Harmful algal blooms, seen here at Ferril Lake in Denver, Colorado on June 30, 2016, are increasing in lakes and rivers across the U.S. Helen H. Richardson / The Denver Post / Getty Images
During summer in central New York, residents often enjoy a refreshing dip in the region's peaceful lakes.
But sometimes swimming is off-limits because of algae blooms that can make people sick.
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<p>"Some of the algae may produce chemical toxins that can have harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, terrestrial and marine mammals, and birds," says Jennifer Graham, a research hydrologist with the United States Geological Survey.</p><p>She says reports of harmful algal blooms are increasing across the country, and climate change could be part of the reason.</p><p>Some harmful algae prefer warm temperatures, so blooms may be growing more common as rivers and lakes warm.</p>
<p>Extreme weather can also contribute to algal blooms because heavy rain can cause nutrients to run off farm fields and sewage systems into waterways.</p><p>"Nutrients are basically the food source for algae," Graham says.</p><p>In New York's Finger Lakes and other locations across the country, the USGS is monitoring algal blooms.</p><p>Graham says they are trying to better understand toxic bloom growth and severity, so local agencies can make informed decisions about how to protect people.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/05/as-u-s-lakes-and-rivers-warm-reports-of-harmful-algal-blooms-are-on-the-rise/" target="_blank">Yale Climate Connections</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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People on the Seaside Heights boardwalk as New Jersey begins to reopen beaches and boardwalks amid the novel coronavirus pandemic on May 16, 2020. Yana Paskova / Getty Images
As the nation prepares for Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of the summer season, beaches have started to allow access to the public, but have asked people to maintain social distancing guidelines, as CNN reported.
<p>In Ocean City, New Jersey, a loudspeaker on the boardwalk blasted out messages every 15 minutes urging people to keep apart. "Please remember to practice social distancing while walking the boardwalk and beach. Thank you for respecting this request," the message announced, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/16/health/us-coronavirus-saturday/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.</p><p>All beaches on the Jersey Shore will reopen after Memorial Day, though local towns have jurisdiction over how many beach permits they issue. Gov. Phil Murphy also said the beaches will have to adhere to strict capacity guidelines.</p>
<p>Ocean City was one of three Jersey Shore beaches to take a dry-run at what reopening would look like. While people maintained distance on the beach, the boardwalk was another story, according to <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/jersey-shore-boardwalk-social-distancing-masks-memorial-day-weekend-20200516.html" target="_blank">The Philadelphia Inquirer</a>.</p><p>"[T]housands who crowded the Ocean City boardwalk ignored social-distancing safety protocols, standing close and even brushing against one another as the Shore readied for an uncertain summer season," <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/r/entryeditor/the%20Philadelphia%20Inquirer" target="_self">The Philadelphia Inquirer</a> reported.</p>
<p>In Connecticut, authorities had to close at least 15 parks and beaches after parking lots reached capacity on Saturday. In Massachusetts, beach parking lots remain closed, with pedestrians allowed to partake in "passive recreational activities that only involve transitory movement (walking, jogging, running, etc.) and … solitary beach fishing," according to <a href="https://apnews.com/b664c63854cd1cd419944eaed1484c70" target="_blank">The Associated Press</a>.</p><p>Maine is following similar guidelines as Massachusetts as it attempts a soft reopening to see how people will follow the rules. Beaches there are reopening for movement-only activities, which include walking, running, fishing and surfing. Beachgoers are also asked to stay at least six feet apart, as the <a href="https://bangordailynews.com/2020/05/18/news/york/more-york-county-beaches-reopen-amid-coronavirus-pandemic/" target="_blank">Bangor Daily News</a> reported.</p>
<p>The no-sitting or sun-bathing protocol seemed to work in California too where thousands of people flocked to Los Angeles beaches for swimming and surfing, according to <a href="https://abc7.com/reopening-california-los-angeles-county-beaches-countybeaches-reopen/6189692/" target="_blank">ABC News Los Angeles</a>. Piers are shut down, as are most parking lots. Bike paths are also closed, but many people were out cycling.</p><p>"It was amazing. We've been pretty cooped up like everybody and to get out here and get in the water. The water is really nice, surprisingly warm," said Chris Kyle, a beachgoer, to to <a href="https://abc7.com/reopening-california-los-angeles-county-beaches-countybeaches-reopen/6189692/" target="_blank">ABC News Los Angeles</a>.</p>
<p>The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and police were on patrol targeting people not adhering to the mandate to keep a physical distance of 6 feet apart.</p><p>New York City, however, is another story. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city's beaches will remain closed for Memorial Day.</p><p>"I've said it before and I'm gonna say it again," de Blasio said during his daily briefing on Sunday, as <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/new-york-city-beaches-closed-1.44729505" target="_blank">Newsday</a> reported. "We are not opening our beaches on Memorial Day. We are not opening our beaches in the near term. It is not safe. It is not the right thing to do in the epicenter of this crisis."</p>
<p>That has officials in nearby Long Island worried that crowds that normally flocked to the city's beaches will now head farther east.</p><p>Democratic State Sen. Todd Kaminsky, who represents an area just outside Rockaway, told <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/new-york-city-beaches-closed-1.44729505" target="_blank">Newsday</a>, "I think it is bad for everyone. We all have to be on the same page this upcoming weekend. If we hit hot weather, if we hit beach weather I can tell you the officials out where I am, at every level of government, are preparing for a very chaotic scene because city beaches won't be open."</p><p>"Everyone has a right to enjoy a safe summer with fresh air and relief from the heat, which is why the mayor's refusal to implement social distancing guidelines and enforcement to keep NYC beaches open, like every other municipality in the tristate area, is both irresponsible and short sighted," said Nassau communications director Christine Geed to <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/new-york-city-beaches-closed-1.44729505" target="_blank">Newsday</a>.</p>
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People wearing protective masks congregate in Times Square as New York continues to shelter-in-place during the coronavirus pandemic on April 19, 2020 in New York City. John Lamparski / Getty Images
One-fifth of New York City may have already had the new coronavirus, initial results of antibody testing suggest.
