Putting Out the Planetary Fire

The Hochul administration, in a lawsuit that the state had already won, surprisingly agreed to postpone the January 2026 start date for the All Electric Buildings Act, which bans fossil fuels in new buildings six stories or shorter. On Friday, Dec. 5, the NYS Building Council is considering whether to eliminate the law from the pending update to the state’s building code. Michael Hernandez of Rewi...

Clean energy advocates held a press conference ahead of the Building Code Council meeting on December 5th to uplift the affordability benefits of the All-Electric Buildings Law (AEBL). Last summer, the Building Code Council voted to update NYS codes to adopt the strongest all-electric new building code in the nation, which would have gone into effect at the start of the new year. Earlier this mont...

NY Renews is a coalition of nearly 400 climate, labor, youth, and community groups, and was the major group that pushed for the adoption of the CLCPA, the state’s climate law, in 2019. They adocate for clean energy, good jobs, and a healthier, more affordable New York. Stephan Edel, their Executive Director, discusses the successes and upcoming challenges on the group’s 10th anniversary.

More than 100 climate activists came to the State Capitol on Thursday December 11 to urge Governor Hochul to sign legislation that would end the estimated six hundred million of dollars that has been added to utility bills by requiring free gas hookups if the new the customer is within 100 feet of an existing gas pipeline. The cost of such hookups, from $2500 to $10000 per building, is presently a...

On Tuesday December 16, the Hochul administration approved an update to the state energy plan which embraced an All-of-the-Above energy policy including fossil fuels and nuclear power. Many climate groups challenged the plan as being out of compliance with the goals included in the CLCPA, the state’s climate law five years ago. Many are disappointed that not only has Hochul and NYPA failed to comm...

This show includes five climate related segments from the past year from my segments on Hudson Mohawk Magazine. 2025 was a bad year for climate action in both New York and the United States. At the federal level, President Trump took action to remove the US from the Paris climate accords while dismantling existing programs that supported the development of clean, renewable energy while promoting t...

On Thursday, October 16, the Break the Bonds NYS campaign held a rally in Albany, marching from the Capitol to NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office. The "Break the Bonds" campaign wants the New York State Common Retirement Fund (NYSCRF) to divest from Israel Bonds, which they note support the Israeli government's actions in Palestine. The Campaign says that these investments contrib...

At 12:00 Noon on Saturday, October 18, the people of the Capital Region will gather on Western Avenue between Fuller and Manning Boulevard for a nonviolent demonstration and march in collective celebration of their right to peaceably assemble, and to reaffirm, once again, that America has No Kings! More than 2600 No Kings events are planned nationwide. Organizers cite that the Trump administration...

On Friday September 26, the state senate held a roundtable on the implementation of the state’s climate law, CLCPA, which is falling short of its mandated goals. We hear from Samantha Wilt of NRDC, Alisha Dean Steinber of the League of Conservation Voters, Alison Constadine of the Decarbonization Coalition and Michael Hernandez of Rewiring America. By Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

On Tuesday, September 30, a People’s Meeting was organized outside of Governor Hochul’s nuclear summit in Syracuse by Onondaga Nation community members, the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force, Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation, the Alliance for a Green Economy, the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS), Citizen Action, NY Renews, FWW, and Frack Action. They demanded real climate solut...

On October 7, Beyond Plastics released a new report, “Follow the Money: The David vs. Goliath Battle to Pass the New York Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act.” Reports filed with the state showed that the bill was the most lobbied on during the section, with 107 lobbyists paid to defeat it. 21 of the 50 highest-paid lobbying firms in New York were retained by industry opponents to...

On Oct. 9, Lights Out Norlite held a news conference in Cohoes, NY pointing out that there is still toxic dust being blown around from the Norlite plant despite the plant temporarily stopping the burning of imported hazardous waste since March of 2024. Norlite LLC is the defendant in a lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation o...

When Governor Hochul attended Opening Day at the Great New York State Fair , Central New York residents, community leaders and environmentalists planned a press conference to demand the Governor reject dangerous nuclear power plants and major fracked gas pipelines . While the rally was canceled due to thunderstorms, protestors were still there with banners and several encountered the Governor insi...

