Friday, November 14, was another Global Climate Strike by Fridays For Future, the international student climate group started by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. Earlier in the week, the 30th COP began in Brazil on the tenth anniversary of the Paris Climate Accords. In the Capital District, several dozen protestors gathered outside Governor Hochul’s 2nd-floor office in the State Capitol. We first hear from Ryan, the local Fridays for Future organizer, who discusses getting the City of Albany to join the Non-Fossil Fuel Treaty, which Chicago has recently joined. We then hear from a number of climate activists. With Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.
The Hochul administration, in a lawsuit that the state had already won, surprisingly agreed to postpone the January 2026 start date for the All Electric Buildings Act, which bans fossil fuels in new buildings six stories or shorter. On Friday, Dec. 5, the NYS Building Council is considering whether to eliminate the law from the pending update to the state’s building code. Michael Hernandez of Rewiring America talks with Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.
Clean energy advocates held a press conference ahead of the Building Code Council meeting on December 5th to uplift the affordability benefits of the All-Electric Buildings Law (AEBL). Last summer, the Building Code Council voted to update NYS codes to adopt the strongest all-electric new building code in the nation, which would have gone into effect at the start of the new year. Earlier this month, the state pivoted away from implementing AEBL, a law proposed and championed by Governor Hochul, and instead, entered into a voluntary injunction to pause the implementation of the cost saving code and law.. The Council canceled the public comment section of the meeting after more than fifty advocates signed up to speak. We hear from Michael Hernandez, New York Policy Director, Rewiring America; Daniel Morrissey, Director of Sustainability, TAP Inc., a community design center for the Capitol region ; Max Micallef, Advocacy Manager of Clean Air Initiatives, American Lung Association; Jed Prickett, Clean Energy Analyst at Alliance for Clean Energy New York; and, Kathy Nolan, President, Physicians for Social Responsibility
NY Renews is a coalition of nearly 400 climate, labor, youth, and community groups, and was the major group that pushed for the adoption of the CLCPA, the state’s climate law, in 2019. They adocate for clean energy, good jobs, and a healthier, more affordable New York. Stephan Edel, their Executive Director, discusses the successes and upcoming challenges on the group’s 10th anniversary.
More than 100 climate activists came to the State Capitol on Thursday December 11 to urge Governor Hochul to sign legislation that would end the estimated six hundred million of dollars that has been added to utility bills by requiring free gas hookups if the new the customer is within 100 feet of an existing gas pipeline. The cost of such hookups, from $2500 to $10000 per building, is presently added to the utilities’ rate base, which means all customers pay for it for decades. The bill is presently on Governor Hochul’s desk and she has a week to decide whether or not to sign it. The media reports that she is pushing for some amendments, such as pushing back the implementation date. At the rally in the War Room, we hear from Betta Broad of New Yorkers for Clean Power, Doctor Sandra Steingraber, and from customers of the various utilities in the state. By Mark Dunlea for the Hudson Mohawk Magazine.
On Tuesday December 16, the Hochul administration approved an update to the state energy plan which embraced an All-of-the-Above energy policy including fossil fuels and nuclear power. Many climate groups challenged the plan as being out of compliance with the goals included in the CLCPA, the state’s climate law five years ago. Many are disappointed that not only has Hochul and NYPA failed to commit to build 15 GW of publicly owned renewable energy to meet the state’s climate goal, but recently backed down to 5.5 GW. Alex Patterson of the Public Power NY Coalition talks with Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.
This show includes five climate related segments from the past year from my segments on Hudson Mohawk Magazine. 2025 was a bad year for climate action in both New York and the United States. At the federal level, President Trump took action to remove the US from the Paris climate accords while dismantling existing programs that supported the development of clean, renewable energy while promoting the expansion of gas, oil, coal, and nuclear power. In New York, Governor Hochul increasingly distanced herself from climate action while the state legislature failed once again to pass strong climate bills. The five segments look at the state energy plan, 100-foot rule for gas hookups, the 10th anniversary of NY Renews, the climate lawsuit against Hochul for failing to implement the CLCPA and nuclear power.