<p>Gov. Andrew Cuomo reported the findings Thursday, which showed that, out of 3,000 randomly tested New Yorkers, 13.9 percent had been infected with the virus and recovered. Extrapolated to the state's population at large, that would mean 2.7 million New Yorkers had been infected, more than ten times the state's confirmed caseload, <a href="https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/new-york-virus-deaths-top-15k-cuomo-expected-to-detail-plan-to-fight-nursing-home-outbreaks/2386556/" target="_blank">NBC New York reported</a>. The findings lend credence to the idea that the virus is spreading more widely than testing has so far indicated.</p><p>"This basically quantifies what we've been seeing anecdotally and what we have known," Cuomo said in a press conference <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/23/842818125/coronavirus-has-infected-a-fifth-of-new-york-city-testing-suggests" target="_blank">reported by NPR</a>, "but it puts numbers to it."</p>
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<p>New York City, the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, had the highest percentage of positive results. Out of around 1,300 people tested in the city, around 21 percent tested positive for the virus antibodies, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/23/nyregion/coronavirus-antibodies-test-ny.html" target="_blank">The New York Times reported</a>.</p><p>New York undertook the tests because, as NPR explained, testing for infection with the virus has been limited, meaning mild or asymptomatic cases don't make it into the official tally, which <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html" target="_blank">stood at</a> 263,460 as of Friday morning Eastern Time. The tests were conducted outside grocery stores in 19 New York counties.</p>
<p>The New York Times explained the difference between these tests and the tests administered to symptomatic patients:</p><blockquote>Unlike so-called diagnostic tests, which determine whether someone is infected, often using nasal swabs, blood tests for Covid-19 antibodies are intended to reveal whether a person was previously exposed and has developed an immune response. Some tests also measure the amount of antibodies present.</blockquote><p>While the antibody tests indicate a higher case load, they also suggest a lower death rate. As of Friday morning, the virus had killed at least 20,982 in New York state and 16,388 in New York City. If only confirmed cases are included, the state death rate is around eight percent. If 2.7 million were infected, however, it would fall to around 0.8 percent.</p>
<p>Cuomo said part of the reason for conducting the tests was to guide the process of lifting lockdown measures.</p><p>"The testing also can tell you the infection rate in the population — where it's higher, where it's lower — to inform you on a reopening strategy," Cuomo said, as The New York Times reported. "Then when you start reopening, you can watch that infection rate to see if it's going up and if it's going up, slow down."</p><p>But <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/public-health" target="_self">public health</a> experts have cautioned against relying too heavily on antibody tests to ease social distancing measures.</p><p>"It means a lot of us in NYC have been infected. But that's not surprising news — we've seen high levels of cases for over a month," emergency room doctor and Ebola survivor Craig Spencer tweeted of the results, as NBC New York reported. "It means the virus is STILL spreading in NYC. It means that the MAJORITY of us are still very susceptible! It means we still need to #StayHome."</p>
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<p>The World Health Organization has recommended the tests only be used for research purposes, according to The New York Times, and not to make decisions about who can return to work.</p><p>"I'm very ambivalent about these tests, because we don't really know yet through the science what it means to have an antibody," Dr. Joan Cangiarella, the vice-chair of clinical operations at NYU Langone Health's pathology department, told The New York Times. "We are hoping these antibodies mean you will be immune for some time, but I don't think the data is fully out there to understand if that means that you're actually immune. And if these antibodies start to decline, what's that time frame? Does it decline in a year from now?" she asked.</p>
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A volunteer sets up beds in what will be a field hospital in the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine on April 8, 2020 in New York City. The cathedral has partnered with Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital and is expected to have more than 400 beds when opened. Spencer Platt / Getty Images
New York state now has more confirmed coronavirus cases than any single country save the U.S. as a whole.
<p>The state's caseload skyrocketed by 10,000 on Thursday, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-52239261" target="_blank">BBC News reported</a>. It had 161,807 cases as of 4:46 a.m. EST, according to <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html" target="_blank">data from Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering</a>. That's more than hard-hit Spain and Italy, which now have 153,222 and 143,626 cases respectively. The Empire State still trails the European countries for deaths, but the virus that causes COVID-19 has claimed more than 7,000 lives in the state, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday, more than double the 2,753 people killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.</p><p>"9/11 was supposed to be the darkest day in New York for a generation," Cuomo said at a Thursday press conference reported by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-state-more-coronavirus-cases-than-any-country-worldwide-2020-4?r=US&IR=T" target="_blank">Business Insider</a>. "And then, in many ways, we lose so many more New Yorkers to this silent killer."</p>
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<p><br>Cuomo said the state saw its highest death toll in a single day Wednesday at 799.</p><p>More than 5,000 of the state's deaths were in New York City, the nation's largest. Also on Thursday, the number of New York City patients being treated at special overflow hospitals more than doubled, from fewer than 100 Tuesday to 242, <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/09/831288797/number-of-patients-at-overflow-hospitals-in-new-york-has-doubled?utm_campaign=npr&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=nprnews&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR3RIYNTkEKWjXiSa7a8DADbATdZWH2nHafyhgIXD6TQ-fCsOJQSb6zGbeU&t=1586502026809" target="_blank">NPR reported</a>.</p><p>The city has hired contract labor to bury the surge in dead at its potter's field on Hart Island, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-hart-island-idUSKCN21R398?utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0bTLixbI91r4fgtPQ6wqyAdd44yRdwnCLG6-kjfPW_SJuHeW2FDiqnpfU" target="_blank">Reuters reported</a>. Those with either no family or no family who can arrange a funeral have been buried there since the 1800s. But while typically the city buries around 25 people there per week, that number has jumped to around that many per day Monday to Friday. And while the work is usually done by inmates, the city has hired contractors for public health reasons.</p><p>"For social distancing and safety reasons, city-sentenced people in custody are not assisting in burials for the duration of the pandemic," Department of Correction spokesperson Jason Kersten told Reuters.</p>
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<p>However, the news out of New York this week wasn't all grim. The number of new cases admitted to the hospital fell for a second day in a row to 200, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa/you-cant-relax-vigilance-urged-as-new-york-sees-signs-of-coronavirus-flattening-idUSKCN21R2FM?fbclid=IwAR1z7MQBpSFt7S3NBRLPVetzgWkKaep0VfaMDJ9ndoniRlqUYf83nZjamGY&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook" target="_blank">Reuters further reported</a>. Cuomo said it was a sign that social distancing was working, but said it was far from time to ease restrictions.</p><p>"You can't relax," Cuomo said Thursday. "The flattening of the curve last night happened because of what we did yesterday."</p><p>In another sign that restrictions are working across the U.S. as a whole, projections for the final nationwide death toll fell from at least 100,000 to 60,000.</p><p>The U.S. currently leads the world with 466,299 cases, according to Johns Hopkins. It has the second highest death toll after Italy, at 16,686 to Italy's 18,279. Globally, there are 1,603,330 confirmed cases of the disease. To date, 95,758 have died while 355,983 have recovered.</p>
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A man carries plastic shopping bags in Times Square on May 5, 2018 in New York City. Kena Betancur / VIEWpress / Corbis / Getty Images
Nearly one year after New York became the second state in the nation to pass a ban on grocery store plastic bags — the law is going into effect on Sunday.
