On Wednesday, May 18th, NYLCVEF and our partner, Sustainable Westchester held a virtual Lunch and Learn focused on the Scoping Plan for New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). The CLCPA is among the most ambitious climate laws in the world and requires New York to transition to a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and to reach economy-wide carbon neutrality by 2050.
On July 18, 2019, the CLCPA was signed into law. The law also created the Climate Action Council which is tasked with developing aDraft Scoping Planthat serves as an initial framework for how the State will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve net-zero emissions, increase renewable energy usage, and ensure climate justice.
The Lunch & Learn focused on several topics within the scoping plan. We heard from the below experts on each of these areas:
Raya Salter, founder of the Energy Justice Law and Policy Center and member of the New York State Climate Action Council, spoke about A Just Transition & Achieving Climate Justice.
Nina Orville, Executive Director of Sustainable Westchester; and Leo Wiegman, Director of Solar Programs at Sustainable Westchester; spoke about Electricity.
Julie Tighe, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters, spoke about Transportation.
Jared Rodriguez, Principal at Emergent Urban Conceptt and Councilman of The Village of Sleepy Hollow; and Jennifer Metzger, former NY State Senator, and Energy Expert/Speaker; spoke about Buildings & Gas System Transition.
Resa Dimino, Principal at Resource Recycling Systems, spoke about Waste.
Finally, Karen E. Meara, Partner at Carter Ledyard & Milburn, LLP, spoke about Land Use.
The comment period for the scoping plan is open now and attendees were encouraged to take the information they learned during the session and comment on the plan through NYSERDA’s website. Click here to check out NYLCVEF’s and Sustainable Westchester’s comment guide and to learn more about how to make a comment: CLCPA Scoping Plan Guide.pdf.
NYLCV is applying to NYSERDA’s Clean Transportation Prize to continue our work on electrifying school buses. We are working with NYCSBUS, a nonprofit that owns 10% of the buses in NYC, to help deploy and scale electric bus fleets in the City. The goal is to create the first (of hopefully many!) depots in the City to work with ESBs and help lower transportation emissions.
Summary
In particular, this project aims to transform a bus depot in the Bronx into an electric school bus center for the community. It will do this by deploying a fleet of 30 green buses to reduce emissions, installing charging infrastructure that connects to the grid, and training bus drivers, technicians, and students on this technology.
Benefits
We would like to see this project bring zero-emission school bus rides for children, clean up the air in Bronx communities, and accelerate workforce training in clean technology.
Children riding NYC’s diesel and gasoline school buses breathe toxic pollutants that are detrimental to their lung development, school performance, and overall health. Diesel emissions from buses expose kids to exhaust 23-46x higher than levels needed for significant cancer risk, and aggravate asthma in children, which leads to more school absences.
Zerega Avenue in the Bronx is NYC’s commercial vehicle and bus district with heavy traffic, surrounding highways, and poor air quality.
Electric school buses will help eliminate diesel exhaust emissions and produce significantly lower GHG emissions than other buses, which improves the air quality in our communities.
Creating an electric school bus hub will also allow for the Bronx to be a leader in this space. Through creating physical training centers, establishing curricula, and engaging in workforce recruitment activities, this project will bring the benefits of clean job investments to the community members of the Bronx.
On Thursday, April 21st at The BrickHouse Brewery in Patchouge, NYLCVEF held a happy hour as a part of our What’s Brewin’ Offshore Happy Hour series.
OurWhat’s Brewin’ Offshore program is a series of happy hours held at local breweries across New York aimed at helping New Yorkers understand the planned and proposed offshore wind projects, the jobs associated with these projects, and how to get involved. In 2021 we held happy hours in Port Jefferson and Long Beach on Long Island. NYLCVEF partners with Climate Jobs NY on this program with help from Citizens Campaign for the Environment, the Long Island Association, and the Wind Works Long Island Coalition.
This happy hour was sponsored by Orsted, the offshore wind company who currently has two active offshore wind projects serving New York, South Fork Wind and Sunrise Wind. Offshore wind is critical to meet New York’s renewable energy goals, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and rebuild around a green energy economy, which will provide family-supporting jobs and improve public health. New York has committed to 70% renewable energy by 2030 and 100% clean energy by 2040, including 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035. Both Sunrise Wind and South Fork Wind are critical to meeting these unprecedented goals set by the state.
