by Ellen Cardone Banks
It’s an understatement and a cliché that 2021 was a very memorable year. Twelve months of a relentless pandemic that seemed to ebb and roared back twice. Endless anticipation of a return to normalcy followed by disappointment that normal meetings, social gatherings, concerts, summer festivals and visible faces in public were not going to be back soon. (At least schooling was back, though shaky.) Revulsion at new manifestations of systemic racism. An unprecedented attack on the Capitol and the Constitution.
And positives: Covid-19 Vaccines at last. Inauguration of a President who has a grasp of climate crisis and racial justice. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Interior, State Department and other federal agencies staffed again by people competent and committed to their missions. Our State and some others continuing to make progress, however imperfect, on climate protection against the national tide of continued apathy, opposition, and distraction by trivia.
Throughout 2021 working groups of the Climate Action Council designed to implement the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act met with public online access, but it was difficult to determine where things were really going, though we know our allies on the working groups faced challenges from representatives of the status quo. On December 30, 2021 their scoping document was finally released, including a summary with few details and an 800+ page document that is going to take us longer than January to fully understand. Meanwhile our new Governor released a massive administrative budget document that is responsive to some of our requests but will also take more time to review.
In 2021 we celebrated:
Permit denials for repowering the Danskammer and Astoria gas plants, while remaining vigilant about any further reopening plans.
New York City and other municipalities made progress in mass transit electrification. Niagara Frontier Transit Authority held a symbolic “groundbreaking” for a recharging station for an eventual all-electric bus fleet, funded by the federal infrastructure bill and attended by Labor Secretary Marty Walsh.
New York City’s legislation to phase out fossil fuel in new construction, which we will work to replicate state-wide in our building electrification agenda
Among the concerns needing vigilance and action that will continue into 2022:
Cryptocurrency mining using repowering of fossil fuel plants and hydropower diverted from the power needed to electrify transportation and buildings.
The false promise of “green” hydrogen as hydrogen fuel cell plants continue to open, including one our chapter opposed in Genesee County that is poorly sited near indigenous territory and wildlife preserves, consuming hydropower and likely to add to fossil fuel emissions for transport as there are no nearby uses for fuel cells.
Continued support for ORES approval of new large-scale solar and wind projects to meet CLCPA goals, including continuing to confront opposition-spread lies about the safety and efficacy of renewable energy.
In response to opposition from developers and some labor sources, new and creative ways to inform the public that electrification of buildings is feasible, affordable (if the legislation we support is passed) will reduce illness from emissions, and crucial to eliminate 30% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Continued vigilance against harmful and unnecessary development plans that encroach on our forests, wetlands, and other open spaces.
Increasing environmental activism among our members and potential members, including using our pandemic-acquired distance communication capacity to involve members who live beyond the usual meeting places of our groups.
With mid-term elections in 2022 that are critical not only for our environmental agenda but for the survival of democracy, our members will need to support the best candidates both in New York State and other states that are enacting voter suppression and interfering with counting votes.
So for 2022 let’s give it our best efforts. Quoting Bill McKibben, “Climate change is the single biggest thing that humans have ever done on this planet. The one thing that needs to be bigger is our movement to stop it.”