On Wednesday September 3, more than 3 dozen climate activists held a news conference outside of the State Department of Environmental Conservation in downtown Albany to urge the Hochul administration not to cave to President Trump, who is pushing the Governor to reverse prior decisions rejected several William company pipelines (NISE, Constitution) allegedly in exchange for allowing an offshore wi...

Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan and the Albany Community Land Trust held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, September 4 on Orange Street for geothermal drilling underway at two properties in the Sheridan Hollow neighborhood. These boreholes will enable highly efficient geothermal energy to be used to heat and cool 3 residential units and a commercial business. This pilot program, spearheaded by NYS...

On Monday. September 8, the NYS Energy and Research Development Authority held a reception on Wolf Road in Albany to observe its 50th anniversary. A number of climate groups held signs outside of the event to highlight some key reforms they hope that NYSERDA will adopt to curtail greenhouse gas emissions and speed up the transition to clean, renewable energy. We hear from Isaac Silberman-Gorn of F...

On Saturday, September 13, more than a hundred environmentalists rallied at the State Capitol to call for passage of the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act. Many criticized Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for refusing to allow the bill to come up to a vote the last two sessions. The bill would require a 30% reduction in packaging over 12 years and ban a number of toxic chemicals fr...

On Saturday, September 13, more than a hundred environmentalists rallied at the State Capitol to call for passage of the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act. Many criticized Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for refusing to allow the bill to come up to a vote the last two sessions under pressure from more than 60 paid industry lobbyists. In Part one of our coverage, we start off with...

On Saturday, Sept. 20 tens of thousands joined Make Billionaires Pay marches across the United States. As world leaders gather in New York City to discuss climate action and peace at the United Nations, we’ll be sending a clear message: Shut down billionaires. Fund our future. The money to solve the climate crisis already exists — it’s just in the wrong hands. New research1 shows that the U.S. gov...

Sunday, September 21, was a national day of action on climate. SUN Day had a particular focus on promoting solar and other renewable energy sources such as wind and geothermal to respond to global warming. In Albany, there were displays and workshops beneath the Egg at the Empire State Plaza. Workshop topics included packaging reduction, solar, and how your local community can promote sustainabili...

On July 23, 2025, the Trump administration issued an Artificial Intelligence Action Plan. The plan is viewed as heavily promoting the AI industry and seeks to reduce the ability of individual states to adopt their own regulations. Environmental groups are concerned about the massive electricity and water demands of the AI Industry. Ben Murray, a Senior Researcher with Food and Water Watch, discuss...

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has proposed a significant reduction in funding for the Empower+ program, which aims to assist low- and moderate-income households with energy efficiency upgrades. The proposed budget cut from $220 million to $80 million in 2027 has raised concerns among advocates and lawmakers, especially as the program has been a key tool in...

Governor Hochul is pushing New York to heavily invest in an expansion of nuclear power. Not only has she directed the NY Power Authority to build a nuclear plant but now she has proposed extending former Governor Cuomo’s controversial bailout of 4 old upstate nuclear power plants, with an additional price tag of as much as $30 billion. Anne Rabe of Don’t Waste NY talks to Mark Dunlea of Hudson Moh...

The New York Power Authority is holding hearings on itsproposal to build 7 GW of renewable electricity to meet the mandates of the Build Public Renewables Act. Climate activists want that target increased to 15 GW. We hear first from Robert Ciesielski of the NYS Sierra Club Energy Committee; Michael Richardson of Third Act Upstate; Jeanne Bergman of Sane Energy Project; and Anne Erling of Albany o...

Climate and environmental justice groups in March filed a lawsuit against the DEC for not releasing greenhouse gas reduction regulations mandated by the CLCPA, the state's climate law.. There will be a court hearing on Friday July 25th in Kingston. Caroline Chen of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest talks to Mark Dunlea of Hudson Mohawk Magazine about the status of the lawsuit.