Dear friends,
We have achieved Friday. It was not an easy week. We have, however, made progress on several fronts.
On Tuesday, I mentioned the hearing at which we were anticipating a vote on a new fossil fuel infrastructure project in New Jersey. Happily, Governor Murphy and the Passaic County Sewerage Commission pulled the vote from the agenda. . . for now.
Here is a dispatch from Lena Greenberg, who attended yesterday’s hearing:
The Passaic County Sewerage Commission (PVSC) is trying to build a new fracked gas power plant in the Ironbound community in Newark. The Ironbound is an "environmental justice community," a term that refers to a place or group of people disproportionately impacted by environmental justice hazards like landfills, fossil fuel infrastructure, and heavy industry.
The PVSC claims that this new fossil fuel infrastructure is essential to making New Jersey "resilient" in the face of climate change, and that it can serve as an important backup power source. It does not take a scientist to see the flaw in this plan, but a sociologist who offered comment laid it out clearly: the hypocrisy in claiming that we need more fossil fuels to weather a crisis caused by fossil fuels is undeniable.
Another commenter was clearly on the payroll of extractive industries, and piped up to sing the praises of "clean natural gas," a major talking point these days for those trying to trap us in the era of fossil fuels. He was roundly called out for his shady alliances.
Other commenters spoke about health impacts of existing polluting infrastructure on young people; the heightened risk of thyroid and other cancers amid heavy air pollution; the availability of renewable and affordable and safe energy sources. Many insisted that the PVSC go back to the drawing board and truly consult the community to figure out a resiliency plan that will truly serve this community.
One commenter, a pregnant teacher who testified on her lunch break, held back tears as she demanded PVSC stop treating community members like "pawns that are so tradeable."
The Ironbound is one of countless communities in the US and around the world fighting for investment in renewable energy instead of more fossil fuels, for personal, political, and environmental reasons.
Support the Ironbound Community Corporation, or another environmental justice group near you, with a sustaining monthly donation. This work is long.
Go here for updates and social media tools from organizers leading the charge against the PVSC plant.
Adams is definitely hearing New York parents and students who are calling for a remote option. It’s pretty clear that he wasn’t hearing teachers, who have been raising the same concerns. I believe that Adams is in earnest about ensuring every child’s access to quality education.
It’s good that we’ve got the mayor’s attention. Perhaps he’s aware, also, that yesterday, the mayor of Paris, had to close almost 200 schools when the majority of teachers were out on strike, because the insufficient safety measures are
"allowing the virus to easily enter the schools and not protecting the teachers."
I got an email from my own very earnest city council rep’s office to tell me that she
met with the Chancellor [Wednesday] to discuss a variety of topics, most importantly, the urgent need for a remote option. She also voiced her support for the students who participated in the walk out, noting that at her own school (PS6), she previously supported students who engaged in peaceful civic/political protests.
Contact the mayor and your city council rep to let them know we need a plan for a short-term remote option for the public schools. I have updated the messages to reflect recent developments.
Thousands of workers at 80 Kroger Supermarkets are on strike over wages and unfair labor practices. The company is currently employing replacement workers making $2 more per hour, while some of their regular workers have been living out of their cars, unable to make rent.
A survey of over 10,000 Kroger workers in California, Washington and Colorado published on 11 January by the Economic Roundtable found 14% of Kroger workers experienced homelessness in the past year. Food insecurity among workers surveyed was rampant, as 34% reported skipping or reducing meals because they couldn’t afford food and 14% of workers rely on Snap assistance.
The company saw more than seven percent increase in sales from 2020 to 2021, but wage increases, adjusted for inflation, amounted to just $0.17/hour.
I don’t yet have any action to advise. Kroger workers are part of the United Food and Commercial Workers union. We will also be watching the situation in Bessemer, AL, where a new union vote is scheduled for Amazon workers, beginning in early February.
NYS’s eviction moratorium expires this weekend, which could lead to a ‘tidal wave’ of evictions. Although the state’s pot of rental aid is exhausted and COVID-related economic disruptions continue, the rental aid portal is still open, and folks should apply, even if they need aid because
If they have an application pending, they are shielded from eviction.
The up-side of this dire situation is that it’s lighting a fire under the Good Cause Eviction bill (S3082/A5573), which protects renters from facing rent hikes out of scale with inflation or eviction except for good cause. This means that the landlord cannot refuse to renew the lease for no good reason.
I forgot to make this call yesterday and maybe you did, too. Let’s do it today!
Call on your legislators to pass the Right to Remain aka Good Cause Eviction law. This ready-made action comes from Democratic Socialists of America.
The House of Representatives has passed a new voting rights bill, the “Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act,” which marries the provisions of the the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. I’m not clear about why there’s still discussion of the filibuster, since I thought the rules prevented a bill that’s been back and forth between the two houses this much from being filibustered.
The Senate will take it up on Tuesday.
Sign a petition from Public Citizen to Kyrsten Sinema to let her know that we are done worrying about how Republicans feel.
Have a great weekend!
with love,
L