Putting Out the Planetary Fire

Residents across the state are struggling to keep up with rising energy bills – and these surging bills are hitting low and moderate-income New Yorkers particularly hard. The state’s Empower+ program, which is designed to help low-income homeowners and renters make energy-related improvements to their homes to help lower energy bills, is at risk of being severely underfunded this budget cycle. Mic...

The state Department of Environment Conservation (DEC) approved permits Friday to expand two Hudson Valley compressor stations in Athens and Dover as part of the Iroquois gas pipeline. The entire project, which includes upgrading two Connecticut facilities, allows another 125 million cubic feet of fracked gas to flow along the 414-mile pipeline from Canada to New York City. Emily Skydel of Food an...

On Thursday, February 13, climate activists disrupted the monthly meeting of the Public Service Commissioners in Albany. The immediate focus of the protest was the decision last Friday to approve the expansion of the Iroquois pipeline which builds out the fossil fuel infrastructure and will deliver more gas. The Hochul administration, while acknowledging that the expansion conflicts with the manda...

Despite the significant financial and environmental problems with nuclear power, Governor Hochul is making a major push to develop more of it in NY. Partly it is out of the desire to respond to the skyrocketing electrical demands of data centers, AI, the Micron chip fab plant in Syracuse, and cryptocurrency. Many call nuclear a false climate solution since it does have a carbon footprint related t...

On Tuesday, February 25, the NY Department of State (DOS) and NYSERDA released a revised draft of the 2024 Building/Energy Code update. A public hearing and vote was held on February 28. While many praised the council for including the provisions of the All Electric Building Act in their draft, a number of key proposals made by the Climate Aciton Council were relegated to an advisory appendix rath...

 On December 17, Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace held a forum on Climate Change and Resource Wars. Many wars are fought over access to resources, such as oil and rare minerals, major factors in the present conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine. The military accounts for an estimated 5% of the global greenhouse emissions and diverts critical funds from the transition to a clean energy future. In this report...

Rensselaer officials and city residents are unhappy with the December 23rd announcement by the NYS DEC that they had renewed the permit for the Dunn landfill. Bob Welton and Jessica Welshans of Rensselaer Environmental Coalition talk about local reactions and next steps with Mark Dunlea of Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

On December 10 – 12, 2024, hundreds of New Yorkers participated in a 3 day occupation of the NY State Capitol to urge Governor Hochul to sign the Climate Superfund Act to make the state’s largest greenhouse gas polluters pay $3 billion a year to help repair some of the damages they have caused. 19 elders were arrested. The first dozen of the arrestees were in Albany City Court on January 7. We sta...

In Tuesday’s State of the State, Governor Hochul announced that she was further delaying implementation of her cap-trade-and-invest program to put a price on greenhouse gas emissions. Caroline Chen of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest talks to Mark Dunlea of Hudson Mohawk Magazine why this is bad news for environmental justice.

On Tuesday, January 28, over 200 advocates came to the State Capitol to join faith leaders and elected officials to urge the state legislature to pass the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act and the Bigger Better Bottle Bill, kicking off this year’s campaign to end plastic pollution, save tax dollars, provide new revenue for localities, reduce plastic packaging, and protect New Yo...

On Tuesday, January 28, the NYS legislature held a twelve hour hearing on the environmental and energy issues in Governor Hochul’s proposed state budget. Many expressed concerns about the slowing down of climate action by the Hochul administration, including the ongoing delay in implementing some form of carbon pricing. In part two of our coverage, we hear from Laurie Wheelock, Executive Director...

The State Legislature has begun their marathon hearings on the state budget, with 12 issue areas spread out over 4 weeks. The Environment and Energy was one of the first hearings on Tuesday Jan. 28. The public had to wait 8 hours before they were allowed to testify for 3 minutes as lawmakers spent hours asking questions - with often vague answers - from state agency heads. Governor Hochul's re...

On Tuesday February 4, several hundred climate activists were at the State Capitol to promote the Renewable Heat Now Campaign. The main push was to finally pass the NY Heat Act. The Act, which has passed the NYS Senate, Would stop subsidies for gas expansion (e.g., the 100 foot rule); would align state agency actions (e.g., PSC) with the state's climate law (CLCPA); and would cap utility bills...

