Dear friends,
It’s an auspicious day — the autumnal equinox, when the sun is exactly above the equator and day and night are of equal length. This marks the beginning of autumn, a beautiful season.
In our household, seasonal change is celebrated by outdoor activity and cake. Here at the wiffij, we celebrate every occasion by working for justice.
Puerto Ricans on the frontlines of the climate crisis need our help.
Tomorrow, there’s a global climate strike. Our local event kicks off at Foley Square at 2 PM. The youth-led Fridays For the Future (FFF) includes local, state, federal, and international demands.
We are going to amplify the demands of the young people and continue to pursue climate justice in New York and beyond.
One of FFFNYC’s demands is full enforcement and funding of Local Law 97. This Green New Deal initiative, passed in 2019, caps building emissions.
The law will require building owners to report on their annual greenhouse gas emissions, beginning in May 2025, and pay stiff fines if buildings exceed the legal limits. There is already a lawsuit challenging Local Law 97, and concern that the Adams Administration will be lenient about enforcement.
As a candidate, Adams said that New York City should be a global leader in the face of climate adversity.
More recently, he has backpedaled on climate issues. He has complained about the Congestion Pricing plan because it might cost drivers high fees to drive into Manhattan. That is precisely the point: to change behavior.
The mayor has often referenced the changes he made to his own behavior in order to restore his health. Change is not always easy.
Recently, with regard to congestion pricing, Adams asked,
“How is this going to impact a high asthma district and make sure we aren’t being unfair to the outer boroughs?”
Environmental justice is a real concern. The response should not be to jettison congestion pricing, but to employ mitigation strategies throughout the city.
Tom Wright of the Regional Plan Association points out
potential impacts on select highways, including the Cross Bronx Expressway, — all much smaller than the anticipated benefits — can be addressed by local mitigation strategies such as electrifying Hunts Point terminal and the trucks accessing it; electrifying the bus fleet; directing money for EV charging infrastructure; and accelerating plans to cap the Cross Bronx Expressway.
Wright favors taking all of those steps and points out that the fees from congestion pricing can be used to invest in these and other infrastructure improvements.
CORRECTION: When I wrote on Tuesday about the importance of congestion pricing for reducing traffic in Manhattan and with it, particulate pollution, I invited you to a rally at Hochul’s office. That rally was last year!
Unfortunately, I’m posting too late today to invite you to the 9:30 AM rally today outside City Hall.
Let Mayor Adams know that we support full compliance with and funding for Local Law 97 and implementation of congestion pricing. This is ready made!
The young people are also demanding that the governor sign the crypto mining moratorium that passed the legislature. This seems like an auspicious time to send our legislative reminders to the governor.
FFFNYC expressed frustration with the mayor, who remains intoxicated by the crypto industry. We tried an educational approach with the mayor, which apparently did not take.
Because the moratorium is not retroactive, it’s important that the governor sign the moratorium sooner rather than later.
In Hochul’s first State of the State Address, she remarked:
Too often, previous administrations worked against, not with, the Legislature, or altogether ignored the critical, constitutional role of the Legislature in our government.
In the same speech, she affirmed her role in defending the right to
clean air, clean water, and a clean environment for every New Yorker.
Send Governor Hochul a message to sign important pieces of legislation, including the crypto mining moratorium! This is a 30-second action.
When I was a teacher, I liked to grant homework amnesty for those assignments that were still worth doing after the original deadline. Below is some climate work you may have missed. If you do it today, you still get full credit, as do we all.
It’s also cool to repeat yourself. You can send a second comment to NYS’s Public Service Commission or the US Army Corps of Engineers. Just change it up a bit!
Send a comment to Governor Hochul and the Public Service Commission: we should not pay more for electricity in order to fund fossil fuel projects. This quick action comes from Sane Energy Project.
Send a letter to the US Army Corps of Engineers today to demand to a meaningful Environmental Impact Statement. This action is from EarthJustice.
The next two actions are comprehensive in their approach to climate action. One takes a little time and one takes a little money. Do both if you can!
Contact the Federal Reserve and let them know that banks are endangering the planet and their own stability when they invest in fossil fuel projects. This quick action comes from Chop Wood, Carry Water!
I want to again remind you about the brilliant Environmental Voter Project, which focuses on turning environmentalists into voters.
Using the same tools that pollsters use to identify registered voters and to distinguish likely and unlikely voters, EVP identifies and mobilizes people who care deeply about environmental issues AND are unlikely voters.
In just six years, working in 17 states, EVP have thus far turned more than 1 million unlikely voters into super voters, the folks who vote in midterms and off-year elections.
EVP is playing a long game by building the likely voter base with climate and environmental voters. These are the people who get polled, whose priorities matter.
Support the Environmental Voter Project so that people who care about climate issues and sustainability are voting in every election.
I’m taking tomorrow off. I’ll be back on Monday.
with love,
L