In accordance with the budge bill passed last year, New York State retailers will be banned from doling out single-use plastic bags, starting on March 1. California and Hawaii already have their ban in place and now New York is one of eight states inching toward implementing the ban, as <a href="https://gothamist.com/news/nys-plastic-bag-ban-tips" target="_blank">Gothamist reported</a>.<span></span>
<p>Some New York municipalities will also charge a five-cent fee for people who want a plastic bag, though that fee will be waived for customers using food stamps to make their purchases. The five cents will be used as a tax, with two cents going to local governments, and three cents going to the state's <a href="https://www.dec.ny.gov/about/92815.html" target="_blank">Environmental Protection Fund</a>, as the <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/02/26/new-yorks-plastic-bag-ban-starts-this-week-heres-what-you-need-to-know/" target="_blank">New York Post reported</a>. </p>
<p>The governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, <a href="https://twitter.com/NYGovCuomo/status/1111677471991255042" target="_blank">tweeted</a> when the ban was first set to pass, "Plastic bags have blighted our environment and clogged our waterways. By banning them, we will protect our natural resources for future generations of New Yorkers," as <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/new-york-plastic-bag-ban-2633370385.html">EcoWatch reported</a>.</p>
<p>Now Cuomo is looking forward to seeing the bags gone.</p>
<p>"It's no doubt that this is smart; you see these bags all over the place," Cuomo, who added that the bags hang in trees like "bizarre Christmas ornaments," said as <a href="https://www.wrvo.org/post/new-yorks-plastic-bag-ban-takes-effect-march-1" target="_blank">WRVO Public Media reported</a>. "I've been 30 miles out in the ocean and you see garbage floating and plastic bags floating. It's terrible."</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/50034.html" target="_blank">Department of Environmental Conservation</a> (DEC) has recently increased its efforts in recent days to help New Yorkers understand the new rules. The department has run ads on social media and videos on its website and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_grpuqyOVk" target="_blank">YouTube</a> channel, according to WRVO Public Media. The DEC is also distributing 270,000 reusable bags to low and middle-income families to help them ease into the transition. </p>
<p>The plastic bag ban will apply to all retailers that collect sales tax, including grocery stores and bodegas. The DEC claims that currently more than 23 billion plastic bags are used each year and only for 12 minutes, <a href="https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/50034.html" target="_blank">according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation</a>, as the New York Post reported. </p>
<p>There are exceptions to the ban. According to Gothamist, plastic bags can still be used for: </p><ul><li>Uncooked animal products or other non-prepackaged food</li><li>Flowers, plants, or other items that require plastic to avoid contamination, prevent damage, or for health purposes</li><li>Bulk packaging of fruits, vegetables, grains, candy, hardware products like nuts, bolts, and screws, live insects like crickets, fish, crustaceans, mollusks, or other items that require a waterproof bag</li><li>Sliced food or food prepared to order</li><li>Newspapers for subscribers</li><li>Prepackaged plastic bags sold in bulk, such as garbage bags, sandwich bags, or bags used for pet poop pick-up</li><li>Dry-cleaner or laundry service clothing bags</li><li>Pharmacy bags for prescription drugs</li></ul>
<p>While the law goes into effect on Sunday, the DEC will actually not enforce it for a few more months as stores and customers adapt to their plastic bag-free shopping. Once it does enforce the law, retailers violating the ban will first receive a warning, followed by a $250 fine, leading to a $500 fine for subsequent violations in the same calendar year, as Gothamist reported. </p>
<p>Environmental advocates are pleased with the ban, but worry about a loophole that allows for thicker types of plastic bags. While they are not yet commercially made, environmental advocates worry the plastic bag industry will start to manufacture the thicker type of plastic bags. </p>
<p>"It was most unfortunate," Judith Enck, who runs Beyond Plastics at Bennington College and worked at the EPA under President Obama, said to WRVO Public Media. "Why even open the door to that?"</p>
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Pump Train in Cranberry Street Tunnel after Hurricane Sandy. MTA New York City Transit / Leonard Wiggins / Wikimedia
In 2012, Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc on New York City's transportation system. Storm surge pushed a flood of seawater into vehicle tunnels, railyards, ferry terminals, and subway lines.
<p>"Hurricane Sandy was a big wake-up call for the city," says Susanne DesRoches, New York's deputy director of infrastructure and energy.<em></em></p>
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<p>She says after the storm, subway tunnels and stations had to be pumped out. Electrical systems needed to be cleaned, repaired, and tested. In some places, it took weeks to get up and running again.</p><p>As seas rise and weather gets more extreme, the risks from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flooding" rel="noopener noreferrer">flooding</a> only grow. So New York is working to make its massive transportation system more resilient.</p><p>"We're looking at major flood protection systems across the subway network, the airports, and our vehicular tunnels that go in and out of Manhattan," DesRoches says.</p>
<p>For example, the city has installed huge floodgates at the entrances of two tunnels. A steel floodwall will soon protect the Coney Island railyard, and the city's working on ways to seal off subway station entrances and vents.</p><p>It's a multi-billion-dollar effort, but DesRoches says the next time a natural disaster hits, New York expects to be better prepared.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2019/12/new-york-city-spends-billions-on-flood-protection/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Yale Climate Connections</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signs the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act on July 18, 2019 in New York City. Scott Heins / Getty Images
By Cullen Howe
When Governor Cuomo signed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) into law in July 2019, it cemented New York State as a national leader in ramping up clean energy and the broader fight against climate change. In addition to reducing statewide greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and 85 percent by 2050, the law requires that the state obtain 70 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 (and that it be emissions-free by 2040). No state has a more aggressive emissions reduction target.
