Climate activists lambasted Gov. Kathy Hochul in Midtown on Monday for failing to take action on climate legislation just as the Big Apple begins its heatwave.
Demonstrators from Public Power NY joined Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani and State Senator Julia Salazar outside of Hochul’s Third Avenue office to denounce the governor for failing to act on legislation passed last year.
Despite the passage of the Build Public Renewables Act (BPRA), speakers charged that under Governor Hochul’s tenure, the activists noted that New York’s share of renewable energy has increased by less than 1%. Should that pace continue unchanged, they argued that it leaves out of reach the goal of a 70% renewable energy grid by 2030 — as required under the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA).
Salazar charged that New Yorkers are feeling the results of the inaction in their wallets thanks to power companies.
“Summer has just begun, and New Yorkers already cannot afford to pay their energy bills,” Salazar said. “National Grid is currently demanding a rate increase that would translate to about $30 a month increase in our utility bills on top of what people already cannot afford to pay.”
While Salazar complained of the financial impact, Mamdani decried the environmental ramifications, citing the onset of this week’s heat wave as one example.
“It’s par for the course for what we’ve seen the climate crisis wreak upon our state and upon our country over the last 12 months. Whether it be wildfire smoke, whether it be ramped flooding, we are clearly seeing the costs of inaction,” Mamdani said, bringing up the government’s controversial halt of congestion pricing.
amNewYork Metro reached out to Governor Hochul’s office for comment and is awaiting a response.
