NY RENEWS
A statewide coalition fighting for a climate, jobs, and justice
ABOUT
NY Renews is a coalition of over 380 environmental, justice, faith, labor, and community groups, and the force behind the nation’s most progressive climate law. Days after world leaders in Paris reached a historic global climate agreement in December 2015, a statewide movement was launched for the purpose of bringing good jobs and clean energy to New York. NY Renews is calling on Albany to make New York State’s climate commitments legally enforceable, ensure accountability, establish a just energy policy, and create clean energy jobs throughout the state. ALIGN was one of the co-founding members and continues to serve on the steering committee.
SUCCESSES
Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act is the most aggressive climate law in the country. Not only does it set legally binding emissions reductions standards to get New York completely off of fossil fuels by 2050, it also mandates that 40% of state climate and energy funding be invested in disadvantaged communities, or Black and brown, and low income communities most affected by the climate crisis.
Build Public Renewables Act will be a national model for building publicly-owned renewable energy that is tied to strong labor standards. This law authorizes the New York Power Authority — the largest state public power authority in the U.S. — to build renewable energy projects to help reach the state’s climate goals.
Climate and Community Protection Fund – This fund will be critical in providing financial support for New Yorkers struggling with utility bills, money for improving state infrastructure and public transit, game-changing labor standards, and clean energy job training and support for impacted workers.
CURRENT CAMPAIGNS:
FUND Climate. The NY Renews Fund Climate Campaign calls for spending money where it matters, cutting pollution, and making corporate polluters – not people – pay for climate action and investments. Our goals are increased affordability, decreased pollution, union jobs, and community improvements, especially for those who have suffered most from toxic pollution, disinvestment, and systemic racism.
Make Polluters Pay. New York’s Cap, Trade, and Invest program has the potential to “cap” greenhouse emissions from corporate polluters and “invest” the revenue into community-led climate action. We’re fighting to make sure it’s done right: no loopholes for fossil fuel corporations and real accountability and penalties for over-polluting. With a strong cap-and-invest program, we can make polluters pay, improve public health, and create green jobs.
COALITION PARTNERS
Steering committee includes ALIGN, Catskill Mountainkeeper, Center For Working Families, Citizen Action of New York, El Puente, Environmental Advocates of NY, For the Many/Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson, GreenFaith, Long Island Progressive Coalition, Make the Road New York/Se Hace Camino Nueva York, Northeast Organic Farmers Association – New York, NYC Environmental Justice Alliance, NY Lawyers for the Public Interest, NY State Nurses Association, Our Climate, People’s Climate Movement NY, PUSH Buffalo, Sierra Club, The Point CDC, Third Act Upstate New York, TREEAge, UPROSE. Full list of coalition members here.
HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED? For more information about this coalition, contact Jenille Scott at jenille@alignny.org, and visit www.nyrenews.com