<p><br/></p>
<p>The new law also requires New York to add 9,000 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind by 2035, 3,000 MW of storage by 2030, and 6,000 MW of distributed solar (the type that normally goes on rooftops) by 2025.</p><p>Meeting these targets will dramatically reduce fossil fuel generation that harms our health and worsens the effects of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">climate change</a> while providing <a href="https://www.e2.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/E2-Clean-Jobs-New-York-2019.pdf" target="_blank">important job and grid benefits</a>. </p><p>Here's a look at three key steps the state needs to take to ensure it is on the path to achieving its renewables targets:</p>
1. The PSC Should Act on NYSERDA’s Petition to Boost Local Solar
<p>Even before the CLCPA's passage, New York was a leader in making <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/solar">solar</a> more accessible to homeowners and businesses. In 2014, Governor Cuomo established <a href="https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Programs/NY-Sun" target="_blank">NY-Sun</a>, a New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)-administered program that seeks to add 3,000 MW of installed solar capacity by 2023. The program works by establishing cash incentives for developers that decline over time as solar installations increase in different parts of the state.</p><p>The results have been impressive: Almost 1,000 MW of NY-Sun supported projects have been installed, with another 1,000 MW in the pipeline. Just this week, <a href="https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/About/Newsroom/2019-Announcements/2019-12-17-NYSERDA-Announces-Milestone-of-Two-Gigawatts-of-Solar-Capacity-Installed-in-New-York" target="_blank">NYSERDA announced</a> New York has surpassed 2,000 MW of installed solar generation (including non-NY Sun projects), enough to power almost 250,000 homes.</p><p>In addition to the 2,000 MW of solar that's been installed, another 1,262 MW of solar is under development, including 351 <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/samantha-wilt/community-solar-comes-new-york" target="_blank">community solar projects</a> (this week, the Public Service Commission (PSC) approved consolidated billing for these projects, which should spur <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/cullen-howe/new-york-state-greenlights-boost-community-solar" target="_blank">their deployment in the state</a>).</p><p>In November, NYSERDA filed a <a href="http://documents.dps.ny.gov/public/MatterManagement/CaseMaster.aspx?MatterCaseNo=14-M-0094" target="_blank">petition</a> with the PSC seeking $573 million in additional funds to extend the NY-Sun program through 2025. If approved, approximately half of the funds would be added to existing cash incentives to support an additional 1,800 MW of solar projects. About a quarter of the money would be used to replenish "community adder" incentives for community solar projects in certain utility territories, providing additional compensation for these projects. </p><p>Importantly, NYSERDA proposes using $135 million of the additional funds to expand NY-Sun programs focused on low-to-moderate income (LMI) customers, as part of a new Framework for Solar Energy Equity. Among other things, the Framework envisions an expansion of its <a href="https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Programs/NY-Sun/Solar-for-Your-Home/Community-Solar/Solar-for-All" target="_blank">Solar for All</a> program, which provides no-cost community solar to low-income households. It also provides incentives for projects sited on affordable housing, LMI homeowners who install rooftop solar, and projects that pair solar with energy storage. Combining solar and energy storage provides resiliency benefits and can also reduce local air pollutants from fossil fuel peaking units, which are often located in environmental justice communities.</p><p>The PSC hasn't yet acted on NYSERDA's petition, which sets forth a roadmap for meeting the state's 6,000 MW goal by 2025.</p>2. The PSC Needs to Move Quickly to Decarbonize the Power Sector
<p>Achieving 70 percent renewable energy in the power sector by 2030 won't be easy. Currently, New York gets <a href="https://www.eia.gov/state/analysis.php?sid=NY" target="_blank">28 percent of its total electricity</a> from renewable sources, and the vast majority of this (about 80 percent) comes from legacy large hydropower facilities <a href="https://www.nypa.gov/power/generation/generation-overview" target="_blank">owned and operated by the New York Power Authority</a>. Scaling up renewables to hit 70 percent in 10 years will require a massive amount of new clean generation to come online. </p><p>The first step to make this happen is commencing a proceeding to establish how this process will work, which the CLCPA requires by 2021. There is little time to waste. NRDC, along with a number of other environmental organizations and clean energy industry partners, last week <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6586462-E93F0201-61A9-4C53-A36D-EAE5C4AE6E04.html" target="_blank">filed a list of eight principles</a> we believe should guide the state through this process. The principles include establishing a full procurement schedule to get to 70 percent renewables by 2030, the creation of new tiers of renewable energy credits for existing renewable energy facilities, and a PSC final implementation order by the end of 2020. This deadline is especially important because it takes approximately four years between the approval of contracts for large-scale renewable projects and their completion and operation (thus, the state will need to approve contracts no later than 2026 for projects to be up and running by 2030).</p>3. NY Needs to Improve the Siting Process and Ensure Adequate Transmission
<p>Reaching the state's 70 by 30 goal will require that renewables projects are sited quickly and that there is enough transmission to transport this power to where it is needed. Unfortunately, the processes for both need fixing. </p><p>The siting process, known as <a href="http://www3.dps.ny.gov/W/PSCWeb.nsf/W/PSCWeb.nsf/All/D12E078BF7A746FF85257A70004EF402?OpenDocument" target="_blank">Article 10</a>, establishes a procedure for approving energy production facilities over 25 MW. However, it has not worked well for renewable energy sources like solar and wind. Major delays within the Article 10 process have resulted in a bottleneck <a href="https://buffalonews.com/2019/04/22/environmental-groups-demand-clean-energy-action-from-nys-we-cant-afford-to-wait/" target="_blank">jeopardizing over 8,000 gigawatt-hours per year of land-based wind and solar projects</a> pending before the state's Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment (known as the "Siting Board"), which considers these applications. For example, although the Article 10 process should take approximately 24 months, most of the pending renewable projects have taken much longer and most are still waiting for approval or have been withdrawn. </p><p>There are a number of steps the Department of Public Service (DPS) can take to improve Article 10, including enforcing application deadlines, completing compliance reviews on a fixed timeline, and reducing reliance on paper by expanding the use of digital technologies. To its credit, DPS has increased its staff to process these applications, and last week the Siting Board approved the <a href="http://www.calpine.com/operations/power-operations/our-fleet/new-york/bluestone" target="_blank">Bluestone Wind Farm</a>, a 124 MW project located in upstate New York, in the process overruling a local law that had placed a moratorium on wind turbines. This follows <a href="http://www3.dps.ny.gov/W/PSCWeb.nsf/All/763B187DD5A792DE8525847400667D6B?OpenDocument" target="_blank">approval of three other renewable projects in the last four months</a> after only one had been approved since 2011. While these approvals are encouraging, the pace of the approval process must be dramatically increased to meet our 2030 goal.</p><p>Similarly, the process for constructing transmission lines to carry electricity from generation to end use must also be streamlined. <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/miles-farmer/ransmission-project-approvals-help-unlock-nys-clean-future" target="_blank">As I wrote in April</a>, the approval process needed to integrate clean energy was adopted under a 2011 order from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which regulates interstate transmission of electricity. FERC's <a href="https://www.ferc.gov/industries/electric/indus-act/trans-plan.asp" target="_blank">Order 1000</a> requires the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) and other grid operators to develop a process to consider transmission needs driven by public policy requirements established by federal or state laws or regulations (such as New York's Clean Energy Standard) in the local and regional transmission planning process.</p><p>This year, NYISO <a href="https://www.nyiso.com/documents/20142/1390750/Board-Decision-AC-Transmission-2019-04-08.pdf/32323d32-f534-a790-1b03-2cb110033320" target="_blank">announced</a> the selection of two transmission projects that will enable the delivery of power from generating facilities in upstate New York, including significant amounts of renewable energy, to downstate population centers like New York City. This was an important milestone, and just the second and third time that so-called "public policy" transmission upgrades have been approved. However, the state will need more such upgrades to handle the coming influx of wind and solar power.</p><p>NYISO and the PSC have begun the process of identifying additional transmission needs beyond these projects, but the process is stuck in limbo. The PSC has yet to issue a decision identifying additional transmission needs, which it needs to do as part of the Order 1000 process. It should do so quickly so that this process can move forward.</p><p>New York accomplished a great deal in 2019, with the adoption of aggressive renewables targets that reflect the state's role as a leader on climate and clean energy. The state must take key steps in 2020 to ensure that these goals remain within reach.</p>
