TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress Not to Cut a Dirty Debt Ceiling Deal That Benefits the Oil & Gas Industry

Fossil fuel special interests and their allies in Congress are trying to boost profits by holding our nation’s economy hostage. At the same time, they continue to attack our bedrock environmental protections, such as the National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Water Act and Clean Act, to make it easier to build their dirty fossil fuel projects.

We must not let them stop our transition to an equitable, clean and just energy future! Join us in urging Members of Congress to “say no” to any debt ceiling deal that includes detrimental changes to environmental laws and maintains handouts for the oil and gas industry. Take 5 minutes and follow the link below to send a prewritten letter to your Congressmember urging them to reach a debt ceiling agreement that raises the debt ceiling without giveaways to fossil fuel lobbyists like weakened permitting legislation.

Wins and Losses (But Mostly Wins) in This Year's State Budget

The 2023 New York budget is finally out and we're celebrating some great wins! Our report card details which environmental justice bills that we helped champion made it into the budget and which did not. In New York, many bills "pass" by receiving funding in the annual state budget, so it's a big deal for bills to be included because they're ensured to be fully-funded. This year, we're celebrating some big wins, including the All Electric Buildings Act and the Build Public Renewables Act, while continuing to fight for others, such as the NY HEAT Act that didn't make it in. Follow the link below to see the full report card.

TURN UP THE NY HEAT: Join Us in Albany Tuesday to Advocate for the NY HEAT Act

As mentioned in our State Budget Report Card, the NY HEAT Act failed to make it into this year's budget. But we’re not accepting that. We’re going to Albany on Tuesday, May 23 to demand they pass this legislation!
 
Low-income households are the most impacted by volatile gas prices and high energy bills, paying three times more of their income on energy bills than non-low income households. The final state budget leaves families in the lurch by failing to address these energy affordability concerns. But the NY HEAT Act is an opportunity for the legislature to correct course. The bill will cap energy bills at 6 percent of household income for low- and middle-income families saving the average low-income family $75 per month, among other cost-saving measures.
 
Join us on Tuesday, May 23 for our emergency advocacy day up in Albany. We need to pass this bill ASAP, especially as the summer is coming and people are going to see a spike in their electric bills. Sign up for the bus leaving from 34th Street & Eighth Avenue at 8 am. Questions? Text or call Annie Carforo at 917-484-0168. 

Environmental Justice Symposium

Tyisha Smalls and Jaron Burke will be amongst the speakers at the Environmental Justice Symposium hosted by NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan Community Advisory Board on May 25 from 10 am - 4 pm at 1901 First Avenue. They will share their expertise on environmental justice and how we can combat climate change.

Come Learn About Composting

Have you seen these orange bins popping up around Northern Manhattan? In the first of our monthly Communicating Environmental Science series, we’ll be talking about composting, the new composting programs that the city is rolling out, and what this means for environmental justice! This will be a virtual meeting via Zoom on May 30 from
6 - 7:30 pm.

June Membership Meeting

RSVP to our next membership meeting on June 10th. We'll be discussing the Climate Ready Uptown Plan (CRUP), the upcoming primary election, and an overview of the campaign finance board.

• Out of Gas, In with Justice: Annie Carforo and one of our Out of Gas, In with Justice participants were featured in a Univision Channel 41 story about the transition from gas stoves to electric in the wake of the inclusion of the All Electric Buildings Act in the New York State budget.
• Lead Crisis in NY: Sonal Jessel was featured on the Capitol Pressroom talking about New York State's lead crisis and the legislation that could address it.
• FERC Approving More Pipelines: As the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) talks about advancing environmental justice, our Federal Policy Office has been pushing them to walk the talk. Jasmine Jennings was quoted in a Bloomberg law article noting that despite the supportive words, FERC - the federal agency tasked with regulating the transmission and wholesale sale of electricity, natural gas, and oil by pipeline in interstate commerce - has yet to deny a single project on environmental justice grounds. In fact, as the story notes, FERC has approved more gas pipeline capacity in their first four months of this year than in the previous two years combined.
• Toxics in Cosmetics: Our Beauty Inside Out adult survey on the use of and attitudes towards chemical hair relaxers and skin lighteners was referenced in a Grist article about Washington State's new Toxics-Free Cosmetics Act. The article also appeared in Crosscut and Spanish-language Red 17.
• Decarbonization: Peggy Shepard, who recently delivered a keynote address at the Living Future conference, was quoted in a story about the event in Yahoo Finance and CS Wire. The focus of the conference was the need for a movement to change policies shaping building design, construction, and operation to address the climate crisis, and Peggy talked about the work WE ACT has been doing to advocate for equitable policies to decarbonize and electrify the building sector.

The Cross Bronx Expressway is Dirty, Loud, and Racist. It's Time to Change That.

The US Department of Transportation has awarded the City of New York a grant to study ways to reimagine the Cross Bronx Expressway. This notorious highway was built through communities of color in the South Bronx decades ago and has been a major contributor to air pollution - leading to some of the highest asthma rates in the nation - and blight ever since. The city is hosting public forums to hear from residents on what they would like to see happen to the highway. They have 4 upcoming sessions this summer that you can register to attend here.

Central Park Survey 

The Central Park Conservancy, in partnership with the New York City's Department of Transportation and Department of Parks and Recreation, is leading a community-informed study of the Central Park’s drives to increase safety and mobility. If you use Central Park, we encourage you to take a few minutes to fill out their survey, which is available in English and Spanish.

Listen to Uptown Chats Podcast on Environmental Justice

Looking for that new hot, informative, and interesting podcast to add to your docket? Look no further than Uptown Chats, WE ACT's new podcast! Join Lonnie and Jaron and their expert guests for an enlivening conversation on all things environmental justice. New episodes are released each month! 

Join the WE ACT Team

Our staff continues to expand! We have a number of new positions that are now open for application:

• Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center Director:
  • Based in our New York City office.
  • The job description can be downloaded here (PDF).
• Individual Giving Manager
  • Based in our New York City office.
  • The job description can be downloaded here (PDF).
• Legislative Coordinator
  • Based in our Washington, DC office.
  • The job description can be downloaded here (PDF).