A new report found that gaps in environmental regulations enabled 89 million gallons of landfill leachate, chemically-laced water runoff, to be dumped into the Mohawk and Hudson rivers annually from 2019 to 2023. Many communities obtain their drinking water from these rivers. Leachate is created as water such as rain or snow melt percolates through landfills, becoming toxic after picking up chemic...

On December 17, Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace held a forum on Climate Change and Resource Wars. Many wars are fought over access to resources, such as oil and rare minerals, major factors in the present conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine. The military accounts for an estimated 5% of the global greenhouse emissions and diverts critical funds from the transition to a clean energy future. In this report w...

Rewiring America has released Breathe easy: Household electrification as a public health intervention to improve outdoor air quality, a new analysis that models the health benefits of electrifying homes in communities across the U.S. Electrifying the nation’s homes would notably improve outdoor air quality, leading to 3,400 fewer premature deaths, 1,300 fewer hospital admissions and ER visits, 220...

The three day occupation at the Capitol which began on Dec. 10 to urge Governor Hochul to sign the Climate Superfund Act ended by joining a press conference outside the Assembly chambers on Dec. 12 in support of the Renewable Heat Now campaign, one of a dozen regional events across the state. The campaign includes support for the Renewable Capitol Act and the NY HEAT Act. In part 2 of our coverage...

Rewiring America has released Breathe easy: Household electrification as a public health intervention to improve outdoor air quality, a new analysis that models the health benefits of electrifying homes in communities across the U.S. Electrifying the nation’s homes would notably improve outdoor air quality, leading to 3,400 fewer premature deaths, 1,300 fewer hospital admissions and ER visits, 220...

In June, in the closing hours of the legislative session, Governor Hochul upheaved the political world by shockingly unilaterally announcing that she was pausing congestion pricing in downtown Manhattan, apparently in an effort to help Democrats with suburban voters. Now that the election is over and with her facing several lawsuits over her action, Hochul has announced that congestion pricing wil...

On Saturday, November 9 elected officials, city residents and environmental leaders gathered on the banks of the Hudson River near the BASF toxic waste site in the City of Rensselaer to express strong opposition to a new incinerator project being proposed by a New Jersey company called Harbor Rock. In part two of Hudson Mohawk’s coverage, we hear from Rensselaer Mayor Mike Stammel; Bob Welton of R...

On Saturday, November 9 elected officials, city residents and environmental leaders gathered on the banks of the Hudson River near the BASF toxic waste site in the City of Rensselaer to express strong opposition to a new incinerator project. A New Jersey company called Harbor Rock is eyeing the property to incinerate river sediment from the bottom of the Hudson River and possibly other rivers and...

Nov. 13 - The state Department of Environmental Conservation has denied the various air and waste permits for the controversial biochar plant proposal in the Town of Moreau. The company wanted to process up to 15 percent of the biosolids generated in New York without first demonstrating that its process works at scale and is protective of human health and the environment. Tracy Frisch of the Clean...

New Yorkers will gather at the State Capitol on Dec. 10 to 12, with some participants pledging to engage in nonviolent civil disobedience, to underscore the urgency of the climate crisis. The three-day sit-in demands Governor Hochul sign the Climate Change Superfund Act, part of a growing national movement to hold Big Oil accountable. Sheldon Pollock of Third Act talks to Mark Dunlea of Hudson Moh...

On December 10 to 12, climate activists held a 3 day occupation of the state capitol to call upon Governor Hochul to sign the climate superfund act into law to make polluters pay. A few days before the rally, Governor Hochul began negotiations with the state legislature on changes she wants. The Climate Superfund Act would raise $75 billion over 25 years from the largest greenhouse gas emitters ov...

The three day occupation at the Capitol which began on Dec. 10 to urge Governor Hochul to sign the Climate Superfund Act ended by joining a press conference outside the Assembly chambers on Dec. 12 in support of the Renewable Heat Now campaign, one of a dozen regional events across the state. The campaign includes support for the Renewable Capitol Act and the NY HEAT Act. The NY HEAT Act will cap...