NYS Clean Energy Goals: Stick to the Plan

Submitted by Joanna Lasher, LWV Saratoga County,
on behalf of Capitol District Four League Environment Committee.

In the last five years, progress has been made across the country and in New York State (NYS)  in the deployment of renewable energy, such as solar, including rooftop installation and large-scale solar farms, as well as onshore wind and the beginnings of offshore wind. While these results are impressive, NYS has a long way to go to meet the first sub-goal of 70% renewable energy as projected in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) by 2030.

There have been legitimate technical and logistical concerns, conservation issues, land use concerns, and conflicts which need to be addressed. NYSERDA (NYS Energy Research and Development Authority) is attempting to address these concerns. “Further confounding progress are fossil fuel-based organizations using inflammatory and, in many cases, erroneous information to scare residents into opposing large scale solar and offshore wind.” 1

With the first concrete goal approaching, naysayers are suggesting the State’s goals are unrealistic. They are saying things such as, “We cannot afford these goals,” “We need to go slower,” and “We can spend lots of money and not make a difference.” Others point out that we are in the midst of climate change with impacts and their costs climbing exponentially in the billions of dollars now. We need to move faster, not slower!

Climate scientists indicate that our efforts to slow down global warming now will appear to have little impact for the next 25 years because the forces are already in motion. However, climate scientists still believe we have a short window of time to ameliorate the effects. If we do not act fast to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the planet will be pretty much unlivable by the end of this century. 

NYSERDA has a State Energy Plan that was published in 2015 with updates in 2020 to align with the objectives of the CLCPA. Since then, the Scoping Plan Report has been released, examining energy issues that contribute to climate change and offering recommendations that are currently being implemented by the State. NYSERDA is now beginning the process of working on a new plan and “the public will have opportunity to provide comments on the draft scope and the draft plan throughout the process.” 2  We need to monitor this process, encourage speedy solutions and support green energy bills which will speed up the process.

The State Energy Planning Board will now convene, chaired by NYSERDA. The final Plan will provide a 15-year outlook and will focus on strategies to meet future energy needs and advance decarbonization, while balancing reliability, affordability, environmental and public health impacts and economic growth. 2

Governor Hochul has signed the Superfund Act passed by both houses of the legislature. Bills for 3 billion dollars a year for 25 years will be going out to Fossil Fuel Companies who bear much of the responsibility for accelerating climate change through disinformation and lies to the public. This year, the League is advocating for the NY HEAT Act to be in the budget. The NY HEAT Act reforms Public Service Law, allowing energy utilities to provide clean energy options while protecting families from high energy costs. An easy way for you to contact your legislators about NY HEAT: Text NYHEAT to 52886 to connect to an online form.
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1 Pete Sheehan (Pete.sheehan@sierraclubhudsonmohawk.org), Newsletter Editor, Sierra Club, Hudson Mohawk Group, Winter 2024, Volume 57, No.1.

2 See New York State Energy Plan.

Urge President Biden to publish the Federal Equal Rights Amendment!

In the United States, women are still not guaranteed equal rights. We have seen the devastating consequences of this reality.

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which will update the US Constitution to protect the equality of rights under the law regardless of sex, can be added to the Constitution with one action. With just months left in office, we are urging President Biden to act to ensure that the ERA is published. 

The ERA has met all requirements for ratification.

ACTION:

Contact the White House and ask President Biden to take action on the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) by instructing the US Archivist to certify the 28th Amendment.

1. Call or text the White House Comment Line:
- Call (202)-456-1111 (Comment line is open Tuesday - Thursday only)
- Text text (302) 404-0880

2. Send an E-mail: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/share

3. Sign the LWV letter: https://www.lwv.org/take-action/president-must-immediately-publish-equal-rights-amendment

The ERA will protect against the rollback of rights, provide a vital tool for the judicial branch to decide sex discrimination cases, and pave the way for further legislative progress toward sex and gender equality.  

For more information and additional ways to support this important effort, see the ERA coalition website, or go to League of Women Voters ERA page (national website).

Thank you, from the League of Women Voters of Saratoga County

Thank you to the scores of volunteers who were part of the League of Women Voters of Saratoga County through this challenging election. Whether working on Voter Registration, Candidate Events, or Vote411, sharing election information with the public, supporting the League with your membership, advocating for the NY ERA, or any combination of these, you had an impact. Many of you were also poll workers and election volunteers. You are appreciated!

Prop 1, the NY Equal Rights Amendment, won a resounding YES from voters ensuring that all New Yorkers will have the right to be free from discrimination protected in our New York State Constitution. For over a hundred years, the League has worked for women's rights and that work will certainly continue. Protection of basic rights and civil liberties is at the core of any strong democracy.

To reiterate the League of Women Voters of the United States' statement on the 2024 election results:

"Given the sexist, racist rhetoric heard throughout this season, we are deeply concerned about the challenges women, LGBTQIA+ people, immigrants, and other communities will face in the next administration."

“The League is dedicated to our mission of defending democracy. As we move forward, we remain steadfast in our commitment to advocate for policies that uplift women and ensure equitable representation in all levels of government.”

We need you and want you to stay engaged however you can.

How to get involved with the League of Women Voters of Saratoga County:

• Join in the conversation at the League's Member Meeting “What’s Next?” on November 21st at 7pm at the Saratoga Springs Public Library.

• Check out year-round volunteer opportunities with the League including work on the local elections happening in 2025.