On Thursday, October 16, the Break the Bonds NYS campaign held a rally in Albany, marching from the Capitol to NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office. The "Break the Bonds" campaign wants the New York State Common Retirement Fund (NYSCRF) to divest from Israel Bonds, which they note support the Israeli government's actions in Palestine. The Campaign says that these investments contribute to human rights violations and are ethically unconscionable. It calls for a shift towards sustainable investments that benefit New Yorkers and align with ethical standards. We hear from Eyad Alkurabi of the Palestinian Rights Committee, Keren Carmel of Jewish Voice for Peace, Rev. John Paalberg of the NYS Council of Churches; Jim McCabe of Columbia County for Palestine; Julian, the emcee of the rally, Becky from Break the Bonds, Sava from the Albany Muslim Advocacy Coalition; Eyad again; and Naomi Jaffe of Jewish Voice for Peace. By Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.
At 12:00 Noon on Saturday, October 18, the people of the Capital Region will gather on Western Avenue between Fuller and Manning Boulevard for a nonviolent demonstration and march in collective celebration of their right to peaceably assemble, and to reaffirm, once again, that America has No Kings! More than 2600 No Kings events are planned nationwide. Organizers cite that the Trump administration is targeting immigrant families, profiling, arresting and detaining people without warrants; threatening to overtake elections; gutting health care, environmental protections, and education when families need them most; rigging maps to silence voters; ignoring mass shootings at our schools and in our communities; and driving up the cost of living while handling out massive giveaways to billionaire allies, as families struggle. Leyla Kiosse of Albany Indivisible and Mary Panzetta of We Get Out the Resistance previews the local event with Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.
On Friday September 26, the state senate held a roundtable on the implementation of the state’s climate law, CLCPA, which is falling short of its mandated goals. We hear from Samantha Wilt of NRDC, Alisha Dean Steinber of the League of Conservation Voters, Alison Constadine of the Decarbonization Coalition and Michael Hernandez of Rewiring America. By Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.
On Tuesday, September 30, a People’s Meeting was organized outside of Governor Hochul’s nuclear summit in Syracuse by Onondaga Nation community members, the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force, Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation, the Alliance for a Green Economy, the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS), Citizen Action, NY Renews, FWW, and Frack Action. They demanded real climate solutions—renewable energy like solar, wind, conservation, and storage—that compared to nuclear are faster, cheaper, safer, and actually move us toward New York’s Climate Justice goals. Hil Coppola of the Onondaga Nation talks with Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.
On October 7, Beyond Plastics released a new report, “Follow the Money: The David vs. Goliath Battle to Pass the New York Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act.” Reports filed with the state showed that the bill was the most lobbied on during the section, with 107 lobbyists paid to defeat it. 21 of the 50 highest-paid lobbying firms in New York were retained by industry opponents to defeat a bill that was supported by 73% of New Yorkers. We hear from Judith Enck of Beyond Plastics and Blair Horner of NYPIRG. This has been Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine
On Oct. 9, Lights Out Norlite held a news conference in Cohoes, NY pointing out that there is still toxic dust being blown around from the Norlite plant despite the plant temporarily stopping the burning of imported hazardous waste since March of 2024. Norlite LLC is the defendant in a lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation on October 12, 2022. The lawsuit aims to stop the ongoing pollution from the facility. Three years later, the case has not been brought to trial or settled with the polluter. We hear from local residents Joe Ritche, Brad Blauhut, and Ed Sokol, and Judith Enck, former EPA Regional Administrator.
When Governor Hochul attended Opening Day at the Great New York State Fair , Central New York residents, community leaders and environmentalists planned a press conference to demand the Governor reject dangerous nuclear power plants and major fracked gas pipelines . While the rally was canceled due to thunderstorms, protestors were still there with banners and several encountered the Governor inside the fair. Ethan Gormely of Citizen Action and Tim Judson of NIRS (Nuclear Information and Resource Services) discuss the issues with Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.
