Tag Archives: Albany

04 Jun

WIN: With Bipartisan Support, Senate Passes Uniform Treatment of Waste Bill

Great news for all New Yorkers! The fracking waste loophole is finally beginning to close. The “Uniform Treatment of Waste” bill just passed the NYS Senate (with bipartisan support) for the first time since its introduction back in 2011! NYSBC has been supporting this for years.
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/s3392

If it passes the Assembly and is signed into law by our Governor, then any fracking waste entering NYS from PA or elsewhere would have to be labeled “Hazardous” …finally!

Currently, due to a federal exemption, the fossil fuel industry does not have to disclose what’s in their proprietary fracking formulae, and they have been disposing of their waste in NYS’s municipal landfills and water treatment plants, which are clearly not equipped to treat the unknown hazards. We’ve been slowly poisoning our environment and ourselves with fracking waste from other states. This is unconscionable.

The uniform treat of waste bill received support from Republicans as well as Democrats, as well it should. Let’s not forget that disclosure is key to capitalism. You can’t vote with your dollar without knowing what you’re voting for, so we need transparency from businesses just as we need it from our government.

This is not a final solution, but it is a huge step in the right direction. We are not banning fracking waste. We are not requiring disclosure of their formulae. If signed into law, this bill would simply require that the waste be labeled “hazardous” and therefore transported as hazardous waste and disposed of as hazardous waste. We will update you here when this bill needs your support. Let’s see this through!

Image may contain: possible text that says 'WE COLD TELL YOU WHATS NIT, BUTTHEN BUT WED HAVE TO LET KILL YOU RACKING SECRET INDUSTRY SAUCE BuRe'
23 May

Energy Democracy Advocacy Day

[ New York Energy Democracy Alliance ]On Wednesday, May 29th, NYSBC and other members of the Energy Democracy Alliance (EDA) will be hosting a gathering in Albany, NY to advocate for a resilient, localized, and democratically controlled clean energy economy in New York State—the unifying purpose of the 25 member organizations of the EDA. We see tremendous potential this year, so we are pooling our efforts around this one powerful day in Albany.  We hope you can join us!
 
  • 10am — Orientation
    • Energy Efficiency policy overview
    • Renewable Energy policy overview
    • How to advocate
    • Developing your personal story for Energy Democracy
  • 12pm — Lunch Break
    • Healthy food provided by the EDA
    • Small group discussions
  • 1pm — Legislative Meetings
    • Facilitated meetings with legislative offices
  • 3pm — Report Backs & Debrief
Your voice is critical. As outlined above, we will learn about relevant policies and hone our personal stories before meeting with legislative offices to present our case. Each of us brings an important story to these meetings, and this will be your opportunity to convey your story to the very people who make the laws in New York State.

We are finalizing a shortlist of bills that have the best chance to further our goals for energy democracy.  In the energy efficiency arena, we are working on a bill that would codify the state’s energy efficiency standard with a focus on environmental health and would mandate equitable building energy efficiency work and jobs training.  On the renewable energy front, we are evaluating several bills that aim to increase solar energy and make solar energy more equitable.  To address the broader and more long term impacts, we will be advocating for the Climate & Community Protection Act (CCPA), which would rapidly transition the state’s economy off of fossil fuels, invest 40% of the state’s climate fund into low-income communities and communities of color, and set high wage standards to make green jobs good jobs. 

Do these issues resonate with you?  If so, we hope you can join us in this important fight.  Please RSVP and we will hold a seat at the table for you.
 

As many of you know from our previous email, we will be in Albany Tuesday through Thursday of next week.  If you wish to lend your support on any or all of those days, please follow the links below for details, RSVP, and share with others.

Your business voice is critical to this advocacy work.  Together, we bring a much needed counter narrative to debates dominated by the largest profit-driven corporations that claim to represent businesses—including yours.  NYSBC can help you explore how you and your business relate to the above issues and hone your story to have the deepest impact. 
17 May

3 Days Of Advocacy

If you have joined NYSBC for our annual Sustainable Business Summit before, you will remember a full day of education and advocacy on a gambit of important subjects that impact your business, your community, and your environment.  We’ve learned that many of you wish to focus more deeply on one subject area.  To that end, we now invite you to select from 3 separate days of advocacy:
  • Tuesday 5/28: Healthcare — Show your support by attending the first ever joint Senate-Assembly hearing on the NY Health Act, which would create a statewide universal healthcare system.  You will also have the option to share testimony of your personal struggle to access healthcare, provide healthcare for your employees, etc.
  • Wednesday 5/29: Energy Democracy — Join the first ever Energy Democracy Lobby Day and advocate for energy efficiency and renewable energy policies that would create a more resilient, localized, and democratically controlled clean energy economy in New York State.
  • Thursday 5/30: Environmental Health & Justice — Advocate for policies that would ensure transparency of chemicals in common products, eliminate harmful chemicals in children’s products, require government action on known toxics, and provide green procurement incentives to make safer products more available and affordable.

