40. NY Renews

  41. People’s Climate Movement NY

  42. Progressive Schenectady 

  43. People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH)

  44. Queens Climate Project

  45. Resource Generation

  46. Rivers & Mountains GreenFaith

  47. Riverkeeper 

  48. Rise and Resist 

  49. Roctricity 

  50. Seneca Lake Guardian

  51. Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter 

  52. South Shore Audubon Society 

  53. Sunrise Movement NYC 

  54. Sustainable Hudson Valley

  55. New Yorkers for Cool Refrigerant Management 

  56. Tompkins County Climate Protection Initiative (TCCPI)

  57. Treeage

  58. Vote Solar

  59. WE ACT for Environmental Justice

  60. Westchester Alliance for Sustainable Solutions 

  61. Win Climate 

  62. Zero Waste Capitol District (ZWCD)

NY Renews