The night was kicked off by enthusiastic remarks from Ed Romaine, Brookhaven Town Supervisor. He spoke about the importance of renewable energy especially on Long Island which is very susceptible to rising sea levels caused by climate change. Adrienne Esposito of Citizens Campaign for the Environment then presented on current offshore wind projects and the status of the industry. Mariah Dignan of Climate Jobs NY then spoke about the implications of offshore wind on the labor industry and the great opportunity the industry has to create sustainable and secure jobs. Checkout coverage of the event here:
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Our next What’s Brewin’ Happy Hour is on June 9th at the Westhampton Brewery. We are also looking to expand the series beyond Long Island and hope to do events in the Capital Region and Queens.
Thanks to all those who joined us last week. Stay tuned for more information on our future What’s Brewin’ events!
Each year, NYLCVEF works with local partners to hold nonpartisan candidate forums in and outside of our chapter areas. These forums connect voters to elected officials and candidates for office in federal, state and local races and give voters the chance to hear candidates speak directly about their position on environmental issues, a topic that is all too often missing from traditional debates. These forums not only educate voters but they also motivate candidates to add environmental protection to their platforms, promises which we hold them accountable to once elected.
On Wednesday, April 20th, 2022, NYLCVEF held an environmental candidate forum for candidates running to represent New York’s fourth congressional district in the House of Representatives. It was held at Hofstra University and was the first in-person forum NYLCVEF has held since before the start of the pandemic.
NYLCVEF was joined by candidates Laura Gillen, Kevin Shakil-Mendez, Carrie Solages and Keith Corbett. The forum was moderated by NYLCV and NYLCVEF President, Julie Tighe.
Candidates opened up the forum by giving an opening statement and then were asked questions about their stance on current federal environmental policies, local environmental issues, and how they will prioritize the environment if elected. Question topics included offshore wind, contaminated drinking water, electric vehicles and clean transportation, sea level rise and coastal resiliency, waste management, infrastructure, and addressing climate justice.
Candidates then closed out the forum by giving a closing statement.
Thank you to the candidates who participated and to event attendees. If you were unable to attend the event, checkout the recording here.
NYLCVEF plans to hold more forums in May for Candidates running for Congressional Districts 1 and 3. Stay tuned for more info!
On Wednesday, March 2nd, NYLCV held a ride and drive event for New York State Legislators with some electric school bus manufacturers. Electric school buses from Blue Bird, Lion Electric Company, and a retrofitted diesel to electric school bus done by Unique Electric Solutions and operated by Logan Bus Company, all made the trip to Albany to showcase the electric school bus market.
The day was kicked off by a press conference with speakers Julie Tighe, President of NYLCV; Justin Balik, Senior Manager of State Policy for Transportation Electrification for the World Resources Institute; Basil Seggos, Commissioner of the NY Department of Environmental Conservation; Jeanette Moy, Commissioner of the Office of General Services; David Sandbank, Vice President of Distributed Energy Resources for NYSERDA; Trevor Summerfield, Director of Advocacy for the American Lung Association; Orville Thomas, Director of Government Relations for Lion Electric; Joe Ambrosio, President of Unique Electric Solutions; and Jeremy Johnston, Sales Manager for Blue Bird.
Speakers vocalized their support for electric school buses and emphasized the importance of electrifying New York’s school bus fleet to improve public health, decrease our reliance on fossil fuels, and clean our transportation systems.
After the press conference, New York State legislators stopped by throughout the day to take a ride, and to learn more about the school buses as they make their decisions on including funding for electric school buses in the 2022 State Budget.
NYLCV and our partner groups are advocating for secured funding in the 2022 State Budget to support Governor Hochul’s mandate of the full electrification of New York’s school bus fleet by 2035. We’re also advocating for an equitable transition to all-electric school buses by prioritizing electrification in environmental justice and disadvantaged communities. Support our effort and send a message to your state legislators here!
Throughout the day the bus manufacturers showcased the buses’ engines, speed capabilities, and smoothness. Overall it was a great day absent of loud school bus idling and diesel exhaust! Thank you to all those who attended and continue to support our efforts!
We formed a new coalition in October 2020 to fight for zero-emission school buses in New York City, and to ensure that Mayor de Blasio’s commitment to electrification is upheld. Read the announcement here and visit the coalition website here.
