Contact: Larisa Manescu larisa.manescu@sierraclub.org
New York City, NY - This morning, at the Pedestrian Plaza on 14th St and University Place, environmental, transit and green workforce activists joined together to bid farewell to a Sierra Club activist traveling to Albany on the Amtrak to deliver a petition from over 7,000 New Yorkers to Governor Cuomo on Thursday.
Transportation accounts for 36 percent of New York’s total greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to dangerous air pollution in communities across the state. The petition calls on Governor Cuomo to commit to reducing emissions from on-road passenger vehicles 55% by 2035 in his 2020 State of the State in order for New York to reach the climate goals it laid forth in the historic Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) passed this summer.
This New York City event is one of several launch events for a "Get Set, Go Green!" relay happening this week, where Sierra Club activists from across New York, including Buffalo, Rochester, the Lower Hudson, New York City, and Plattsburgh, are traveling to Albany on multiple modes of low-carbon transportation for the petition delivery on December 12.
Increasing electric vehicles and decreasing reliance on cars would provide billions in public health and economic benefits, keep tens of billions of transportation fueling dollars in the New York economy, increase mobility, benefit communities most overburdened by air pollution, and create good manufacturing jobs for workers in New York City and across the state.
“In this time of climate crisis, New York’s climate leadership will fall short if we don’t put the same energy and commitment into transforming the transportation sector,” said Sierra Club New York City Organizer Avalon Hoek Spaans. “Today, New York City activists are uplifting the call from thousands of people across the state asking Governor Cuomo to begin 2020 with a bold vision to tackle New York’s most polluting sector.”
“Cutting emissions isn’t just good climate policy - it’s good for workers and communities, too. If we get the policy right, electrifying transit vehicles across New York State can create good manufacturing jobs with family-supporting wages. We can also make sure that folks from environmental justice communities and frontline workers such as bus mechanics, drivers, and other transit workers are first in line for these good, clean jobs.” says Farah Mehreen Ahmad, New York Community Organizer with Jobs to Move America, “By making a commitment to cutting emissions, our government can start building the New York of the future: one where our air is clean, our infrastructure is sound, and every job is a good one.”
"We are grateful to the Sierra Club for holding our elected officials accountable for reaching the goals set out by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA),” said Jaime Fahy of Sunrise Movement NYC. “Inefficient and dirty transportation disproportionately affects the health and mobility of disadvantaged communities, and Governor Cuomo’s constituents expect him to recognize these issues and uphold his commitment to a sustainable future. Long-term goals without clear interim targets are just empty promises. We stand with Sierra Club in demanding the ambitious but achievable target of 55% decarbonization of the transportation sector by 2035."
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.