<p class=""><em></em></p><h2><a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/cullen-howe" target="_blank"><del><br/></del></a></h2><p><em>Cullen Howe is the senior renewable energy advocate for NRDC's Climate & Clean Energy Program.</em></p><p><em><span></span>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/cullen-howe/2019-was-big-year-renewable-energy-new-york" target="_blank">NRDC</a>.</em> </p>From Your Site Articles
- How Renewable Energy Can Transform New York State - EcoWatch ›
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R.Tsubin / Moment / Getty Images
By Dan Nosowitz
With industrial hemp becoming federally legal thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill, research has had to work hard to catch up after decades of prohibition.
<p>A vital part of creating a thorough picture of any crop is research institutions. Industrial hemp, not having been federally legal, had only scattered, minor ones — labs with special exemptions, that kind of thing. This week, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer announced $500,000 in federal funding for a major hemp research facility: <a href="http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2019/08/schumer-announces-funding-hemp-seed-bank-cornell" target="_blank">the country's first hemp seed bank</a>.</p>
<p>Seed banks are a vital part of modern agriculture. They are, at their core, repositories of as many of the different varieties and strains of plants as can be found — libraries, of sorts. But they're not mere hoarder stashes. Seed banks are essential resources for research. Without a properly stored and annotated selection of seeds, breeding becomes unpredictable and random. If a farmer or lab wants to create a plant with specific abilities (say, drought resistance, or tolerance of salty soil, or extra-large leaves), seed banks provide the raw material, with data explaining the origins and specifics of each seed.</p><p>Industrial hemp is fairly easy to grow, but in large part, it hasn't been grown in large enough quantities in the U.S. for farmers to know all that much about it. How does it react to certain pests? Certain pesticides? How does it grow with other crops?</p><p>It's also worth noting that industrial hemp is seen as a savior for many farmers, a wonder-crop. It grows in many different environments—Schumer wants to create an industry in chilly upstate New York, and <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2019/03/kentucky-is-hoping-to-become-the-california-of-hemp/" target="_blank">rocky Appalachian Kentucky</a> is already one of the bigger producers — and yet could command huge prices. CBD, a controversial extract <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/11/1/18024806/cbd-oil-vape-hemp" target="_blank">about which little is known</a> but much is claimed, is mostly isolated from industrial hemp. And CBD is a <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/24/newly-legalized-hemp-industry-set-to-create-a-jobs-boom-in-the-us.html" target="_blank">billion-dollar industry</a>, and growing fast.</p><p>The seed bank will, at least in Schumer's hopes, establish New York as a center of industrial hemp research. It'll be a collaboration between the USDA's research arm and Cornell University, and located in Geneva, New York.</p>
<p> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2019/08/the-nations-first-hemp-seed-bank-will-be-in-new-york/" target="_blank">Modern Farmer</a>.</em><em></em></p>Related Articles Around the Web
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Members of Fossil Free Tompkins march at a parade in Ithaca. Fossil Free Tompkins
By Molly Taft
Lisa Marshall isn't your typical activist. For one thing, she's not into crowds. "I don't really like rallies," Marshall, a mom of three from upstate New York, said. "They're a little stressful — not my favorite thing."
<p><br/></p>
<p>Marshall, who has two degrees in earth science, remembers being concerned about <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuels</a> when New York activists began to push Governor Cuomo to ban <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fracking/" target="_self">fracking</a> in the early 2010s. But she didn't know the best way to become involved. "At that time, one of the main strategies, which was very effective in New York, was to just <a href="https://theithacan.org/news/anti-frackers-protest-cuomos-visit-to-ithaca/" target="_blank">show up wherever [Cuomo] was</a> and make sure he had no peace from the activist community until he banned fracking," she said. "It just was very overwhelming."</p><p>Then, at one of her first organizing events for the activist group <a href="https://www.mothersoutfront.org/" target="_blank">Mothers Out Front</a>, Marshall realized that organizing wasn't just about making noise. "They handed out a form, with what we might be interested in doing [to help]," she said. "The form said, 'Are you interested in research?' I don't want to go to a rally, but research? Sign me up."</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTYxMjAwMy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTM1MjIxOX0.uoNUOVkfbX27EF8NgM5aNdUyvyPQ4-F-9gf8-KkTmVM/img.jpg?width=980" id="480dc" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4b6645f735c4cdb6329125b073e0e0cc" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
The Cayuga power plant
Source: Philip Cohen
<p>The Finger Lakes area of New York, where Marshall lives, has been a key hotspot for the state's anti-fracking movement for years. Local activists were part of an <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/20141217/environmentalists-across-nation-hail-ny-ban-fracking" target="_blank">important coalition to convince Cuomo to ban fracking in 2014</a>. Now, as New York state signs its own Green New Deal and sets one of the most <a href="https://twitter.com/michaelgerrard/status/1141151576863780865?s=12" target="_blank">aggressive emissions reductions targets in the world</a>, newer local activists are joining with the older guard and further turning the tide on fossil fuels.</p><p>Most notably, in Tompkins County, a coalition including Mothers Out Front recently scored a big clean-power win. In May, owners of the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coal">coal</a>-fired Cayuga Power Plant, nestled on the shores of Cayuga Lake just north of Ithaca, announced that instead of switching to gas-fired power, the plant will become a data center partially powered by an on-site <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/solar">solar</a> field. The rest of the electricity will come from other power sources. The power plant's owners have asked for an all-<a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/">renewable</a> allocation from regulators but that decision hasn't been announced yet. At the very least, the shift marks a transition for the location from dirty power producer to clean(er) power user.</p><p>Just three years ago, the plant was at a crossroads. The longtime owner of the plant had <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204720204577132960443385988" target="_blank">filed for bankruptcy</a> in 2011, as low natural gas prices began to push up the cost of coal. The state decided to help the plant hobble along on subsidies, which cost taxpayers <a href="https://ithacavoice.com/2016/02/39150/" target="_blank">$4 million per month</a>. And as coal's fate began to decline, the taxable value of the power plant also took a turn for the worse, losing <a href="https://lansingstar.com/news-page/13795-power-plant-devaluation-hits-lansing-taxpayers" target="_blank">$100 million in value between 2009 and 2014</a>.</p><p>In 2016, the plant faced even more hurdles. In February of that year, state regulators denied an application from the owners for more subsidies to power the plant with coal and natural gas, deciding to <a href="https://content.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2016/02/psc-rejects-cayuga-subsidies-opts-transmission-upgrades" target="_blank">spend the money requested</a> on transmission upgrades that would achieve the same reliability for ratepayers without adding more fossil fuels to the mix.</p>