• Organize a public forum on a topic that interests you.

• Advocate with the League on issues by lobbying, writing to public officials, testifying at public hearings, and providing information to the public.

Contact President@LWVSaratoga.org to find a role that fits you.

To join the League of Women Voters of Saratoga County, click here. As always, there is much to do.

Thank you for supporting the League in our continued mission to Empower Voters and Defend Democracy.

The League of Women Voters of Saratoga County

Not All Americans Celebrate Thanksgiving

In elementary school, children place their hand on a piece of paper and trace around it.  This provides a template for drawing a turkey to bring home and hang on the fridge for Thanksgiving.   The children also hear the story about the Pilgrims and Indians sitting down together and eating turkey to celebrate their friendship.

And that’s just what it is - a story.  The relationship between the Wampanoag people and the English was an alliance of sorts, but one much more complicated than we’ve been led to believe.  If you’re an educator or parent of school-age children, here’s a resource for an alternative Thanksgiving lesson:

https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/native-educators-say-thanksgiving-lessons-can-be-accurate

If you wish to learn the true history of Thanksgiving, here’s a resource:

https://www.dosomething.org/us/articles/truthsgiving-the-true-history-of-thanksgiving

We are slowly learning the true relationship between the various tribes of first people and those who claim to have discovered America.   This is not to say that we should abandon the idea of Thanksgiving.  But we need to reframe it.  Here are some simple things you can do to honor Native Americans this holiday:

• Celebrate indigenous cuisine. Find a recipe and serve Three Sisters Stew, a soup made from beans, corn and winter squash, known collectively as the “three sisters.”  This combo is traditional in Native American gardening because they offer collective benefits when planted in combination.

• Acknowledge whose land you’re on.  Enter your zip code to discover whose traditional territories you’re residing on. Learn more about them and honor their enduring relationship to the land.

• Take the time to educate yourself.  In 1970, descendants of the original invaders of the land of the Wampanoag planned an anniversary celebration.  They invited a Native American, Frank James, to speak, hoping he would offer appreciative comments.   That was not his plan. And so, Frank James did not speak at the event.  If he had been allowed to offer truth, this is what he would have said:

http://www.uaine.org/suppressed_speech.htm

Women’s Rally/March on November 2, 2024

Comments by Patricia Nugent, chair, Women's Rights Awareness Campaign, LWVSC 

Remember that song: We’re here because we’re here because we’re here because we’re here? I always thought it was a kids’ song, but it was originally a WWI British soldiers’ lament. 

It’s our theme today: We’re here because we’re here!! And we’re not going away! 

We’re here because the League of Women Voters has been marching for “liberty and justice for all” for more than 100 years. And we’re still not done. 

We’re here to challenge the caste system that treats women and minorities like second-class citizens. 

We’re here because “Human rights are women’s rights. And women’s rights are human rights.” 

We’re here because all Americans are NOT equally protected under our state or federal Constitutions. 

We’re here because we live in the only country in the Western Hemisphere – in fact, the only industrialized nation in the world - without gender equality in our constitution!

We’re here because SCOTUS deemed it legal to discriminate against women. 

We’re here because all citizens deserve to be treated equally by our government.

We’re here because of creeping (and creepy) misogyny, oppression and discrimination, and a corresponding rise in hate crimes. 

We’re here because there is public policy talk of redefining women’s right to vote: 

• advocating for head-of-household voting only; 

• awarding votes to women based on how many children they have 

• exalting stay-at-home mothers above all others 

• repealing the 19th amendment granting women’s suffrage

We’re here because contraceptives are under threat. 

We’re here because abortion bans are for controlling women, not for protecting fetuses. 

We’re here because bans don’t stop abortions; they only stop SAFE abortions. 

We’re here because laws are being proposed to execute women who have abortions.

We’re here because maternal death rates are 62% higher in abortion-restricted states. 

We’re here because 65,000 pregnancies resulted from rape in just two years in 14 states with abortion bans. 

We’re here because women are being denied emergency care in life-threatening situations, and because of increasing pre-term births and infant mortality rates.

Yes, we’re here because our sisters are dying.

We’re here because The Handmaid’s Tale no longer seems like a work of fiction.  

We’re here because when they come for one of us, they come for all of us! 

We’re here because our foremothers came to America to give us a better life. 

We’re here because immigrants who bring their children here to escape grave danger deserve a safe haven. 

We’re here because Rev Martin Luther King Jr told us “What affects one directly affects all of us indirectly.”

We’re here because our state Constitution doesn’t protect women, LGBTQ, disabled, or elderly people from discrimination.

We’re here because existing protections could be reversed through legislation. 

We’re here because we are protecting reproductive rights and the rights of all marginalized groups in NYS by voting YES on Prop 1 on the back of our ballots this year.

We’re here to counter the lies, disinformation, and fear-mongering funded by out-of-state billionaires trying desperately to preserve their patriarchy.

We're here because we’re fed up with that patriarchy and more committed than ever to realize justice in our lifetimes. 

We’re here because we vote our truth… and it’s pissing them off! 

We’re here because “Women are shaping the future of our democracy.”

We’re here because the League will continue the fight for a democracy where all voices are heard. Join us! We’re 250 members strong in this county alone! 

We’re here because we stand on the shoulders of women much braver than we who are gracing us today with their presence.

We’re here because we’re here. And we’re not going away. 

                                                                                                   -Nugent/ LWVSC/November 2024