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Offi cials and activists rally in Astoria Park, urging
passage of the Climate and Community Investment Act
BY BILL PARRY
Elected officials, youth
activists and community
leaders from across Queens
rallied at Astoria Park last
week to call for movement
on the New York Climate and
Community Investment Act
(CCIA) in Albany.
With the state legislative
session drawing to a close on
June 10, those assembled at the
waterfront park urged swift
passage of the bills that would
“make polluters pay,” raising
$10 to $15 billion per year
over the next decade through
a fee on greenhouse gases and
co-pollutants.
“By passing the CCIA, what
we’re doing is saying that
we have the money to make
the commitment that we’ve
been talking about for such a
long time,” state Senator Jessica
Ramos said. “It’s putting
money where our mouth is.
It’s making sure it’s not just
paying lip service to climate
change to the catastrophe
that mankind has created
here on Earth but for us to really
make sure that our communities
are centered in the
solution of reversing decades
and centuries of polluting and
bad behavior on our behalf.
We’re still a long way to go
and there’s still a lot of work
to do, but I’m glad we’re doing
it together and it’s really important
we get this bill passed
(Left to right) Assemblyman Ron Kim, state Senators John Liu and Jessica Ramos, City Council
candidate Tiffany Cabán and Assemblywoman Jessica González-Rojas at a rally demanding the
passage of the Climate and Community Investment Act. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
as soon as possible so that we
can save our planet.”
The fee would largely be
paid by the companies importing
fossil fuels into New York,
and would ensure the dedicated
revenue necessary to meet
the goals set forward in the
state’s landmark climate legislation,
the Climate Leadership
and Community Protection
Act, which was passed two
years ago.
Shiv Soin, executive director
of youth-led climate group
TREEage, said that it was time
for action, pointing out the
creation of much-needed jobs
besides addressing the climate
crisis.
“This is not only a climate
bill; this is a climate justice
bill, an economic stimulus
bill, a bill for our future,” Soin
said. “And that’s exactly what
we need in this time and the
future for our city and state.”
Assemblywoman Jessica
González-Rojas said that although
the Legislature passed
the historic CLCPA in 2019, “it
does not have teeth unless” the
CCIA is passed.
“I am so proud to have been
five months in the state Legislature
and I’ve been throwing
down with the climate justice
colleagues to finally have a
fully invested CLCPA and pass
the CCIA for once and for all,”
González-Rojas said.
The revenue raised by the
CCIA would fund an estimated
160,000 green jobs, the development
of renewable energy infrastructure,
and investment
in communities hit hardest
by the climate crisis. Low- and
moderate-income New Yorkers
could also automatically
receive a yearly tax credit of
$700.”
Assemblyman Ron Kim
said that getting the climate
and energy right will lead to
an “abundant economy.”
“The cost of energy will
reach near zero every time we
use energy,” Kim said. “That’s
what we should be striving for,
not marketizing, not profiting,
not exploiting the value of local
communities which is what
has been the normalized condition
for so many years. But
by holding large corporations
accountable, we can get to a
better place and we can have a
radical new deal. So I support
it, and let’s get to work”
The Astoria Park rally was
one of 15 that took place across
the state, each calling for the
passage of the CCIA.
Additional reporting by
Gabriele Holtermann.
Vol. 9 No. 22 44 total pages
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