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2ceb447b77792e902ad6cd2dfe06fae5"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yypbfZUnetk?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<p>But the lure of natural gas was too great. Last May, the plant's new owner, <a href="http://beowulfenergy.com/" target="_blank">Beowulf Energy</a>, filed another application with state regulators to switch the plant to primarily run on natural gas. Beowulf Managing Director Michael Enright <a href="https://lansingstar.com/news-page/15015-power-plant-to-repower-with-natural-gas" target="_blank">told the Lansing Star</a> that the company thought the switch would save jobs and help the town's tax base.</p><p>"I called it a really bad summer sequel," said Irene Weiser, a longtime fracking activist in the region. Weiser, coordinator of the group <a href="https://www.fossilfreetompkins.org/" target="_blank">Fossil Free Tompkins</a>, and other activists had been instrumental in pushing for the transmission upgrades in 2016 and against transitioning the plant to natural gas. "We were having to fight this all over again."</p><p>This time around, seasoned activists weren't alone. Since the <a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/standing-rock-protest-camp-shut-down-video-14221e3825ac#.dlgjjpn7i" target="_blank">protests at Standing Rock</a> that fixated the country in 2016, more and more communities across the country have become involved in opposing local gas <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/pipelines">pipelines</a> and power plants.</p><p>"I think there's just been a growing consciousness over the years that we needed to get further away from fossils, including gas," Weiser said.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Full house at this <a href="https://twitter.com/MothersOutFront?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MothersOutFront</a> event on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JustEnergy?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JustEnergy</a> transition here in Lansing NY. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LansingTakesTheLead?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LansingTakesTheLead</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ABetterWorldIsPossible?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ABetterWorldIsPossible</a> <a href="https://t.co/DVeMBcakTc">pic.twitter.com/DVeMBcakTc</a></p>— Lisa Marshall (@LisaMEarthMama) <a href="https://twitter.com/LisaMEarthMama/status/1133876039002787842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>While helping her daughter research famed environmentalist Rachel Carson for a high school project last year, Marshall connected with Sandra Steingraber, a noted environmental activist in the area. After speaking with Marshall's daughter for the project, Steingraber told Marshall about several local oil and gas projects that could use additional organizing for opposition — and Marshall decided to tell her "mom network" about the Cayuga project.</p><p>The fresh energy from Mothers Out Front helped galvanize new voices to speak about the project to the Tompkins County Legislature. "[The legislature] even said, 'We're seeing all these people we've never seen at any meeting before,'" Marshall said. "People were getting up, our people that we mobilized, and saying, 'I've never come to the county legislature before. I would rather do almost anything other than stand here, but I'm really concerned about this.'" In November of last year, the <a href="https://ithacavoice.com/2018/11/tompkins-legislature-opposes-shift-to-natural-gas-at-cayuga-power-plant/" target="_blank">legislature sent a letter</a> to Albany officially opposing the Cayuga plant's proposal to transition to gas.</p><p>The activists' argument was also helped by changing market forces. Natural gas enjoyed a streak of no-questions-asked years in the early 2010s, as rock-bottom prices and the boom in fracking made gas the No. 1 choice for power suppliers. But the <a href="https://blog.aee.net/the-numbers-are-in-and-renewables-are-winning-on-price-alone" target="_blank">crashing price of renewables and fast technological innovations in storage</a> have made many analysts and utility companies look towards a fossil fuel-free future.</p><p>The looming targets of the <a href="https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/what-is-the-paris-agreement" target="_blank">Paris agreement</a>, which seeks to limit global temperature increases to no more than 1.5 degrees C, set additional constraints on natural gas. That's because while natural gas emits less carbon than coal, climate and energy experts note that methane emissions from fracking and burning natural gas make it much harder to meet the targets in the short-term. Locking in more natural gas infrastructure, activists say, delays the adoption of renewable energy and would impede the international targets — as well as New York state's new emissions goals.</p><p>Ed LaVigne was elected as Lansing town supervisor in 2012, and says his priority is helping the town maintain its tax revenues and its jobs — which means helping businesses like Beowulf stay in Lansing. "As I tell [the company], I say, 'We're the barnacle,'" he said. "'You're the whale. You're going to take us places we can't go by ourselves.'"</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thankful to Lansing town supervisor Ed LaVigne for hosting us at the Lansing town hall. <a href="https://twitter.com/MothersOutFront?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MothersOutFront</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LansingTakesTheLead?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LansingTakesTheLead</a> <a href="https://t.co/Jrck57hy0E">pic.twitter.com/Jrck57hy0E</a></p>— Lisa Marshall (@LisaMEarthMama) <a href="https://twitter.com/LisaMEarthMama/status/1133882498906238977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>But for LaVigne, the company's decision to look to future technologies makes sense. "When I went to pharmacy school in the late '70s, it cost you $100 and a nine-volt battery to have a calculator that adds, subtracts, multiplies and divides," he said. "You now can get them to run off of indoor light and they're free when you open up a checking account. That's how these dynamics have changed. So let's just put the adult pants on and fast forward to see how we can develop these systems."</p><p>Regardless of the temporary victory for anti-fracking activists, challenges remain for the project. Data centers are notorious energy sucks: the one planned on the Cayuga site cannot get all of its energy from the solar panels it will install, and it has asked New York regulators for a substantial allocation of clean energy to power the facility. If Beowulf does not get this energy allocation, it will switch back to its plan of powering the plant with gas. And locals are concerned about whether the data center will retrain current plant workers to help them keep their jobs.</p><p>"I don't count my chickens before they're hatched," Weiser, the anti-fracking activist, said of the plan. She pointed out that the data center's energy allocation ask is larger than any other facility in the state. "That said, it's an interesting new development."</p><p>Marshall is cautiously optimistic — but also heartened — about the power of organizing to transform local politics. "If you mobilize, if you organize and build power and then mobilize that power strategically, that's how all of the important things usually happen."</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">How We Banned <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Fracking?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Fracking</a> in New York <a href="http://t.co/SLTLDxc2pK">http://t.co/SLTLDxc2pK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Frack_Off?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Frack_Off</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NYAgainstFRACK?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYAgainstFRACK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/FrackAction?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FrackAction</a></p>— EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) <a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/status/558759880547643392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/in-upstate-new-york-fossil-fuels-will-turn-into-solar-and-data-a71180c4e44b" target="_blank">Nexus Media</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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'Huge Victory' for Grassroots Climate Campaigners as NY Lawmakers Reach Deal on Sweeping Climate Legislation
18 June 2019
Politics
Members of the NY Renews coalition gathered before New York lawmakers reached a deal on the Climate and Communities Protection Act. NYRenews / Twitter
By Julia Conley
Grassroots climate campaigners in New York applauded on Monday after state lawmakers reached a deal on sweeping climate legislation, paving the way for the passage of what could be some of the country's most ambitious environmental reforms.
