Monthly Meetings
CCIG Meeting, March 11, 2025, 11 am
Agenda
CCIG Business:
1. Things We Love: Joanne attended a talk by 350.org and Third Act Founder Bill McKibben on Feb 25. She shares her impressions. (3 min)
2. Powering Up: Sign up for in-person computer training on March 24 so you, too, can join in 350 Brooklyn’s Power Hour. (Becky, 5 min)
3. Action Opportunities in March (Polly, 5 min)
Today’s Discussion:
4. Planting in a Changing Climate for a Beautiful, Rainfall Ready Garden this Spring and Year Round with gardener Lola Horowitz (30-45 min)
* Designing your garden to deal with heat, rain, and drought.
* How to replace lawn (or concrete) with a garden to better absorb heavy rainfall and mitigate flooding.
* Why native plants?
* Choosing the right plants for your site.
5. Future Meetings: Tuesday April 8 at 11 AM. Focus: The State Climate Budget. Is it on time (April 1)? What’s still in play? We will be rotating meeting facilitators for June, July, September, and October. No meeting in August. (Joanne, 3 minutes)
CCIG Abbreviated Meeting Minutes
February 11, 2025
Facilitator: Joanne B
1.What’s Going On. The consequences of the GOP administration in Washington on climate policy. (Joanne facilitating) Joanne provided an overview of presidential actions on the first day of his administration that are unraveling the US climate agenda. CCIG members expressed concerns.
2. Albany legislative season heats up. (Polly reporting)
2 a. Gubernatorial election and budget shortfalls
The 2025 State budget negotiations will be constrained by political concerns, and by a budget shortfall that may be worsened by cutbacks in federal funding.
2 b. Cap & Invest: Governor Hochul’s sudden reversal
“Cap & Invest” laws cap the amount of carbon that a state can produce, put a price on the carbon that companies do emit, and invest the proceeds in climate friendly initiatives.
Governor Hochul had indicated that she would issue regulations this year to move forward NY’s complex Cap & Invest bill, passed in 2023. The law is expected to raise $3 billion / year from fossil fuel emitters. However, in January, the Governor said the regulations require further study, and that recommendations would not be issued until the end of 2025. This means that the law would probably not be in effect until after the gubernatorial election in November 2026.
Implication: Legislators and climate groups such as the New York Renews coalition have criticized the Governor’s inaction on Cap & Invest and are calling on her to release the regulations immediately.
2 c. The NY HEAT Act: Not included in the Governor’s Budget
The Home Energy Affordable Transition Act has three main parts. It ends the “100 foot rule” requiring gas companies to run gas lines to a property within 100 feet of an existing line. It also ends the “requirement to serve gas”, so that utility companies can invest in clean energy such as thermal. Finally, it protects residential customers from paying more than 6% of their household income on energy bills.
Legislators and advocates point out that spiking utility prices contribute to an affordability crisis -- and are politically unpopular. The HEAT Act is intended to save ratepayers money and help transition from fossil fuels.
Of note: our local Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon is the lead sponsor of the HEAT Act this year.
Implication: The Heat Act was not included in the Governor’s 2025 budget, so climate advocates are focused on pressing the Assembly and Senate to include it in their “one house budgets” and negotiate with the Governor to sign it.
4. Follow up
4 a. Climate Change Superfund Act. (Polly reporting) The Climate Superfund Act, which Governor Hochul signed into law in 2024, is being amended in the current legislative session to make it more “bullet proof” to expected legal challenges. One amendment delays the date that polluting fossil fuel companies would begin paying the damages they caused by 18 months, from 2026 to 2028. This will give time to examine any other areas of the law that might need tweaking
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4 b. Flood Solutions Fair. (Polly reporting) The Fair, sponsored by the City Sponge, drew over 300 community members, local experts, non-profits, academics, and elected officials to discuss flood mitigation. Rain gardens, green roofs, street tree care, and replacing concrete with gardens were among the solutions mentioned in the fair that interested CCIG members.
4 c. Participatory Budgeting Proposal, City Council District 39 (Joyce reporting) Joyce’s proposal seeking capital funding of $750,000 to improve the Prospect Park Children’s Corner path system to prevent flooding in heavy rains, repair a water fountain, and improve drainage has proceeded to the voting stage. Congratulations Joyce! Now we have to get out the vote!
4 d. Congestion Pricing (Joanne reporting) Early reports from the MTA show that congestion pricing is reducing traffic and commuting time in lower Manhattan. The program is under attack, however, from the new federal government. Governor Hochul is defending it.
5. Residential geothermal heat pump pilot programs. Discussion tabled.
6. Action Opportunities
*Why Hochul’s Nuclear Power Plan Isn’t a Solution”, a webinar sponsored by Food and Water Watch on Feb 11.
*Rally to Protect Local Law 97, sponsored by Food and Water Watch, 350BK and others, steps of City Hall, Feb 13.
*350 Brooklyn Power Hour most Mondays from 12-1 via Zoom
7. What’s Next– The March 11 meeting will center on gardening for a changing climate: native plant horticulture, rain gardens, tree care, etc.
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