BIG NEWS: All School Buses In NYC Will Be Electric By 2035
On Thursday, October 7, 2021, Intro 455-A passed through the NYC Council with 44 votes for and 1 vote against. Intro 455-A requires that all NYC school buses be electric by 2035. It also includes a stipulation that requires the Department of Education (DOE) to report on a variety of implementation targets, some regarding equitable distribution of buses, in accordance with three deadlines: July 1, 2023, 2028, and 2033.
Check Out Our Clean Bus Guide
We are excited to release our Clean Bus Guide, a toolkit we put together to help communities around the state promote the transition to electric school buses. Organize your own electric school bus campaign using our Clean Bus Guide. It provides talking points about the harmful public health and environmental impacts of diesel pollution, information on key stakeholders to involve in your campaign, information on funding for electric school buses, campaign organizing tips and strategies, and more. Let’s continue the fight for clean school buses together! Get the guide for FREE here.
Check Out Our Webinar with the Drive Electric Long Island Coalition
On September 30th, as part of Drive Electric Week, we held a webinar with the Drive Electric Long Island Coalition and Mothers Out Front Long Island to walk through our Clean Bus Guide. Click here to access the webinar recording and learn how you can launch a successful campaign to bring emission free electric school buses to your local school district! Passcode for the recording is H7KX0Hi=
Updates
For more updates follow our NYC Clean School Bus Coalition Twitter & Instagram @nycleanbus
Intro 455-A Passes in the NYC Council, Mandating an All Electric School Bus Fleet by 2035!
On October 7, 2021 Intro 455-A was brought to a vote and passed through the NYC Council. This is a HUGE win for the healthy and safety of our children, school bus workers, communities, and planet. Read more about this historic passing in our blog post.
Rally to Show Support for Electric School Buses
Our NYC Clean School Bus Coalition held a rally on September 30th, 2021 at Tweed Courthouse, with all our coalition members, parent advocates, and Council Members Daniel Dromm & Jim Gennaro to demand the passage of Intro 455-A and to show love for electric school buses. Read more about the event here.
Bethlehem and Croton Vote for Electric School Buses
Voters in the Bethlehem and Croton-Harmon school districts voted in favor of purchasing zero-emission school buses for students.
Mayor Bill de Blasio Announces Commits to 100% Electric School Bus Fleet by 2035
Big news from the Mayor’s office as he committed to electrifying the entire NYC school bus fleet by 2035! What does this mean for our school bus work and what are the steps to electrification? Read our blog post to learn more about what happens now that the Mayor has made this commitment.
Coalition Launch and 2020–2021 Agenda Release
On Children’s Health Day 2020, a coalition launched that aims to phase out all school buses running on fossil fuels and transition to all-electric buses by 2040. Along with the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, coalition members include New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, North Brooklyn Neighbors, 350Brooklyn, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Earthjustice, and Jobs to Move America. Learn more and read the agenda.
School Bus Drawing Contest!
We held a Clean School Bus Drawing Contest to raise awareness about our Clean Buses for Healthy Niños campaign. For more than two years, NYLCVEF has been supporting the electrification of school buses in New York State. Currently, approximately 40,000 school buses in New York State run on diesel fuel, the exhaust from which has been shown to emit a toxic cocktail of chemicals that pollutes our air, harms public health, and contributes to climate change. When children ride the bus to school they are exposed to these fumes, which can exacerbate asthma symptoms. Our most vulnerable communities experience these impacts at much higher rates. That’s why NYLCVEF supports school bus electrification and investment in electric school buses.
Our Clean School Bus Drawing Contest invited school-aged kids to think about the last time they saw a school bus or consider what they think an electric school bus would look like, and draw it! We hope participants found it to be a great exercise to get creative and learn about the environmental and health benefits of electrifying school buses.
This contest closed on June 10th, 2020. See below the winning drawings that are featured in our Clean Bus Guide, a toolkit of resources for community groups across the state to create their own campaigns for electric school buses. Congratulations to the winners!
Our Press Conference at the NYC DOE:
In 2018, former New York City Council Member Rafael Espinal spearheaded a pilot program to bring electric school buses to New York City by the start of the 2019 school year. However, the buses are still not on the road.
