Jan. 19 2016 Update – climate gas tax

100% Renewables Now NYS
Update – Jan. 19, 2016
www.gelfny.org

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New York Considering Climate Gas Tax
TV Interview on Cuomo’s proposed climate change agenda
Jan. 20th Hearing on State Divestment Bills Postponed
Jan. 28th State Legislature Budget Hearing on the Environment
NYC Looking to Solarize Public Buildings
De Blasio’s Green Agenda?!
Calls still needed to Gov. Cuomo to Stop Constitution Pipeline
101 Pilgrim Pipeline Webinar: Thurs. 1/21/16, 7-8 pm
Solarize Albany Meeting, Thurs. 1/21/16, 6-8 pm
Pipeline Public Forum for Albany County: Sat. 1/23/16, 2-4 pm
REV Hearings Long Island Jan. 26
Seneca Lake Activists Link with Fight over California Methane Gas Leak
NYC Meeting on Offshore Wind Fri. Feb. 19
LIPA to enact rules on community net metering

New York Considering Climate Gas Fee / Tax

New York and four other states are exploring ways to put a price on the air pollution spewing from cars, trucks, trains and other vehicles — the source of more than a third of greenhouse-gas emissions in the northeastern U.S. The result may eventually be new taxes, tolls or a pollution-trading system that could raise $3 billion a year or more for mass transit, electric-vehicle rebates and other projects, supporters say.  See story

Several state carbon tax bills are presently pending. GELF is support A8372 /S6037. The carbon tax would start at $35 a ton and then increase in annual increments of $15 a ton until $180 a ton. 60% of the revenues would be rebated to low and moderate income consumers. The remaining forty percent will support the transition to one hundred percent clean energy in the state, to support mass transit to reduce carbon emissions, and to improve climate change adaptation. Such funds shall include payments and subsidies for renewable energy, energy conservation and efficiency measures,  improvements  in  infrastructure,  improvements  in  mass transit  capacity, agricultural  adaptation  measures,  protection  of  low-lying areas  including  coastlines, and emergency responses to extreme weather events.

Groups hope that a least funding for a carbon tax study will be included in this year’s budget.

TV Interview on Cuomo’s proposed climate change agenda

Liz Benjamin does a 10 minute interview with Mark Dunlea on Capitol Tonight on Times Warner Cable discussing the Governor’s proposals. A summary of the State of the Climate event, which brought several hundred people with the Capitol before the SOS, is here.

Jan. 20th Hearing on State Divestment Bills Postponed

Since the state budget hearings star earlier than expected, the Jan. 20th hearing on the bill to have the state divest its pension funds from fossil fuels has been postponed. A8011 / S5873. However calls are still needed to legislators to ask them to co-sponsor the bill. The hearing will probably be rescheduled in March.

Vermont Governor Shumlin has called for his state to divest its pension funds from coal and Exxon. He has called for a national coalition of Governors for divestment.

Jan. 28th State Legislature Budget Hearing on the Environment

The state budget hearing schedule has been announced. The hearing on the environmental budget is set for Thurs Jan. 28 in hearing room B at 9:30 AM. The administration goes first and testifies for an hour or so, then others are given 10 minutes to comment. To sign up to testify, contact Jessica Jeune 518 455-3573. The Governor’s summary of his environmental and energy proposals is here. Industry summary from Alliance for Clean Energy.

From Politico: The Cuomo administration’s plan to train a clean energy workforce of 10,000 will be funded by the sale of air pollution credits. The budget proposal Cuomo laid out last Wednesday also calls for Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative money to be used to fund energy tax credits from the George Pataki era, rather than new programs. That doesn’t sit well with some environmental groups who want to see RGGI funding spent on new energy initiatives.

NYC Looking to Solarize Public Buildings

A bill that would mandate solar installations on city-owned rooftops got a hearing last Friday before the City Council’s Committee on Environmental Protection. The bill (Intro. 478) is being sponsored by committee Chairman Costa Constantinides, along with 33 others, all but guaranteeing its passage in the Council. The measure would require Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration to conduct a report assessing every city-owned building and its potential for solar. For those buildings wherein solar would be economically viable, it would require the city to install solar arrays. The Mayor’s office raised concerns that the bill would be too burdensome; others wanted other clean energy approaches to be in the mix.

De Blasio’s Green Agenda?!

Mark Dunlea provides an overview of the Mayor’s green agenda in City Limits – better on vision than on execution. We want the city to move to 100% clean energy by 2030 (San Diego just set a goal of 100% by 2035) and to purchase offshore wind. Politico also provides an overview, with a heavy emphasis on building energy retrofits.

Calls still needed to Gov. Cuomo to Stop Constitution Pipeline

The Constitution Pipeline Company has asked permission from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to START CUTTING TREES for its proposed fracked-gas pipeline, which would rip through the heart of New York State.  If allowed, the pipeline company will soon cut more than half a million trees in flood-prone central NY.

Take action and call Governor Cuomo today. 877-235-6537 or 518-474-8390 TELL HIM TO…

– STOP CONSTITUTION PIPELINE FROM CUTTING TREES!
– DON’T let FERC override his authority by pushing through a pipeline OUR STATE HAS NOT GIVEN PERMISSION TO BUILD!
– STOP this proposed FRACKED-GAS PIPELINE once and for all by DENYING THE 401 WATER QUALITY CERTIFICATE!

