HOCHUL SABOTAGES CLIMATE; SOCIALISTS RENEW FIGHT FOR PUBLICLY-OWNED RENEWABLE ENERGY
HOCHUL SABOTAGES CLIMATE; SOCIALISTS RENEW FIGHT FOR PUBLICLY-OWNED RENEWABLE ENERGY
Elected officials and New Yorkers call to double down on the only viable solution to rising energy costs and the climate crisis: public power.
Media Contact: climate@socialists.nyc
NEW YORK, NY — Governor Hochul has continuously condemned New Yorkers to higher bills, toxic smog, rolling blackouts, and climate disasters by delaying and sabotaging New York’s climate action since the day she took office. Now public power is the only way to deliver an affordable, resilient, healthy future.
With or without the Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act, New York’s task hasn’t changed. We know continued reliance on fossil fuels — and fossil-fueled politicians like Kathy Hochul — is killing us. The only way to meet our climate goals is with a publicly-controlled energy system that takes our future out of fossil fuel corporations’ hands. With the governor’s climate sabotage and private clean energy development failing to deliver progress, aggressive public renewables buildout is the only viable way to cut pollution while stabilizing New York’s increasingly unstable energy system.
Thanks to New York’s democratic socialist legislators, we are taking critical steps forward for public power: today, we’ve secured $100 million for publicly-owned renewable energy projects in this budget. Now, along with all of New York’s democratic socialist State Senators and Assemblymembers, we will fight to ensure that New York State builds 15 gigawatts of publicly-owned renewable energy.
State Senator Kristen Gonzalez said, “The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act was meant to phase out peaker plants like the one in my District. Almost six years after it passed, residents of Queens and Brooklyn are still breathing dirty air from polluting power plants and paying more than ever for utilities. We won’t settle for a broken future. Public renewables are the way forward, and I look forward to fighting for the full 15 gigawatts of public renewable energy we need to shut down these smokestacks once and for all.”
Assemblymember Claire Valdez said, “New York is the first state in the country to weaken its emissions targets, thanks to Governor Kathy Hochul. By killing the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, Governor Hochul has chosen, once again, to enrich corporations and billionaires at the expense of any New Yorker that might hope for lower utility bills, cleaner air to breathe, or a planet to live on. But the fight against the climate and affordability crises isn’t over. Publicly-owned renewable energy can guarantee lower bills, good union jobs, and a sustainable future. Building 15 gigawatts must be our first step.”
Assemblymember Diana Moreno said, “Peaker plant pollution in my district is so notable that they call our neighborhood “Asthma Alley.” The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act was meant to make it easier to transition off destructive fossil fuels and toward a healthier future. But instead, Governor Hochul is throwing our community under the bus to keep her fossil fuel donors rich. Weakening our climate laws won’t lower our bills. We need publicly-owned renewable energy to make our energy system affordable while cutting pollution. 15 gigawatts of public renewables is the way forward for New York.”
Assemblymember Emily Gallagher said, “We are in an existential moment. The scientific community is sounding the alarm on the livability of our planet while the federal government rolls back all environmental protections and investments in green technology. The oligarchs are building bunkers while they fund climate denialism and get rich off new oil and gas projects. For Governor Hochul to force through climate law rollbacks in the budget is a blatant and unconscionable handout to her fossil fuel donors. We have the technologies we need to shift the trajectory. Public renewable energy is cheaper and less volatile than oil and gas, and this budget funded it to the tune of $100 million — a victory that would not be possible without the ongoing sustained pressure of our movement. I will keep fighting until we build 15 GW of public renewable energy to protect New Yorkers’ health and safety, reduce energy costs, and create good union jobs”
Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes said, “When Governor Kathy Hochul rolled back New York’s landmark climate legislation, she also rolled back Black and Latino New Yorkers’ dream of a healthier and more affordable future, withholding billions in investments from communities like Sunset Park and Red Hook that have long borne the burden of toxic pollution and fossil fuel infrastructure. The peaker plants operating in Sunset Park pollute not only our neighborhood, but also neighboring Red Hook across the harbor, contributing to the asthma and respiratory illnesses our families disproportionately face. Instead of lowering energy bills, creating union jobs, and shutting down the dirty facilities making our communities sick, the Governor is allowing corporate utilities to continue profiting off environmental injustice. Our communities deserve better, and New York must move forward with at least 15 gigawatts of public renewables to deliver cleaner air, lower costs, and the healthy future working-class New Yorkers were promised.”
Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest said, “Governor Hochul is breaking her promises to New Yorkers by expanding dirty energy infrastructure. She’s opened the door to new fracked gas power plants in New York City, rolled out the red carpet for a new Trump pipeline, and is now rolling back our climate law to keep fossil fuels burning. Our communities are the ones who pay the price with our bills, with asthma attacks, and with deadly heatwaves. It’s time to take out the corruption and build an energy system that puts our communities first. That means building 15 gigawatts of public renewables that will actually lower our bills, cut pollution, and deliver a healthy future for our children.”
Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha said, “New York has the tools to solve its energy crisis but Albany refuses to use them. The New York Power Authority can build 15 gigawatts of public renewables cheaper and faster than any private developer, yet renewable energy as a share of our grid has flatlined under Hochul’s watch. New Yorkers are done waiting. It’s time for Governor Hochul to stop pouring gas on the fire and build the public renewables New Yorkers need.”
The Build Public Renewables Act, developed by NYC-DSA and passed in 2023, empowers the state to build publicly-owned renewable energy sources to lower bills, create thousands of union jobs, and lower pollution. Building 15 gigawatts of public renewables — enough to power 12 million households — is estimated to raise $725 million in utility bill credits for low and middle income New Yorkers, create more than 20,000 union jobs, and ensure the timely shutdown of super-polluting peaker plans in New York City by 2030.
Renewable energy is the fastest and cheapest way to add more power to our grid, boost reliability, and cut pollution. Adding these energy sources will help avert blackouts and drive energy prices down. Yet the private sector has been unable to deliver at the scale needed, particularly amid the loss of IRA tax credit due to Trump administration cuts. NYC-DSA legislators understand the reality: the more public renewables we build, the more relief we can deliver.
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