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Donald K. Ross Future Leaders Program

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Blair Horner's Capitol Perspective

Mother Nature Delivers Some Drought and Fire-risk Relief (Nov 25, 2024)

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Events & Activities
When: Times vary by location
Where: Locations across New York State

Join NYPIRG and the Renewable Heat Now! coalition for a series of statewide actions to advocate for the NY HEAT Act! Visit the Action Network webpage for more information and to RSVP.

We hope to see you there!
When: Rolling start times between 12 and 3 PM
Where: Multiple locations in Brooklyn along the Flatbush Avenue bus route
Students, transportation advocates, and local elected officials went on a relay hike through Brooklyn for improved bus service along the Flatbush Avenue corridor.

Bus riders deserve faster, reliable, and accessible bus service. Flatbush Avenue is a critical cross-borough transportation route that students, shoppers, and workers use every day. Data from 2019 shows that Flatbush Avenue also serves 118,000 average daily bus riders on 12 routes. The B41 bus alone services 22,500 average daily riders.

Bringing awareness to improving bus service on Flatbush Avenue could not be more important for students geting to class, families getting to work and recreation, and shoppers getting to their errands and home again. Check out our press release for more information.

When: 10 AM
Where: City Hall in Manhattan

NYPIRG and our coalition partners held a rally and lobby day in support of fully implementing New York City's Local Law 97!
Local Law 97 is already fulfilling its potential to create jobs, cut air pollution, and reduce energy bills — all while helping us meet our urgent climate goals — but a New York City Council bill has been introduced which could gut Local Law 97. We urged council members to oppose Intro 772, proposed legislation that would gut Local Law 97 by undermining enforcement of the law and effectively exempting thousands of large co-ops and condo buildings from its requirements.
 
When: 12 PM
Where: Outside of the governor's Manhattan office (633 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10016)

NYPIRG, our coalition partners, and author/environmentalist Bill McKibben delivered over 127,000 petition signatures to Governor Hochul urging her to sign the Climate Change Superfund Act (S.2129-B/A.3351-B) into law to make Big Oil — not New York taxpayers — pay for climate damages!
New York has a historic opportunity to make corporate polluters pay for the damage that they have done to the climate and our communities. This spring, the New York State Legislature passed this groundbreaking piece of legislation, which would force major fossil fuel companies to pay their fair share for climate damages in New York. The bill would raise $3 billion a year to fix roads and bridges, upgrade our schools, make our communities more resilient – and do so without having the costs passed on to the public.
 
Big Oil companies have known for decades that their products were destroying the climate. But instead of warning the American people, they spent millions to spread disinformation and lobby against climate action. Why should they be allowed to continue to rake in record profits while we pay the costs?
 
In May, Vermont became the first state in the nation to pass a climate superfund bill that would make polluters pay. Now, it is time for New York to join the fight and hold these corporate polluters accountable.
 
Tell Governor Hochul to sign the Climate Change Superfund Act into law now – watch our MAKE POLLUTERS PAY video and TAKE ACTION TODAY!
When: 2 to 4 PM
Where: Coney Island in Brooklyn

NYPIRG students and staff had fun in the sun while cleaning up the beach. We collected over 1,500 pieces of trash, and our litter surveys will help with our advocacy for the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act and modernizing New York's Bottle Bill. 

When: 10 AM
Where: Brooklyn

It is time to make corporate climate polluters pay!

Just days after flash flooding across New York City, NYPIRG joined New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and a coalition of climate activists in Brooklyn to urge Governor Hochul to sign the Climate Change Superfund Act to make Big Oil — not New York taxpayers — pay for climate crisis damages.

When: 12 PM
Where: Outside of the governor's Manhattan office (633 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10016)

NYPIRG and our coalition partners rallied outside of Governor Hochul's Manhattan office to MAKE POLLUTERS PAY! We need the governor to sign the Climate Change Superfund Act into law to make Big Oil — not New York taxpayers — pay for climate crisis damage.

When: 1 PM
Where: 219 McKibbin Street, Brooklyn, NY 11206

NYPIRG visited Sure We Can, a recycling center and sustainability hub in Brooklyn. Sure We Can aims to bring community members together through recycling, composting, gardening, and the arts. We took a tour of their facilities to learn about recycling and sustainability, and how students who would like more hands-on experiences can get involved with volunteer opportunities.

When: 6:30 PM
Where: The New York Society for Ethical Culture Concert Hall

It is time to hold our leaders accountable – in person!

Governor Hochul's cancellation of congestion pricing and the New York State Assembly's failure to pass vital bills are a climate disaster. To address this, NYPIRG and a broad coalition of organizations sponsored a town hall-style forum to question top elected leaders about the accelerating climate crisis, which was attended by hundreds of New Yorkers. Experts explained the issues, and then we put our questions to the state- and city-level officials in attendance.

When: 6 to 9 PM
Where: City Winery in Manhattan

NYPIRG IS 50 YEARS OLD!

That is an incredible testament to the dedication, hard work, and luck that has allowed us to meet the half-century mark. It is quite a milestone – which we marked with the NYPIRG 50th Anniversary Celebration.

The event was a rousing success, and we all had a wonderful time celebrating NYPIRG’s decades of tireless work for the public interest, reconnecting with friends and colleagues from years past, and honoring our 2023 Changemaker Award recipients – including renowned author and activist Jane Fonda!

We are pleased to share these event photos and this commemorative video that highlights NYPIRG's decades of tireless work for the public interest.

Thank you so much to everyone who was involved – our honorees, current and former students and staff, friends, colleagues, and supporters – for your generous support and steadfast commitment to our crucial mission.