In September of 2019 we organized a press conference with New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI) and former Council Member Rafael Espinal to urge the NYC Department of Education (DOE) to clean its school bus fleet and show our support for the highly anticipated pilot program. We were joined by WE ACT, Transportation Alternatives, EarthJustice, and Citywide Council for District 75.
Letter to NYC DOE from City Council Chairs:
In February 2020, six City Council members and chairs of the relevant Council Committees (Health, Transportation, Environment, Finance, Contracts, and Education) sent a letter to the DOE asking them to engage in a discussion about Intro 455, a City Council bill that would electrify the city’s school bus fleet by 2040.
The letter was signed by Council Member Dromm, Chair of the Finance Committee; Council Member Treyger, Chair of the Committee on Education; Council Member Kallos, Chair of the Committee on Contracts; Council Member Constantinides, Chair of the Committee on Environmental Protection; Council Member Levine, Chair of the Committee on Health; and Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, Chair of the Committee on Transportation. See the full letter here.
Thank you Letter to NYC Council Speaker Johnson
Along with our partners NYLPI and WE ACT, we wrote a thank you letter to NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson, for including support for electric school buses in his 2020 State of the City address.
Speaker Johnson listed achieving a 100% Zero Emissions Vehicle School Bus Fleet by 2040 as a priority under the policies he outlined in his address. We look forward to working with the Council to ensure legislation is passed to achieve this goal! See the full letter here- Thank You Letter to Speaker Johnson
Our Rally & Petition Delivery
This past June, NYLCV successfully delivered our petition to Governor Cuomo, asking him to fund electric school buses in school districts overburdened by poor air quality. Over the past six months, NYLCV mobilized community members, raised public awareness about the dangers of diesel school buses and emboldened our partners and allies to demand action from New York State. In total, we gathered nearly 6,000 signatures from New Yorkers concerned about the health and safety of New York’s school children.
At our rally, we spoke to the public about the environmental, health and economic impacts of diesel school buses and air pollution. We also highlighted the importance of the rare opportunity New York State currently has. The Volkswagen Settlement establishes a state mitigation fund which provides the DEC and Governor Cuomo with a chance to invest in clean transportation, protect our children and undo the disparate impact of climate change on the economically disadvantaged and communities of color. Together with our partners and community leaders, we continue to demand that the state use the $127 million it received from the Volkswagen Settlement to fund electric school buses in environmental justice communities. Watch our rally and petition delivery here.
Do you or your organization want to join our coalition?
Contact us today: Caroline Hahn at chahn@nylcv.org .
Thank you to our valued partners.
Special thanks to the New York Community Trust for its generous support of this program.
Together with Columbia University’s Sabin Center For Climate Change Law, we recently held the third virtual forum in our series on implementing the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. This roundtable focused on reducing emissions from the transportation sector, which is the state’s largest contributor of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A recording of the forum is available here.
The forum featured discussions about two policies in particular: the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) and a Clean Fuels Standard (CFS). The forum was moderated by Nick Sifuentes, Executive Director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. It featured several expert speakers from the transportation and climate sectors: James Bradbury, Bruce Ho, Ben Mandel, Porie Saikia-Eapen, Kerene Tayloe, and Floyd Vergara.
James Bradbury is the Mitigation Program Director at the Georgetown Climate Center. During the roundtable, he spoke about how the Transportation and Climate Initiative would commit 12 Northeastern states to reduce emissions from regional transportation. The TCI proposes to cut down on the over 40% of carbon emissions that transportation is responsible for regionally through creating a multijurisdictional cap on carbon emissions. It proposes a 20-25% cut in carbon emissions from 2022-2032. It would also modestly raise prices at the pump and use the proceeds to fund research in and incentivize clean energy. The final memorandum of understanding for the TCI is on track to be released by the end of the year, with the policy set to go into effect in 2021. The TCI and its regional approach can get more done than if the states were to only act alone.
Bradbury also discussed the current federal political landscape. While he said that Congress is currently very unpredictable with funding, he stated that the Biden/Harris Administration will pursue climate-friendly initiatives such as setting federal vehicle emissions standards and restoring tax credits for electric vehicles. Because of uncertainty on the federal level, Bradbury contends that state and local leadership is critical to creating long-term climate programs. He said that a combination of bottom-up leadership from communities and state-level funding will be important.
