PSC Members Rally and Testify for Public Renewables

On Wednesday, November 20th, the PSC joined our partners at Public Power New York (PPNY) to lead a rally before a public hearing of the New York Power Authority (NYPA). Under existing state law, NYPA is mandated to build enough public renewable energy to convert the entire grid to renewables by 2040, but their current draft plan is woefully insufficient. 

We hosted a series of Decarbonize CUNY town halls over the course of this semester to build awareness and support for a clean energy transformation at CUNY and beyond. That energy was carried forward powerfully at the Nov. 20th rally and hearing, where dozens of PSC members demonstrated, chanted, and testified in support of publicly controlled, renewable energy on our campuses, and an end to NYPA’s toxic “peaker plants” that pollute our communities. 

PSC Environmental Justice Working Group co-chair Nancy Romer was the MC at Wednesday’s rally, and First Vice President Jen Gaboury spoke, along with elected officials and other community leaders. can still submit testimony to NYPA is accepting testimony through December 6th, and we encourage members to call for a more ambitious plan at this link. You can see our info doc here for talking points and background.

You can read the PPNY press release here, see photos from the action above, and scroll down for a video playlist of PSC members’ comments and testimony.