On Wednesday September 3, more than 3 dozen climate activists held a news conference outside of the State Department of Environmental Conservation in downtown Albany to urge the Hochul administration not to cave to President Trump, who is pushing the Governor to reverse prior decisions rejected several William company pipelines (NISE, Constitution) allegedly in exchange for allowing an offshore wind project off of Long Island to proceed. We hear from Ethan Gormley of Citizen Action, Isaac Silberman-Gorn of Frack Action, Melissa Hoffman of Food and Water Watch, Renee Vogelsang of Frack Action, and Hannah from RPI Sunrise. By Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan and the Albany Community Land Trust held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, September 4 on Orange Street for geothermal drilling underway at two properties in the Sheridan Hollow neighborhood. These boreholes will enable highly efficient geothermal energy to be used to heat and cool 3 residential units and a commercial business. This pilot program, spearheaded by NYSERDA and Aztech Geothermal, will hopefully lead to a district geothermal system that will provide heating and cooling to up to 100 homes in the neighborhood that for more than a century has been polluted by the state’s Sheridan Avenue Steam Plant used to power the Capitol and Empire State Plaza Complex. We hear from Sue Cottner of the Land Trust; Mayor Kathy Sheehan; Geoff Hoffer of Aztech; Albany County Legislator Mert Simpson; and, Christine Hoffer of NY Geo. By Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.
On Monday. September 8, the NYS Energy and Research Development Authority held a reception on Wolf Road in Albany to observe its 50th anniversary. A number of climate groups held signs outside of the event to highlight some key reforms they hope that NYSERDA will adopt to curtail greenhouse gas emissions and speed up the transition to clean, renewable energy. We hear from Isaac Silberman-Gorn of Frack Action; Thelma Safeez from RPI Sunrise; Mary Finneran of the Sierra Club; and Noah Ginsberg of the NY Solar Energy Industries Association. By Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.
On Saturday, September 13, more than a hundred environmentalists rallied at the State Capitol to call for passage of the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act. Many criticized Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for refusing to allow the bill to come up to a vote the last two sessions. The bill would require a 30% reduction in packaging over 12 years and ban a number of toxic chemicals from packaging. In part 2, we hear from Chris Alexander, head of the NAACP; Blair Horner of NYPIRG; and Judith Enck, Head of Beyond Plastics. Thank you to Sonja Stark for the audio recording. By Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.
On Saturday, September 13, more than a hundred environmentalists rallied at the State Capitol to call for passage of the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act. Many criticized Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for refusing to allow the bill to come up to a vote the last two sessions under pressure from more than 60 paid industry lobbyists. In Part one of our coverage, we start off with music from Terri Roben and then hear from Alexis Goldsmith of Beyond Plastics, Monique Fitzgerald of the Brookhaven Landfill Action and Remediation Group; and Courtney Williams, of the Westchester Alliance for Sustainable Solutions. Thank you to Sonja Stark for the audio recording. By Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.
On Saturday, Sept. 20 tens of thousands joined Make Billionaires Pay marches across the United States. As world leaders gather in New York City to discuss climate action and peace at the United Nations, we’ll be sending a clear message: Shut down billionaires. Fund our future. The money to solve the climate crisis already exists — it’s just in the wrong hands. New research1 shows that the U.S. government showers the fossil fuel industry with $35 billion in giveaways every year – almost double the amount it received just eight years ago. Nearly all of these subsidies flow into excess profits for the fossil fuel industry. An estimated 20,000 joined the March in NYC. We hear from a variety of voices, including Lt. Governor Antonio Delgado, Jodi Evans of Code Pink, Leslie Cagan, Tom Grogan, Pat Almonrode, Green Peace, Women’s Earth and Climate Network, Eagle Women (Candy White), Greg Schwedock,and various activists from the climate, peace, Palestinian, Native American and immigrant rights communities. By Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.