Opinion: New York Must Keep Moving in the Fight for Environmental Justice

Dismissing the Queensboro Renewable Express would be an enormous mistake by the state in the face of Trump administration delays in renewable ability advance The Ravenswood Generating Station has long contributed to excessive contamination in western Queens Adi Talwar City Limits In deep in the fight for civil rights Dr Martin Luther King Jr preached the virtue of persistence If you can t fly then run If you can t run then walk If you can t walk then crawl but whatever you do you have to keep moving Like then our generation s campaign for environmental justice the notion that our bulk vulnerable communities should not bear a disproportionate burden from waste requires perseverance With much grit organizations like NAACP and others have made steady progress improving the quality of air water and life for millions of the largest part vulnerable New Yorkers But in the present day that progress is in jeopardy After decades of perseverance from organizations like mine the new federal administration is rolling back hard-fought environmental protections The president is pushing fossil fuels instead of the renewable potency that keeps my public and the entire planet safe We need state and local leaders to lead and protect our the greater part vulnerable such as the residents of the Ravenswood and Queensbridge houses in western Queens This society is known as asthma alley because it bears the burden of majority of New York s fossil-fired power generation New York s landmark situation and environmental justice ordinance the Setting Leadership and Neighborhood Protection Act sought to replace that power generation with renewables The first project seeking state permits to do so is the Queensboro Renewable Express which will once built deliver enough clean vigor from offshore wind to power more than two million New York homes and enable the city s largest power plant to retire fossil-fired generation reducing local emissions Unfortunately the state agency reviewing the Queensboro Renewable Express is now questioning whether the project is needed due to the Trump administration s delay in renewable ability rise Dismissing this crucial project and others like it would be an enormous mistake and waste precious time It would also send a devastating message to other developers signaling New York s retreat in the face of federal opposition By dismissing the project the state wouldn t just be sentencing western Queens to more years of health-harming defilement but also dismissing a critical job creator for the society Black and Brown society members who have long borne the medical and economic burdens of fossil fuel-fired power plants deserve an opportunity to participate in the clean vitality transition through new good-paying union jobs in the expanding renewable potential sector This project is not just about reducing emissions it s about delivering economic and environmental justice and empowering impacted communities suffering from past inhabitants agenda decisions It is no coincidence that this land use was placed in a low-income area or that inhabitants housing was placed near an objectionable land use By comparison there are no major power plants in higher-income neighborhoods in Queens This project directs New York guidance on the right side of history That s why Gov Hochul must continue to stand up to President Trump and not allow New York to squander this critical time The state must continue reviewing and permitting vital projects like the Queensboro Renewable Express so New York is prepared to hit the ground running and protect impacted communities when this dark chapter ends and it will end When sanity and science return to federal vigor program New York must have shovel-ready projects like the Queensboro Renewable Express ready to go Yes we are under attack in the fight for environmental justice But New York must stand firm and in the face of this assault boldly declare We will keep moving Natalie M Patasaw is the Environmental Justice Chair of the NYS NAACP Conference which has worked to advance the agenda for equality for more than years The post Opinion New York Must Keep Moving in the Fight for Environmental Justice appeared first on City Limits