Bruce Ho, Senior Advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council, mentioned the need for an “all-hands-on-deck” approach to tackle the transportation sector’s pollution problem. He lauded the TCI’s enforceable declining cap on transportation emissions and $1.4 billion in annual funding it would create, citing its potential to save lives and prevent over 1,000 childhood asthma cases in New York every year. He mentioned the need to use TCI funds to support equitable solutions like mass transit. He also stated that it would be unacceptable if the TCI exacerbates existing disparities, and that the program will need to provide certainties and guarantees for health benefits for communities of color. Finally, Ho emphasized that no single policy is a silver bullet, and that it is essential for a clean fuels standard to work hand in hand with the TCI.
Ben Mandel, Northeast Regional Director for CALSTART, reiterated that while the TCI is imperative, we also need an all-hands-on-deck approach. A clean fuels standard would establish a declining standard for the carbon from fuels used in the state. It would create revenue to reinvest in the public transportation system and the development of low carbon fuels. He said that clean fuel standard bills have bipartisan support in the State Assembly and Senate. Mandle suggested using incentives to reduce payback periods for investing in an electric fleet in order to get more clean-fuel vehicles on the road. To handle areas without access to mass transit, he suggested enhancing first and last mile connections such as e-bikes and e-scooters, reducing the need for single-person car trips.
Porie Saikia-Eapen, Director of Environmental Sustainability and Compliance at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, discussed the agency’s long term goals for fleet electrification, including plans to convert the entire 6000-strong bus fleet to run on electricity by 2040. This process has already begun through the purchase of 15 electric buses and plans to order 500 more in the 2024 capital plan. She mentioned that the MTA has 2000 miles of track, covers 5000 square miles of territory, and moved an average of 9,000,000 people per day prior to the pandemic. The agency keeps 17,000,000 tons of GHG emissions out of the air annually by reducing the number of cars on the road, she said. It is currently looking to make a 10-year agreement with energy developers to install solar panels on bus depot roofs to send power to the grid. A similar program already exists with panels on the roof of the Stillwood Avenue subway terminal that power the station. Saikia-Eapen also mentioned that the agency exceeded its 2010-2020 goal of reducing energy consumption of spaces greater than 20,000 square feet by 20%. Additionally, the MTA is currently researching biodiesel as a possible fuel source. Finally, the agency is committed to reporting emissions on an annual basis to the climate registry and to meeting the science-based targets of the Paris Climate Agreement.
Kerena Tayloe is the Director of Federal Legislative Affairs at WE ACT for Environmental Justice. During the roundtable, she expressed some of the concerns about TCI, including that many of these policies were created without input from environmental justice communities. Tayloe also criticized the Trump Administration’s rollbacks of CAFE standards. She opposes market-based approaches to reducing emissions, which she feels are ineffectual. She supports the adoption of electric buses, and mentioned that an increase in the price of gas would only increase the burden on already-burdened people.
Floyd Vergara is the leader of the West Coast Office for the National Biodiesel Board. He discussed the clean fuels standard, which he said decarbonizes the transportation fuel pool, improves air quality, reduces dependency on fossil-fuels, incentivizes investment in new industries, and creates jobs. The CFS incentivizes alternative fuels such as biodiesel, which has created an estimated 38,000 jobs. Vergara said that the CFS in California has not had an adverse impact on prices at the pump. He says we often focus on the magnitude of emission reductions but ignore how long it would take to achieve these goals. Biodiesel can be implemented right now since it is compatible with existing engines and would significantly reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from trucks. Electrification makes sense for light-duty vehicles, but for heavy-duty vehicles, biofuels will play an important role, said Vergara.
We will continue to plan more in our forum series on implementing the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.
On October 15th, 2020, the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCVEF), Citizens Campaign for the Environment, and Students for Climate Action (S4CA) held a candidate forum for New York Congressional Districts 1 and 2, which cover a large part of Suffolk County and the southeastern portion of Nassau County. The forum took place on Zoom ahead of the general election on November 3rd. NYLCVEF regularly holds candidate forums to provide voters with the opportunity to hear directly from candidates about their stance on important environmental issues.
The forum featured pre-recorded interviews with Congressional District 1 candidates Lee Zeldin (incumbent) and Nancy Goroff. Also featured were pre-recorded interviews with candidates Jackie Gordon and Andrew Garbarino, running for the Congressional District 2 seat soon to be vacated by longtime congressman Peter King. The forum was moderated by Adrienne Esposito, the Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, and featured panelists Julie Tighe, President of NYLCVEF; Melissa Parrott, Executive Director of S4CA; Harrison Bench, Deputy Director of S4CA; Christine Giurcanu, a member of S4CA; and Gordiane Raacke, Executive Director of Renewable Energy Long Island.