<p>The legislature <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/new-york-climate-bill_n_5c5853d0e4b00187b55346ae" target="_blank">reached an agreement</a> just before midnight Sunday on the Climate and Communities Protection Act (CCPA), one of several climate bills state lawmakers have pushed in recent months since progressives gained momentum in their push for a federal Green New Deal.</p><p>New York's CCPA — like those passed in recent months in California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada and Washington — offers a path forward for the implementation of Green New Deal-like laws at the state level, proponents say.</p><p>"This is going to be a huge victory for the environmental justice movement in New York," author Naomi Klein tweeted, adding that some far-reaching parts of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal grew out of state legislation.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Wow! This is going to be a huge victory for the environmental justice movement in NY. Almost there!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PassTheCCPA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PassTheCCPA</a> (Fun historical note: some of the best parts of FDR's New Deal, like the Civilian Conservation Corp, were based on programs that began in NY State) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GreenNewDeal?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GreenNewDeal</a> <a href="https://t.co/PzHED7IkvQ">https://t.co/PzHED7IkvQ</a></p>— Naomi Klein (@NaomiAKlein) <a href="https://twitter.com/NaomiAKlein/status/1140653324460535808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>New York's CCPA calls for zero <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels">fossil fuel</a> emissions from utilities by 2040. By 2050, 85 percent of all energy in the state will be from <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/">renewable</a> sources under the legislation, with the remaining 15 percent being off-set or captured.</p><p>"By and large, this is a very big victory," Arielle Swernoff of New York Renews, a coalition that pushed to pass the bill,<a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/new-york-climate-bill_n_5c5853d0e4b00187b55346ae" target="_blank"> told </a>the Huffington Post<em>.</em> The group counts more than 100 groups in its membership, including national groups like 350.org and Friends of the Earth as well as local organizations like Saratoga Unites and Syracuse United Neighbors.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨 <a href="https://twitter.com/NYSenate?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYSenate</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NYSA_Majority?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYSA_Majority</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NYGovCuomo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYGovCuomo</a> reached agreement to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PassTheCCPA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PassTheCCPA</a>! 🚨 THANK YOU <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveEngles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SteveEngles</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/toddkaminsky?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ToddKaminsky</a>! <br><br>What we know: <br>✅ Sets most ambitious standards to cut emissions in US<br>✅ Invests 35%-40% of climate $ in frontline communities<br>✅ Supports workers in transition <a href="https://t.co/b16FFzcvsM">pic.twitter.com/b16FFzcvsM</a></p>— NY Renews (@NYRenews) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYRenews/status/1140647387326754817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>The bill emphasizes the climate crisis's impact on low-income and marginalized communities, mandating that 35 percent of energy funding be directed to such towns and cities.</p><p>"By passing the CCPA with all its equity provisions intact, New York State can both address the climate crisis and build a more equitable economy," Assemblywoman Latrice Walker <a href="https://citylimits.org/2019/06/17/climate-change-race-justice-nys/" target="_blank">wrote </a>at City Limits<em>.</em></p><p>"Help is on the way," tweeted state Sen. Todd Kaminsky, who sponsored the legislation. "While D.C. sleeps through a crisis, New York steps up."</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dear 🌎: Help is on the way. Proud to announce a deal on climate bill <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CCPA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CCPA</a>, with nation-leading carbon reductions in all sectors of economy. While DC sleeps through a crisis, NY steps up. <a href="https://twitter.com/NYRenews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYRenews</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nylcv?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nylcv</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nature_ny?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nature_ny</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NRDC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NRDC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Earthjustice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Earthjustice</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/greenwatchdogNY?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@greenwatchdogNY</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/citizensenviro?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@citizensenviro</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Surfrider?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Surfrider</a> <a href="https://t.co/c39Pehg9dh">https://t.co/c39Pehg9dh</a></p>— Todd Kaminsky (@toddkaminsky) <a href="https://twitter.com/toddkaminsky/status/1140627488391008256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>Members of New York Renews gathered on Monday in Albany, where lawmakers are expected to pass the legislation on Wednesday.</p><p>"We believe that we will win!" the group chanted.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We Believe That We Will Win!<br><br>Get ready for the vote folks! <a href="https://t.co/iqbmHtRv2n">pic.twitter.com/iqbmHtRv2n</a></p>— NY Renews (@NYRenews) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYRenews/status/1140693818255319040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>Peter Iwanowicz, executive director of Environmental Advocates of New York, gave credit to grassroots organizers for pressuring their state representatives to reach a deal on and pass the CCPA.</p><p>"Thank you to the frontlines for bringing this into Albany," Iwanowicz told the group gathered in the state capital. "Insiders couldn't do this by ourselves."</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"Thank you to the frontlines for bringing this into Albany. Insiders couldn't do this by ourselves. This is the biggest, the boldest, the baddest climate policy! We will take this to Washingtom and the world." Peter Iwanowitcz of <a href="https://twitter.com/greenwatchdogNY?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@greenwatchdogNY</a>. We WILL <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PassTheCCPA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PassTheCCPA</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/NYRenews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYRenews</a> <a href="https://t.co/iQ7zEGZtGi">pic.twitter.com/iQ7zEGZtGi</a></p>— Adrien Salazar (@adrien4ej) <a href="https://twitter.com/adrien4ej/status/1140700461122695168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>Beyond the benefits the CCPA has in store for New Yorkers, one climate campaigner wrote on social media, the expected passage of the bill after pressure from the NY Renews coalition bodes well for a potential federal Green New Deal in the future.</p><p>"What a massive win for the climate justice movement and the frontline communities that have fought so hard for this!" wrote Daniel Aldana Cohen, a professor at University of Pennsylvania. "If flipping a bunch of New York State senate seats and building fighting coalitions could achieve all this in a couple years — just imagine what millions of organized people in the streets and a federal Green New Deal could do."</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is really amazing. Also remember the giant tenants win. If flipping a bunch of NY State senate seats and building fighting coalitions could achieve all this in a couple years—just imagine what millions of organized ppl in the streets and a federal GND could do</p>— Daniel Aldana Cohen (@aldatweets) <a href="https://twitter.com/aldatweets/status/1140651511028092928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/06/17/huge-victory-grassroots-climate-campaigners-new-york-lawmakers-reach-deal-sweeping?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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More than 700 New Yorkers marched across the Brooklyn Bridge on April 18 to demand Gov. Andrew Cuomo to block the controversial Williams Northeast Supply Enhancement Pipeline. Erik McGregor / Pacific Press / LightRocket / Getty Images
New York's environmental regulatory body rejected a controversial natural gas pipeline Wednesday, The New York Times reported.
