9/3/24 Ahead of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s energy summit in Syracuse on September 5, the Green Party of New York urged state lawmakers to speed up the transition to zero emissions and 100% clean renewable energy. Hochul convened the summit after admitting that the state was failing to meet its clean energy goals, prompting business leaders to urge her to weaken the climate laws.

The Green Party pushed for a climate law far stronger than the CLCPA (Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act) adopted 5 years ago. Since 2010 it has called for an ecosocialist Green New Deal in New York, with a ten-year timeline to 100% renewable energy and zero emissions, combined with a comprehensive economic Bill of Rights. The Party also urged lawmakers to implement the congestion pricing program for NYC that Hochul has halted.

“Hochul and other Democrats, including Kamala Harris, continue to appease the fossil fuel industry and their campaign donors.  We need the Democrats to reject false climate solutions such as nuclear power, hydrogen, biofuels, fracking, natural gas, and carbon capture and sequestration. We need to create energy and economic systems that are publicly owned and democratically controlled that focus on preventing climate collapse and promote the common good, not wasting money on greening capitalism and the 1%,” said Gloria Mattera, co-chair of the Green Party. The Party faulted Hochul for slow-walking implementation of the Build Public Renewables Act and for failing to sign the legislation to block the use of carbon dioxide for fracking.