NY Congressional District 1
Lee Zelden is the incumbent Congressman for NY’s 1st Congressional District, an attorney, and an officer in the United States Army Reserve. During the forum, he advocated for the government to work with the private sector, and mentioned the Carbon Capture Improvement Act, a bill incentivizing corporations to invest in carbon capture and storage equipment, which he co-sponsored. Regarding solar energy, Zeldin acknowledged legislation that he co-sponsored to extend the Solar Investment Tax Credit by five years. Congressman Zeldin acknowledged the importance of water quality testing and transparency of the results, and recognized the need to make incremental progress on the long-term issue of water quality across the country. He advocated for the EPA to set a limit on the level of contaminants in local water supply, mentioned the need for investment in sewer infrastructure to decrease river contamination, and emphasized the need to complete the Forge River Watershed Sewer project. In his closing statement, he emphasized the need for bipartisanship on climate legislation and lauded bipartisan climate action over the past year.
Dr. Nancy Goroff is the chair of the chemistry department at Stony Brook University and has a PhD in Organic Chemistry from UCLA. During the forum, she mentioned the need for climate action as a top priority for her and a major motivation for her entry into the race. She advocated for completely carbon neutral energy production by 2035, and total carbon neutrality as soon as possible after that. She emphasized the need to invest in clean energy infrastructure and research. Dr. Goroff also spoke about her desire to make her office a resource on climate change for every member of Congress, and to challenge climate-denying members. Dr. Goroff mentioned the need for clean energy infrastructure in the next stimulus package, including offshore wind farms for Long Island. She is in favor of increasing solar energy infrastructure however she can, including extending the solar tax credit and working with local governments to ease ordinances that place restrictions on solar power. Dr. Goroff emphasized the need for the EPA to monitor water contamination, and for both the EPA and the Department of Defense to remediate water contamination. In her closing statement, she mentioned the need to re-enter the Paris Climate Accord.
NY Congressional District 2
Jackie Gordon is a U.S. combat veteran who has worked as an educator, a community leader, and a public servant. During the forum, she acknowledged the reality of the climate crisis, recalling the devastation caused by Superstorm Sandy, and spoke about the need to re-enter the Paris Climate Accord. She said she would prioritize renewable energy in Congress, and mentioned the need to ensure that renewable energy companies get their products to market. She also recognized the need to secure funding for renewable energy corporations to help them conduct research. Gordon supports extending the solar tax incentive, and envisions partnerships between educational institutions and the solar industry. Gordon said she would prioritize the Bethpage plume, and bring local, state, and federal environmental agencies together to figure out what went wrong. She also mentioned the need to identify who was harmed, and to introduce a bill in Congress to clean up the site and penalize polluters. In her closing statement, she mentioned our collective responsibility to take care of the planet, emphasizing her special responsibility as a leader to do so.
Andrew Garbarino currently serves as a NY State Assemblyman for Assembly District 7. During the forum, he mentioned his personal connection to the environment, having grown up on the South Shore and learning to sail and swim in the Great South Bay. He cited his experience serving on the Environmental Conservation Committee as an assemblyman. Garbarino also acknowledged the importance of protecting the South Shore, mentioning its role as an economic driver for the area. He supports a bill which would provide a carbon recapture tax credit as well as the “Trillion Trees” bill. He emphasized that environmental conservation should be a bipartisan issue. Additionally, he supports the solar industry and extension of the solar tax credit, citing personal stories of its effectiveness. He opposes offshore drilling, and wants to replace coal and oil power with renewables and natural gas. Garbarino also cited his votes for bills banning aquifer contaminants, and advocated for a comprehensive infrastructure bill from Congress to address Suffolk County’s lack of modern sewage infrastructure. In his closing statement, he reiterated his earlier remarks about his personal experience growing up near the Great South Bay and that the climate should be a bipartisan issue.