Thanks again, and we look forward to the work ahead!
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NYPIRG in the News
Power shift in Washington, D.C., creates uncertainty for New York state budget  (Spectrum News, November 25, 2024)
Blair Horner discusses the Climate Superfund Act  (1010 WINS, November 25, 2024)
Mother Nature delivers some drought and fire-risk relief  (WAMC, November 25, 2024)
NYS Democratic voter enrollment drops as 'blanks' continue to rise  (Newsday, November 24, 2024)
NY Health Act is our solution to universal healthcare  (The Daily Orange, November 19, 2024)
New York’s health care system could soon be at a crossroad  (WAMC, November 19, 2024)
New York Democrats fall just short of keeping supermajority in Albany  (Newsday, November 18, 2024)
Power shift in Washington, D.C., creates uncertainty for New York state budget  (Spectrum News, November 15, 2024)
Election 2024: Warning signs for NY Democrats  (WAMC, November 11, 2024)
Time to Take Action on Climate Change  (The Daily Freeman, November 10, 2024)
New York Democrats downplay loss of state Senate supermajority, brace for impact of Trump on state policy  (Spectrum News, November 7, 2024)
Democrats trying to defend supermajorities in New York Assembly and Senate  (Spectrum News, November 4, 2024)
Post-election “to-do list” for Governor Hochul  (WAMC, November 4, 2024)
NYS eyes new nuclear power to meet climate goals  (Newsday, November 3, 2024)
NYS Commission soon to decide on salary raises for state lawmakers, officials  (Newsday, November 1, 2024)
Local organizations encourage political involvement, voting on campus  (The Daily Orange, October 31, 2024)
VOTE 2024: Catching up with young voters ahead of Election Day  (News 12 Brooklyn, October 30, 2024)
Voting in a toxic political environment  (WAMC, October 28, 2024)
Voting has begun  (WAMC, October 21, 2024)
Brooklyn College Students Pressure Adams to Fix Flatbush Ave. Buses After Years of Delays  (Streetsblog, October 18, 2024)
News Archive
Reports & Features
NYPIRG joined elected officials and environmental advocates to rally for the Climate Change Superfund Act in the wake of unprecedented climate catastrophes in New York. Governor Hochul only has until the end of the year to sign legislation that makes polluters, not taxpayers, pay for climate disaster repairs and resilience.
After Relaunching Congestion Pricing, Signing the Climate Change Superfund Act Is Next on Gov’s To-Do List
NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign Statement on Governor Hochul's decision to implement Congestion Pricing
Press Release: Bus Riders March for Faster Buses on Flatbush Avenue; Call on Mayor and City to Get it Done
A coalition of civic organizations released a letter to the State Board of Elections identifying possible failures in state law mandating that colleges with dorms have polling places. The groups urged action to ensure compliance or to strengthen the law.
A coalition of civic, environmental, social justice, and community-based charities joined with small business “redemption centers” to call on Governor Hochul and the state legislative leaders “to urge your attention and immediate action to prevent business closings and job losses by supporting legislation to boost the ‘handling fee’ that provides revenues for redemption centers, which are critical to the success of the state’s Bottle Deposit Law.”
VICTORY! On Monday, June 17, a six-year fight for clean air and public health came to an end when Danskammer Energy withdrew its application to build a new fracked gas plant on the Hudson River in Newburgh, NY.
As a dangerous heat wave grips New York, sending "feels like" temperatures soaring above 100 degrees, community leaders, local officials, and extreme weather survivors are demanding Governor Hochul take immediate action by signing the recently passed Climate Change Superfund Act (S.2129B/A.3351B) into law.
Tale of the Tape: NYPIRG's 2024 Legislative Review – The number of bills that passed in the Senate increased, while that number decreased in the Assembly. The Governor's use of emergency "messages of necessity" flattens.
NY State Assembly Passes Historic Climate Superfund Bill to Make Polluters Pay for Climate Damages
NYPIRG's Statement on Governor Hochul's Delay of Congestion Pricing
A coalition supporting improvements to the state’s Bottle Deposit Law today released a listing of over 1,000 local charities that benefit from the law. The coalition argued that these charities offer services for those in need and that modernization of the forty-year-old law would enhance the charities’ services.
A coalition supporting improving the state’s Bottle Deposit Law today released a review of recent redemption center closures. The review, conducted by redemption centers, identified 97 businesses that have closed or appear to be closed. Another 54 redemption centers had disconnected phones and no obvious social media presence. The coalition argued that many of these closures are the direct result of New York's 15 year "freeze" of the handling fee that redemption centers rely on for revenues.
NYPIRG Reacts to Speaker Heastie's Comments on Climate Change Superfund Act
A coalition of civic groups today called on the New York State Board of Elections to review the state’s polling locations to see if colleges have on-campus polls as required under the law. The letter is in reaction to the results of a survey conducted by NYPIRG. NYPIRG analyzed 199 colleges (217 campuses, some colleges have multiple campuses) in New York State, of which 147 have dorms located on their premises. This review of the locations of polling places for college students living on-campus identifies a wide gap between those campuses that have dorms and the number that have polling places.
A statewide coalition representing hundreds of community, environmental, labor, and religious groups today applauded state Senate approval of the Climate Change Superfund Act, which requires Big Oil to cover New York's climate damages – not taxpayers. The groups urged swift action in the state Assembly. The majority of Assemblymembers are sponsors of the legislation.
News Release on NYPIRG's Recent Victory Expanding Financial Aid for Low-Income Patients
Environmental, community, and business groups representing 300 New York organizations today held a press conference to urge state lawmakers to include the "Bigger, Better, Bottle Bill" (S.237B/A6353A) as a "must do" priority for the end of session
NYPIRG Statement on Start of Congestion Pricing
NYPIRG reacted to elements of the final state budget, highlighting the "good," the "bad," and the "ugly."
Reports & Features Archive