Join us tomorrow - Saturday, June 25 - at 10:00 AM for Team Up to Clean Up West Harlem. Our staff, members, friends, and colleagues will come together to tackle trash in our community. Read about it in Harlem World Magazine and sign up here. Cleaning supplies will be provided. And we thank West Harlem Development Corporation for funding this event!
Early Voting Ends June 26 in New York Election Day Is June 28
You can take advantage of early voting through Sunday, June 26 for New York's June 28 Primary Election. Watch the video replay of our June Membership Meeting or visit our Voter Information page to learn what you need to know. And get out and vote!
PowerUp NYC Community Town Hall Help Shape the City’s Energy Future
PowerUp NYC is a year-long energy study seeking your input to help shape New York City’s Long-Term Energy Plan for achieving a just energy transition by 2050. We are hosting the Manhattan Community Town Hall on behalf of the New York City Mayor's Office of Climate & Environmental Justice. Join us online at 6:00 PM on Monday, June 27 and share your thoughts. RSVP here, and make your voice heard!
How Will New York Define Disadvantaged Communities? Your Input Is Critical to the Success of This Climate Justice Legislation
Join Sonal Jessel on Monday, June 27 at 12:00 PM for a teach-in and panel discussion on the public comment period for defining disadvantaged communities as part of New York State’s Climate Act, the CLCPA, and learn why your input is critical to its success. RSVP here.
Building a Better Electric Grid Come Learn About FERC’s Proposal
Anastasia Gordon will be among the panelists at Generating Change for a Just Grid, which we are hosting with the State Energy & Environmental Impact Center at 12:00 PM on Wednesday, July 13. The discussion will center around the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s proposal for an improved electric transmission grid. RSVP here.
Member BBQ: Mark Your Calendar
Mark your calendar for our "Beat the Heat" Member BBQ. We’ll be gathering at 155 West 142nd Street for our annual barbecue from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM on Saturday, July 16. RSVP here.
Letters on Congestion Pricing & Natural Gas Amplifying the Voices of Environmental Justice
After New York State Governor Kathy Hochul suggested in a gubernatorial debate that congestion pricing wasn’t an urgent concern, our coalition sent a letter (download the PDF) to her explaining why congestion pricing is an urgent environmental justice issue – including the benefits of congestion pricing as well as the negative impacts of continuing to delay its implementation. This follows a similar letter (download the PDF) we had sent President Joe Biden last month. We will continue to push for congestion pricing and the protection of New York City’s frontline communities.
We were also among the more than 130 organizations who sent a letter (download the PDF) to President Biden in the wake of the explosion and fire at a liquified natural gas (LNG) plant and export terminal in Freeport, Texas, which is the fourth largest such facility in the nation. The letter called for a transparent investigation into the incident, the halt of all LNG exports and related projects, and a commitment to ban exports and such facilities due to their climate and safety repercussions. These facilities tend to be located in environmental justice communities and pose a direct threat to their health and safety due to both pollution and accidents. Plus, natural gas is mostly methane, one of the most potent of the greenhouse gases that cause the climate crisis, which disproportionately harms these very same communities. Again, we will continue to pursue this through every available channel.
VIDEO REPLAY: Watch Our Lead Workshop
In case you missed it, you can watch the video replay here of our workshop on lead and the work we are doing to prevent lead poisoning at the city, state and federal levels.
Bailey was featured extensively in a US News & World Report article on how climate change impacts seniors and their retirement plans, from prepping for extreme weather to investing in energy efficiency.
Lonnie Portis was among the voices raising concerns in The City’s story about the lack of progress on Renewable Rikers, which called out the New York City Department of Corrections for failing to adhere to the timeline.
Mother Country Radicals: A Podcast Series Reexamining the Interconnected Histories of Black and White Militants in the 60s & 70s
If you are reading this newsletter, then I’m sure you agree that it’s been a heavy week. The past 48 hours in particular. For many of us at WE ACT, the emotions surrounding what the high court (apologies, but "supreme" no longer seems to fit) has done are still quite raw.
Lucky for us, a new podcast, Mother Country Radicals, has released the first five episodes of its 10-part series on the Weather Underground, an organization originally known as the Weatherman when it was founded in radical opposition to American imperialism by members of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) in 1969. A video trailer for the podcast series can be watched here.
It’s worth noting that WE ACT’s Board Chair Jeff Jones was a founding member of the organization, after serving as a leader in the SDS. In fact, he met his wife, law professor Eleanor Stein, while they were both active members of the Weather Underground. Knowing what fascinating and passionate people Jeff and Eleanor are, this podcast surely will not disappoint. It’s also worth noting that their son Thai Jones helped to write the series and served as historian for the project. Learn more and listen to the episodes here.
Pride Month: The Intersection of the Environmental Justice and LGBTQIA+ Justice Movements
June is Pride month, honoring the 1969 Stonewall Uprising that was led by LGBTQIA+ people of color. The ongoing struggle for LGBTQIA+ justice has much in common with the struggle for environmental justice. That is why we wanted to share this article from the Yale School of the Environment as well as this article from the Center for American Progress.
New York Providing Utility Debt Relief for Low-Income Households
As you may recall, we have been advocating for utility debt relief because more than 1 million New Yorkers are struggling to pay their utility bills. This crisis has hit low-income communities and communities of color the hardest, as they must spend a disproportionate amount of their household income on utility bills. And with the COVID-19 pandemic hitting these same communities the hardest, it’s not surprising that many have found themselves behind on their utility bills.
We have some good news to report! Thanks to the New York State Public Service Commission, Governor Kathy Hochul, and the State Legislature, $250 million will be distributed to those in need, helping pay down household utility debt. Current utility customers participating in the Energy Affordability Program (EAP) will receive a one-time bill credit that eliminates arrears accrued through May 1, 2022. But if you are in a low-income household that is not already enrolled in your utility’s EAP program, you can still enroll to receive this credit. If you are a low-income household interested in enrolling, contact our Climate Justice Team at [email protected] and they can help guide you through the process.
Bus Changes Along 125th Street
Our resident New York City transit expert, Bailey, wanted to share some changes that will take effect on Sunday, June 26. The MTA has redesigned the Bronx bus network, which will also impact many of our Northern Manhattan community members. These changes include the new M125 route across 125th Street: MTA M125 bus timetable (PDF). This replaces the BX15 along the 125th Street corridor, MTA BX15 bus timetable (PDF). The same is true of the M100 route, MTA M100 bus timetable (PDF), which will now terminate at 125th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue. The full list of changes can be found here: MTA Bronx Bus Schedules.