Each event above is separate.  Each is a full day—roughly 10am to 4pm—and attending a portion of a day may be possible.  Expect more details including formal RSVPs to roll out next week.  You may use this form to share your interest in the above events or for general feedback to NYSBC.

In the spirit of our Earth Day email, we are inviting you to engage around the issue(s) that you are most passionate about.  The better connected your heart is with your advocacy, the more fulfilling and long-lasting your impact will be.  NYSBC will continue to build allies and curate policies that reflect triple bottom line principles and the feedback of sustainable business leaders like you.

Your business voice is critical to this advocacy work.  Together, we bring a much needed counter narrative to debates dominated by the largest profit-driven corporations that claim to represent businesses—including yours.  NYSBC can help you explore how you and your business relate to the above issues and hone your story to have the deepest impact. 

01 May

WIN: Child Safe Products Act Passes NYS Legislature

CONGRATS & THANKS to the many business leaders who have joined us over the years fighting for this bill that requires children’s product makers to disclose harmful chemicals and phase out the worst.

A decade since its first introduction, the Child Safe Products Act passed yesterday 53-9 in the NYS Senate and 100-23 in the NYS Assembly within minutes of each other—while many of us ran back and forth to witness history.

Warm gratitude to bill sponsors Assemblyman Steve Englebright and Senator Todd Kaminsky for shepherding the bills through, and thanks as well to every legislator that had the wisdom to vote in favor.

More work to do before this bill becomes law, that law is effectively implemented, and New Yorkers are safer.
To NYS businesses… YOUR VOICE is still needed as we see this through!

Congrats to JustGreen Partnership, Clean and Healthy New York, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Nourish Wealth Management, JSA Financial Group, and many others.

Image may contain: 1 person, possible text that says 'WE NEED THE Child Safe Products Act TO PROTECT ME FROM HARMFUL CHEMICALS THAT CAN MAKE ME SICK! Just Green Partnership'
22 May

Businesses Advocate at NYSSBC’s 2017 Albany Business Summit

Business leaders from across New York State convened at the state capitol on May 8th for NYSSBC’s 4th annual business summit.  We’d like to thank all participating business leaders, policy briefers, and collaborators Clean and Healthy New York (CHNY), the New York Health Campaign, Elected Officials to Protect New York, and Environmental Advocates.

It was an especially exciting Summit this year as there were two concurrent lobby day efforts and press events taking place organized by the Divest NY Coalition and the JustGreen Partnership.  JustGreen was at the capitol to build awareness around a bill to be introduced later in the week that would regulate chemicals of high concern to children.  NYSSBC supported this bill as well and partnered with JustGreen on a couple scheduled meetings with elected officials.

The Divest NY Coalition was at the capitol advocating for the Fossil Fuel Divestment Act, a bill that we supported as well in our summit.  We also sent business leader Katie Wilson of JSA Financial over to offer the business case for fossil fuel divestment at the Divest NY press event.  Their lobby day and press event are detailed in this blog post.

In addition to the above 2 bills, we advocated for the New York Health Act (single payer system), Employee Owned Enterprises/Worker Owned Coop Bill, Uniform Treatment of Waste (fracking waste loophole), and the Secured Wages Earned Against Threat (SWEAT) act.  The NY Health Act discussions were especially well-timed as only a few days prior the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly approved legislation to repeal and replace major parts of the Affordable Care Act.

Our day consisted of morning briefings by experts on each issue, a lunch sponsored by Clean and Healthy New York, and an afternoon of meetings with elected officials and staff.  Business leaders were equipped with legislator bios and asks, bill summaries, and NYSSBC memos of support for each bill.  At the meetings, everyone had the opportunity to speak and contribute their own business story the impacts of the issue being discussed.  

NYSSBC is following these bills through this legislative session and will provide updates on additional actions needed to see them closer to passage.  Stay tuned!