by Abby Bresler, NY Organizer & Campaigner
On March 25, hundreds of climate activists marched into the State Capitol in Albany and raised our voices to defend New York’s landmark climate law against Governor Hochul’s attempts to weaken it during state budget negotiations.
From start to finish, it was a day of community and collective power.
Dayenu activists joined 500 people from across New York to defend the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), which mandates the state to drive down emissions and invest in communities – especially frontline communities that are disproportionately Black, Brown, Indigenous, and low-income. The law would make our state more affordable, healthier, and climate-resilient.
Despite this, Governor Hochul wants to weaken the CLCPA; she unveiled her plan to defang the law through the state budget due in April.
Hundreds of us traveled to Albany to say No! On the bus, the Brooklyn group practiced songs and chants and talked about the importance of the climate law. When we got to Albany, folks greeted old friends and made new ones. Then, we picked up our posters and unfurled our banners.
We lined the halls, singing and chanting as legislators and their staffers passed by. Chants like “don’t gut the climate law” and “no back-room budget deals” echoed through the halls.
Nearly 30 legislators rallied with us on the Million Dollar Staircase, including longtime ally State Senator Liz Krueger, who spoke with passion and conviction about the urgency to live up to the law’s promises. We filled the room outside Governor Hochul’s office with holy noise, where Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha addressed the crowd.
Then, we unrolled a giant banner that read the “sun is setting on fossil fuels and rising on renewables,” and Dayenu’s Campus Organizer Rocky Stern unrolled a ray of the sun.
It was fantastic to take action alongside so many of our movement partners, including Sane Energy, Food and Water Watch, New York Communities for Change, Citizen Action of New York, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, New York Renews, and PUSH Buffalo. And we enjoyed spending time with other Jewish community members from JCAN-NYC, RAC NY, Adamah, and Jewish Youth Climate Movement.
Please take a moment to tell your legislators and Governor Hochul: our climate law is not up for negotiation.
ABBY BRESLER
Abby Bresler is a Brooklyn-based organizer, educator, and writer passionate about building a more just and equitable world for all. Prior to joining the Dayenu team, they were the Manager of Jewish Youth Climate Movement, supporting teens all over the country to mobilize their communities toward climate action. Abby also founded Sunrise Movement’s Dartmouth Hub and the Sunrise Disability & Accessibility National Volunteer Team. She holds a graduate certificate in Jewish Studies and Social Justice from the University of San Francisco and a B.A. in Environmental Studies and English from Dartmouth College.