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office asked federal regulators last week to deny a request by developers of the Constitution natural gas pipeline to begin clearing trees along its proposed 124-mile path through the Southern Tier and Schoharie Valley. Last week, the Williams Companies and other developers of the pipeline asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for permission to begin clearing trees in Broome, Chenango, Delaware and Schoharie counties, even though the state has not given final approval for the pipeline. Developers maintain the tree clearing does not mean it is beginning construction.

Take Internet action against the pipeline.

101 Pilgrim Pipeline Webinar: Thurs. 1/21/16, 7-8 pm

Join this webinar to learn the facts about the Pilgrim Pipelines proposal which will run along the NYS Thruway from Albany to Linden, NJ, crossing many waterways along the way (and the Hudson River twice). Co-sponsored by Riverkeeper and The Coalition Against the Pilgrim Pipelines (CAPPNY). Featured presenters: Kate Hudson, Director of Cross-Watershed Initiative, Riverkeeper; Jennifer Metzger, Town Councilwoman of Rosendale, NY and Co-director of Citizens for Local Power.

Contact: Jeremy Cherson, jcherson@riverkeeper.org   TO REGISTER go to: http://www.riverkeeper.org/news-events/events/rvk-events/pilgrim-pipeline-101-webinar/

Solarize Albany Meeting, Thurs. Jan. 21, 6-8 pm

Where: Honest Weight Food Co-op, Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY. Solarize Albany County is a grassroots group of citizens working to increase the adoption of solar electricity generation for homes and small businesses. We leverage the power of bulk buying to reduce everyone’s costs. We meet weekly at the Honest Weight Food Coop. For more information, visit us at:

http://www.solarizealbany.org https://www.facebook.com/SolarizeAlbanyNY   Email: solarizealbany@gmail.com

Pipeline Public Forum for Bethlehem, Berne, Knox & New Scotland: Sat. 1/23/16, 2-4 pm

First Reformed Church of Bethlehem at 38 Church Rd. Selkirk. A proposed fracked gas pipeline is slated to traverse the towns of Bethlehem, Berne, Knox and New Scotland. Bill Reinhardt, formerly of Bethlehem Town Board and now Albany County Legislator will chair this meeting. RSVP: ernie_popp@yahoo.com, 518-434-1495 and raconnors@yahoo.com, 518-781-4686.

REV Hearings Long Island Jan. 26

The Public Service Commission will hold another public forum for its Reform Energy Vision effort on Long Island. REV is seeking to restructure the state energy highway to better integrate decentralized energy sources. It will also determine how the state promotes renewables energy, including large scale projects and community shared energy. Critics complain that it too heavily promotes natural gas and focuses too heavily on giving money to the utilities so they won’t oppose local renewables. Advocates are pushing for the PSC to better address the needs of low and moderate income consumers.

GELF’s talking points on REV are here. A copy of our testimony from Oct. Some additional talking points from AGREE.

Tuesday, January 26th. Suffolk 12:30 PM Suffolk County Legislative Building, 300 Center Drive, Riverhead; 6:30 PM, Nassau County Legislative Building, 1550 Franklin Ave., Mineola. The hearings start with a one hour presentation by PSC staff. Comments are sometimes limited to 3 minutes.

Seneca Lake Activists Link with Fight over California Methane Gas Leak

(Release) Seven activists were arrested at the proposed Seneca Lake gas storage facility in solidarity with the folks at Porter Ranch.

(Sandra Steingraber in Ecowatch) In his famous Letter from a Birmingham Jail, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” In that spirit, and as part of the ongoing civil disobedience campaign against gas storage called We Are Seneca Lake—of which I am part—seven protesters from six different New York counties declared their support for the residents of Porter Ranch, California, where a massive leak from an underground gas storage facility has sickened and displaced thousands of families and shows no sign of abating.

NYC Meeting on Offshore Wind Fri. Feb. 19

Many groups have been pressing both NYC and the State to develop offshore wind on Long Island, though both governments have taken a go slow approach due to cost concerns. Yet the best way to reduce costs for OSW is with a commitment to purchase to block of OSW. The 100% Renewables Now NY Campaign has been pushing for a Power Purchase Agreement of 5,000 MW by 2025 and 10,000 MW by 2030.

Advocates in NYC will hold a general interest meeting on OSW. Friday, February 19th, 6:30 at Saint Peter’s Church (51st Street at Lexington Ave.) Sane Energy, Sierra Club, 350 NYC, PCM NY are all involved.

LIPA to enact rules on community net metering

Newsday’s Mark Harrington: “LIPA this week will propose rule changes to allow a large segment of customers to access solar power and other green energy alternatives even if their roofs can’t. Called community net metering, the program is aimed at the hundreds of thousands of customers who live in places where renewables such as solar would otherwise not be viable or available, because of shade, a roof’s orientation or building rules that might prevent them. Condominium complexes, for instance, could offer residents access to a cheaper solar power from arrays located on their grounds, a community center or even a distant location. Other green energy sources would also be eligible. (From Politico)