BY JACK DWECK
Renewable Heat Now, a coalition of climate organizations, called on NY Governor Hochul to pass the NY Heat Act that would reduce the risk of climate change, replace the state’s gas pipelines, and reduce energy bills.
“We cannot afford to keep pouring more and more money into an outdated system that is killing us,” WE ACT for Environmental Justice Policy Director and meeting host Sonal Jessel told state legislators on October 2nd. “We need Governor Hochul to commit to putting the New York Heat Act in the budget now.”
The NY Heat Act’s priority is to help get New York off climate-destroying fossil fuels, as well as to stop New Yorkers from having to pay for expanding and replacing the polluting, expensive, and outdated fracked gas pipeline network. Renewable Heat Now is pushing for ground source and air source heat pumps to be adopted in New York to reduce heat emissions. This Act would save low and middle income families up to $75 a month on energy bills so that they do not spend more than 6% of their income on energy, according to a spokesperson for the meeting’s organizers.
Attendees included Senator Liz Krueger, and Assembly Members Jo Anne Simon, Steve Otis, Anna Kelles, Jacob Plottel, and Jessica González-Rojas. Before the meeting on Friday, September 29th, New York was hit by a massive rain storm that flooded its streets, damaging multiple buildings including food businesses. Justin Henning, a Brooklyn resident living in the Gowanus section, attended the meeting to describe his experience during the storm. He talked about how he was in a bus with his daughter, and it started to fill up with water. He picked up his daughter to protect her, while she got scared and confused.
“There’s nowhere to stay safe when the weather is like this,” said Henning. “If they’re calling this ‘normal,’ I don’t know what’s going on.”