Putting Out the Planetary Fire

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

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.

Sunday, September 21, was a national day of action on climate. SUN Day had a particular focus on promoting solar and other renewable energy sources such as wind and geothermal to respond to global warming. In Albany, there were displays and workshops beneath the Egg at the Empire State Plaza. Workshop topics included packaging reduction, solar, and how your local community can promote sustainability. We talk with Paul Fisk about why the stock transfer tax is a climate solution; Sue Cottner of the Green Energy Hub; Brennan Howell of Capital District DSA and the Public Power Coalition; Monica Gray of the Hudson-Mohawk Group of the Sierra Club; Hannah Miller of RPI Sunrise; and Bruce Frishkoff of Citizens Climate Lobby.

On July 23, 2025, the Trump administration issued an Artificial Intelligence Action Plan. The plan is viewed as heavily promoting the AI industry and seeks to reduce the ability of individual states to adopt their own regulations. Environmental groups are concerned about the massive electricity and water demands of the AI Industry. Ben Murray, a Senior Researcher with Food and Water Watch, discusses the issue with Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has proposed a significant reduction in funding for the Empower+ program, which aims to assist low- and moderate-income households with energy efficiency upgrades. The proposed budget cut from $220 million to $80 million in 2027 has raised concerns among advocates and lawmakers, especially as the program has been a key tool in helping families manage their energy needs. Michael Hernandez of Rewiring America talks about the program with Mark Dunlea of Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

Governor Hochul is pushing New York to heavily invest in an expansion of nuclear power. Not only has she directed the NY Power Authority to build a nuclear plant but now she has proposed extending former Governor Cuomo’s controversial bailout of 4 old upstate nuclear power plants, with an additional price tag of as much as $30 billion. Anne Rabe of Don’t Waste NY talks to Mark Dunlea of Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

Climate and environmental justice groups in March filed a lawsuit against the DEC for not releasing greenhouse gas reduction regulations mandated by the CLCPA, the state's climate law.. There will be a court hearing on Friday July 25th in Kingston. Caroline Chen of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest talks to Mark Dunlea of Hudson Mohawk Magazine about the status of the lawsuit.

The EcoAction Committee of the Green Party of the US hosted a webinar on Nuclear is a False Climate Solution on Monday, July 14. Gov. Hochul recently directed the NY Power Authority to build a new nuclear power plant. Nuclear power is pushing for a big revival both in the US and worldwide, partially on the false premise that it is carbon free – ignoring its carbon footprint from the construction of the plants (cement); the mining, processing, and transportation of its uranium fuel; and the hundreds of thousands of years to store its deadly radioactive waste. It takes so long to build that it cannot come online fast enough to prevent breaching the 1.5 C (or even 2 C target). It is also by far the most expensive form of electricity. There are also safety and environmental health problems with nuclear power. Yet both parties at the national level have embraced expanding subsidies and support for nuclear power, partially arguing it is needed for baseline power. In part 1, we hear the presentation of Tim Judson from NIRS (Nuclear Information and Resource Services).

The EcoAction Committee of the Green Party of the US hosted a webinar on Nuclear is a False Climate Solution on Monday, July 14. Gov. Hochul recently directed the NY Power Authority to build a new nuclear power plant. Nuclear power is pushing for a big revival both in the US and worldwide, partially on the false premise that it is carbon free – ignoring its carbon footprint from the construction of the plants (cement); the mining, processing, and transportation of its uranium fuel; and the hundreds of thousands of years to store its deadly radioactive waste. It takes so long to build that it cannot come online fast enough to prevent breaching the 1.5 C (or even 2 C target). It is also by far the most expensive form of electricity. There are also safety and environmental health problems with nuclear power. Yet both parties at the national level have embraced expanding subsidies and support for nuclear power, partially arguing it is needed for baseline power. In part 2, we hear from Anne Rabe of Don’t Waste NY, who outlines what is happening in NY, starting with Governor Hochul telling the NY Power Authority to build new nuclear power plants.

On May 5, 2025, the Environmental Protection Network (EPN) hosted a media briefing to discuss the recent proposed 55% budget cuts by the Trump administration to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the cuts and reorganization of the agency’s Office of Research and Development (ORD), and the potential impact of these cuts on American communities. We hear from three speakers. Michelle Roos, EPN’s Executive Director; Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, former Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator of EPA’s Office of Research; and, Betsy Southerland, former Director of the Office of Science & Technology in EPA’s Office of Water. With Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine

On Monday May 12 the EcoAction Committee of the Green Party held a webinar on Zero Waste. You can view the webinar on the Green Party’s youtube channel. Zero waste, or waste minimization, is a set of principles focused on waste prevention that encourages redesigning resource life cycles so that all products are repurposed and/or reused. The goal is to avoid sending trash to landfills, incinerators, , or any other part of the environment. Here we have part of the presentation by Chris Burger who is Chair of both NY State and National Sierra Club Zero Waste Committees.

On June 4, Beyond Plastics organized a news conference to support the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act and to respond to lobbying from the chemical and plastics industry, which is attempting to mislead environmental justice communities in order to protect their own profits. Chemicals found in plastic packaging are linked to health problems like cancer and developmental disorders, particularly in low-income communities of color. The news conference featured Sharon Lavigne of Rise St. James in Louisiana, where as a resident of Cancer Alley, she lives among the highest concentrations of pollution from plastics production in the country. Senator Pete Harckham, Assemblymember Deborah Glick, Sharon Lavigne, Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha, and Judith Enck, president of Beyond PlasticsShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInE-mail