New York City Environmental Justice Alliance

We are excited to announce the release of the PEAK Coalition’s latest report, "Demanding a Better Grid: How Demand Management Can Accelerate the Phase-Out of New York City’s Peaker Power Plants." NYC-EJA is proud to be part of the PEAK Coalition, which came together to end the long-standing pollution burden from peaker plants on the city’s most climate-vulnerable people. 5 years after the coalition’s inception, a lot of progress has been made, but too many harmful peakers remain. Environmental justice communities cannot be sacrificed any longer. Peaker plants are harming people’s health, contributing to global warming, and costing New Yorker’s millions of dollars in utility bills. There are much better ways to ensure a reliable grid. Read our report to learn more about one of them: Demand Management. https://lnkd.in/eaEu-Qmv

We are excited to announce the release of NYC-EJA’s 2024 NYC Climate Justice Agenda! This newest agenda arrives at a critical juncture. While we have seen some progress in implementing New York State’s landmark Climate Act and other climate justice initiatives since 2019, we have also seen increased resistance from fossil fuel interests and state actors seeking to undermine climate mandates and co-opt climate justice rhetoric. As we approach the 10th anniversary of the historic People’s Climate March (as well as Climate Week), New York faces a critical moment. Our State and City have a little more than five years to meet their 40% emission reduction mandates set out by the Climate Act and Climate Mobilization Act, respectively. With mayoral and gubernatorial elections on the horizon, our 2024 NYC Climate Justice Agenda provides strategic recommendations to address environmental burdens for frontline communities and tackle climate change with a focus on equity and health. Check out the report here: https://lnkd.in/ePx5hxQ4

Rikers Island, long known for its injustices and abuses, is mandated to close by 2027, after which it will become a hub for clean energy and organics processing.  But the NYC Department of Correction is now pushing to keep it open longer and increase pollution from its fossil-fuel power plant. The plan would allow more dangerous pollutants like NOx and PM10 into our air—risking public health and accelerating climate change. This is inconsistent with the Renewable Rikers laws, and violates our state’s landmark climate legislation, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.  What happens at Rikers affects all of us—especially in the fight for environmental justice for all. Join us in demanding that the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation enforce the law and prioritize a sustainable future. Rikers must close on time, and the island must be repurposed for clean energy, not more pollution! 🚨 Submit your comment by August 26 Join us in submitting a comment to NYS Department of Environmental Conservation now: https://lnkd.in/euMTjZ2n    #RenewableRikers #ClimateChange #EnvironmentalJustice #CleanEnergy #ClimateAction #NYC   

Today is the second day of summer, third day of NYC's first heat wave of the year, and yet another day that NYC is under an Air Quality Health Advisory -- this excellent report by New York City Environmental Justice Alliance about the dangers of unhealthy air pollution and extreme heat in NYC's low-income communities of color sure does seem timely (even if it was released one whole week ago)!

Our new CHAMP-EJ report releases today – soon after Governor Kathy Hochul’s shocking decision to indefinitely postpone congestion pricing – revealing that air quality measurements at the hyperlocal level in environmental justice neighborhoods of the South Bronx, and Brooklyn showed levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution up to 18x greater and 49x greater (for mobile and fixed measurements, respectively) than the nearest government-run monitors that report hourly values. CHAMP-EJ highlights air pollution and heat research findings including identifying policy recommendations - such as congestion pricing - for the City and State to reduce air quality and heat disparities in low income communities of color. CHAMP-EJ came together with support from the @nyattourney New York State Attorney General’s Office and in collaboration with community-based organizations El Puente, GOLES, The POINT CDC, UPROSE, We Stay/Nos Quedamos, and other research partners. Full report here >> https://lnkd.in/ec3b9EXp

"It is now a constitutional right in New York to have clean air—not slightly cleaner air." Read Eddie Bautista's full op-ed in NY Amsterdam News on why the "Clean Fuel Standard” is a False Solution! https://lnkd.in/eKjJErvc

Curious about how different policy designs can impact emissions reductions in New York State? Without guardrails, cap-trade-and-invest programs might lead to pollution "hotspots" in disadvantaged communities. Discover how NY can do better in our special report with Resources for the Future on how to distribute emissions reductions more fairly. It's time for climate policies that prioritize equity 🌎🛠️ https://lnkd.in/ee-t3ExY

Curious about how different policy designs can impact emissions reductions in New York State? Without guardrails, cap-trade-and-invest programs might lead to pollution "hotspots" in disadvantaged communities. Discover how NY can do better in our special report with Resources for the Future on how to distribute emissions reductions more fairly. It's time for climate policies that prioritize equity 🌎🛠️ https://lnkd.in/ee-t3ExY

Check out the latest episode of CUNY TV's DiverseCity program: PEAK Coalition's Daniel Chu and Victor Davila went with reporters around the South Bronx to talk about air pollution and community-led efforts to replace peaker plants with renewable energy and storage. https://lnkd.in/eBzTusvh