<p>The so-called Williams pipeline, named for the Oklahoma-based companies that would have operated it, would carry natural gas 37 miles from Pennsylvania to New Jersey and New York. Williams said it was important to meet New York's growing energy needs, but environmental activists said it would harm the state's environment and tie the state to additional <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuel</a> infrastructure in the face of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change" target="_self">climate change</a>.</p>
<p>"New Yorkers are winning the fight against the Williams fracked gas pipeline, and we'll make sure this dangerous and unnecessary pipeline is never built," <a href="https://www.stopthewilliamspipeline.org/" target="_blank">Stop the Williams Pipeline</a>, a coalition of anti-pipeline groups, said in a statement.</p>
<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1128835118276202496" id="twitter-embed-1128835118276202496" lazy-loadable="true" src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1128835118276202496&created_ts=1557970239.0&screen_name=NoNYHarborPipe&text=BREAKING%21+Gov.+Cuomo%E2%80%99s+DEC+temporarily+rejects+the+Williams+Pipeline.%0A%0AWe+are+winning+this+fight+but+it+is+NOT+over%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FGi0itu8KxZ&id=1128835118276202496&name=Stop+the+Williams+Pipeline" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="LZDWIW1568219139"></iframe><p>The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) received 14,000 comments from 45,000 individuals ahead of its decision, around 90 percent of them opposing the pipeline, <a href="https://grist.org/article/new-yorks-williams-pipeline-is-denied-but-not-dead/" target="_blank">Grist reported</a>.</p><p>"I think it was the people power that made this happen," Lee Ziesche, one of six women who had conducted a hunger strike against the project, told Grist.</p><p>Activists also enlisted some political star power. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio came out against the project, and 11 members of Congress including Green New Deal champion <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/alexandria-ocasio-cortez" target="_self">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez</a> <a href="https://nadler.house.gov/uploadedfiles/nyc_delegation_letter_on_williams_pipeline_-_final.pdf" target="_blank">wrote a letter</a> to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo encouraging him to oppose the pipeline.</p>
<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1129045417759522817" id="twitter-embed-1129045417759522817" lazy-loadable="true" src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1129045417759522817&created_ts=1558020378.0&screen_name=RepAOC&text=Thank+you+%40RepJerryNadler.+Your+leadership+is+helping+to+ensure+that+NY+remains+on+the+front+lines+in+the+fight+to%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FlmaLMo20Il&id=1129045417759522817&name=Rep.+Alexandria+Ocasio-Cortez" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="8WNS671568219139"></iframe><p>Cuomo did not take a stand on the project, saying the decision was up to DEC.<br></p><p>"I told them 'Let's make the decision on the facts, not on the politics,' and that's what they're going to be doing. They will make the decision," Cuomo said, <a href="https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2019/05/16/ny-natural-gas-pipeline/" target="_blank">as CBS New York reported</a>.</p><p>Ultimately, the decision was announced in technical terms based on the harm the previously-named Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline would do to New York's waterways, The New York Times reported. Specifically, DEC said the pipeline's construction would contaminate New York's water with mercury and copper.</p><p>"Construction of the NESE pipeline project is projected to result in water quality violations and fails to meet New York State's rigorous water quality standards," the decision read.</p><p>The decision was made "without prejudice," which means Williams can reapply.</p><p>"The Department of Environmental Conservation raised a minor technical issue with our application," Williams spokesman Chris Stockton said in a statement reported by The New York Times. "Our team will be evaluating the issue and resubmitting the application quickly."</p><p>In a statement reported by CBS New York, New Yorkers for Affordable Energy spokesman Peter Kauffmann explained why some are keen to see the pipeline built and disappointed in Wednesday's decision:</p><blockquote>"The state's blockade against natural gas infrastructure is a clear and present danger to New York's economy. Blocking this critical project will make the NYC metropolitan area more reliant on oil; increase greenhouse gas emissions; eliminate jobs on Long Island; and put the region on a path to skyrocketing energy prices and rolling blackouts."</blockquote><p>But pipeline opponents say that those who support the pipeline have exaggerated the region's natural gas demand. A <a href="https://350.org/" target="_blank">350.org</a> report written by former head of New York City's DEC branch Suzanne Mattei called such claims "a lot of smoke and mirrors," The New York Times reported.</p><p>Green activists said they would fight any attempts to revive the pipeline.</p><p>"The state has made it clear that dangerous gas pipelines have no place in New York," <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/" target="_blank">Natural Resources Defense Council</a> Senior Attorney Kimberly Ong told The New York Times. "We will continue to ensure this reckless project is shelved forever."</p>
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