Harry Burger is a mechanical engineer and the Green Party candidate for NY’s 2nd Congressional District. In his opening remarks, Burger mentioned current natural disasters that are being spurred on by climate change: fires in the west and hurricanes in the east. Burger supports the Green New Deal, and advocates for zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Burger expressed that we need to end new oil drilling, fracking, and fossil fuel infrastructure projects. Burger expressed the need to invest aggressively in renewables and look to lower energy alternatives (e.g. high speed rail as opposed to airlines), which he says will stimulate the economy. With regards to the Bethpage plume, Burger mentioned how if Grumman and the Navy properly disposed of their waste in the 1970s, there would be no contamination in the first place, and that it would have been cheaper for them in the long run. He also stated the huge economic ($558 million) and environmental costs of the plume. To help remediate the situation and avert future disasters, Burger wants to hold Grumman responsible for the full cost of the cleanup. The more immediate concern to Burger, however, is getting the federal government to stop polluting before it reaches places like the Great South Bay. Finally, he emphasized how climate issues are interconnected, and that a disruption in one area of the environment can have a cascading effect on everything else. Harry Burger’s video testimonial can be viewed here.
Thanks to our partners for helping to make this event a success: Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Students for Climate Action (S4CA), and Renewable Energy Long Island.
We encourage you to vote in the upcoming election on November 3rd, and to pledge to vote early to help ensure that your vote is counted in a timely manner!
On September 29th, 2020, the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCVEF) held a candidate forum for New York Senate District 55, which covers parts of Monroe and Ontario Counties, to replace State Senator Rich Funke. The forum took place on Zoom ahead of the general election on November 3rd. NYLCVEF regularly holds candidate forums to provide voters with the opportunity to hear directly from candidates about their stance on important sustainability issues. The Senate D55 forum featured candidates Christopher Missick and Samra Brouk. The forum was moderated by Jeremy Moule, staff writer at Rochester’s CITY newspaper.
Christopher Missick is an Iraq War veteran who works as a lawyer, farmer, and winemaker. During the forum, he emphasized that his livelihood is dependent on the environment and cited his use of sustainable farming practices as well as his experience working with regulations as a lawyer. He would support bills to increase funding for wind and solar energy, along with the battery technology needed to store it. He also spoke of the need to protect water quality in the area and move away from fossil fuels, acknowledging renewables as the long term answer to our energy needs. Missick supports nuclear energy as long as it is being produced safely.
When asked what the government can do to cut emissions from the agriculture sector, he suggested planting trees on old farmland and creating incentives to diversify crop selection to improve soil health. Missick believes it is necessary to focus on educating the public about environmental issues. To address climate inequity, he suggested adding community cooling centers and the creation of empowerment zones to help rebuild economically distressed areas. Missick supports providing tax incentives and education on a classroom level to drive composting and food scrap collection.
Samra Brouk is a former Peace Corps volunteer who currently builds nonprofits and startups. During the forum, she emphasized the importance of taking bold action on climate change and climate justice, stressing the need to improve the quality of life in underprivileged areas in conjunction with climate legislation. Brouk mentioned the importance of working with grassroots organizations and advocated for more public-private partnerships. Brouk recently visited Lake Ontario, where she observed and learned about the local effects of climate change. She cited her experience volunteering in Guatemala and working with local governments to create Climate Smart Communities (CSCs). If elected, she would advocate for increased climate resilience infrastructure and legislation that would make it easier for communities to become CSCs. Brouk would additionally support legislation to incentivize companies to create more green jobs in D55 and recruit graduates from science- and technology-focused university programs in the area.
Brouk also emphasized the need to enforce, tighten, and incentivize building codes. She believes that investing in anaerobic digesters and increasing training and education for farmers will help the agricultural sector combat climate change. To drive composting and food scrap collection, Brouk hopes to pass state level legislation and add local infrastructure. She also plans to move away from fossil fuels through government involvement, invest in clean energy, and increase education. She supports nuclear energy in conjunction with renewables.
Both candidates support fully funding the EPF and building climate-conscious infrastructure. Missick and Brouk emphasized working with local communities on solar farms and expressed their support for wind power. They each support increased public transportation and bike capacity as alternatives to automobiles. Each candidate supported advancing a bond act and recognized the importance of fighting invasive species.
Thanks to our partners for helping to make this event a success: Citizens’ Climate Lobby Rochester and Rochester People’s Climate Coalition. Remember to cast your ballot for the general election on November 3rd via absentee ballot or at your polling place.
