Green climate change activists called today for New York to speed up its transition to 100% clean energy by 2030 following the COP 21 agreement in Paris. Activists contend that the Governor is overly reliant upon market forces to achieve even the limit climate goals he has proposed.

Green Party activist Howie Hawkins will join with Mark Dunlea of the Green Education and Legal Fund on Wednesday April 6 at 2 PM in Syracuse to discuss what New York needs to do to avoid catastrophic climate change.

GELF is helping to coordinate a statewide campaign to get the state to transition to 100% clean energy in NYS by 2030. The Assembly included support for this goal in its budget resolution but it was left out of the final budget.

We Are Seneca Lake Media Release:

U.S. Vets Lead Civil Disobedience Action at Crestwood to Protest Seneca Lake Gas Storage

Green leader, former NY gubernatorial candidate Howie Hawkins among 13 arrested in human blockade

photos:   http://www.wearesenecalake.com/veterans-pic/

video:   http://www.wearesenecalake.com/veterans-vid 

Watkins Glen, NY – Eleven veterans representing all branches of the U.S. armed forces, were among 13 arrested on Tuesday morning in a human blockade at Crestwood Midstream on Route 14 as part of We Are Seneca Lake’s ongoing civil disobedience campaign against gas storage in underground lakeside salt caverns. The protesters blocked all traffic entering and leaving the facility.

Among them was former NY gubernatorial candidate Howie Hawkins (Green Party), a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Hawkins said, “The massive gas leak in Porter Ranch, California shows the inherent dangers of underground gas storage. The shores of Seneca Lake—New York’s own Napa Valley—are the wrong place for a massive gas storage hub. The salt caverns are too geologically unstable. One accident would turn visitors away and ruin the economy.”

State of the Climate Rally – Albany, January 13, 2016

The cold hard facts of climate science global carbon budgets tell us …

... that to have just a 50% chance of staying below the threshold of runaway climate catastrophe – which is a 2 degree Celsius rise global temperatures – ...

… the rich industrial regions like New York State have to cut carbon emissions by 10% per year.

That means 100% clean energy by 2030 – at the latest.

New York State's goal is only 40% by 2030. Gov Cuomo, that's not near good enough!

The Green Party calls for a Green New Deal – an all out mobilization for 100% clean energy by 2030.

Hawkins, Stein Calls on Cuomo to Veto Pt. Ambrose Liquefied Natural Gas Facility

NY needs to Make Firm Commitment to Develop Off Shore Wind

(Syracuse, NY) Howie Hawkins, the recent Green Party candidate for Governor, called today for Governor Cuomo to veto on November 6 the proposed Pt. Ambrose liquefied natural gas facility off of Long Island. With the last public hearing happening yesterday in New Jersey, Cuomo has from today (Nov. 6) to Dec. 21 to issue the veto, as does Governor Christie.

Hawkins said Cuomo should couple the veto with the announcement that NYS is making a long term commitment to develop off-shore wind (OSW). Hawkins and the Green Party support a state Power Purchase Agreement of 5,000 MW for OSW by 2025 and 10,000 MW by 2030.

“It is time for Governor Cuomo to announce the end of the fossil fuel era in NYS, and to commit to 100% renewable energy, including off-shore wind. The development of natural gas, far from being a bridge fuel, makes climate change worse because it is so much more potent than carbon near term. NY and Cuomo need to provide leadership in making off-shore wind a reality in the US,” noted Hawkins.

Statement of Howie Hawkins, former Green Party candidate for Governor,

re Cuomo Announcement of Minimum Wage Board for Fast Food Workers

"While I am glad that Cuomo has finally admitted that the Governor has the power to raise the minimum wage without legislative agreement, I am disturbed by the timing and content of today's announcement. All workers, not just fast food workers, are entitled to a living wage and that should be at least $15 an hour. The fast food workers have been demanding $15 in their demonstrations. Once again the Governor is providing an excuse for lawmakers not to enact a more robust wage hike. They still have more than a month to act before taking their five month vacation. Lawmakers should pass a $15 minimum wage for every worker in the state, including tip workers, with indexing and home rule for local governments that want to set a higher minimum wage in their jurisdictions."

Howie Hawkins, the Green Party of New York's gubernatorial candidate in 2014, said today that the state budget just adopted is an austerity budget that assaults public schools, students, and teachers, underfunds needed social and environmental programs, and fails on ethics. He also criticized the failure to raise the minimum wage or pass the Dream Act.

"The state budget adopted in the wee hours of April Fool's Day is no joke," Hawkins said. "In Cuomo's fifth straight austerity budget, hedge funds and yacht owners win and public education, ethics, and urgent social and environmental needs lose."

Hawkins said the Green Party will be working with allies during the remainder of the legislative session to win policy reforms that were proposed as part of the budget but dropped, including raising the state minimum wage and allowing local governments to set higher than state minimum wages, the Dream Act, criminal justice reforms, and public campaign financing. Hawkins said the Greens will also work to defeat bills for tuition tax credits.