Unions, environmental groups join to call for pollution-free N.Y. state-run facilities by 2040

ALBANY — Unions and environmental groups are joining forces to call on Gov. Hochul and lawmakers to make all state-run buildings and facilities fully green by 2040 with the help of organized labor.

A coalition called #UpgradeNY is hoping to help the state curb greenhouse gas emissions produced by government-run buildings and provide union jobs to New Yorkers from communities most impacted by climate change and pollution.

Lisa Dix, New York director of the Building Decarbonization Coalition, said the group represents “a new era of labor-led climate action.”

“Together, we can create the long-term certainty to decarbonize our buildings at the scale needed to achieve New York’s climate goals, coupled with a pipeline of projects that builds a local, union clean energy workforce,” Dix added.

The coalition is asking the governor and Legislature to commit to decarbonize at least 15 of New York’s highest polluting facilities by 2030, which could reduce pollution produced by state-run buildings by roughly 40%.

The Empire State Plaza complex in Albany, SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn and the City College of New York are among the sites the group would like to see prioritized.

According to the proposal, projects must be shovel ready by 2025 and achieve at least a 30% reduction of on-site emissions from the state-owned buildings portfolio, which includes SUNY and CUNY campuses and government buildings.

“The State must lead by example,” said Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters. “This is a tremendous opportunity to reduce emissions, provide a cleaner environment for students attending state universities and create good paying jobs.”

Hochul floated several similar climate-friendly proposals in her State of the State address earlier this week that would help New York in achieving the emission reduction goals established by the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

New York is required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2050, under the CLCPA. A sweeping scoping plan that could serve as a blueprint for New York’s greener future was approved late last month by the State Climate Action Council, made up of state officials and appointees.

Some of the ideas put forth by the governor include a “cap and invest” plan that would require businesses to buy allowances to pollute and gradually reduces limits over time.

Hochul also called for a ban on burning fossil fuels in newly constructed buildings within five years.

Several SUNY and CUNY campuses have already begun eyeing ways to reduce pollution. The City College of New York announced last year the school is working with the federal Department of Energy’s Building Technology Office and the city on the development of advanced heat pump systems.

Hochul signed an executive order last fall meant to help streamline the efforts of state agencies to reduce pollution by setting new environmental performance goals as the state seeks to reach “net zero” emissions over the next decade and a half.

A spokeswoman for the governor did not say whether Hochul would support the new push, but said the administration “continues to take bold actions to address climate change because we’re not just the first generation to feel the effects, we’re also the last generation that can do something to combat it.”

Labor leaders said focusing on state-run facilities could be a boon for workers from communities that have historically seen the worst impacts of pollution.

The proposal includes requiring Project Labor Agreements for large-scale projects, Labor Peace protections, and funding from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s workforce development program for direct entry pre-apprenticeship programs as well as programs for existing workers.

“As we look to restart the economy, we must focus on delivering union careers with family-sustaining wages to New Yorkers across the state,” said Gary LaBarbera, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York. “This proposal has taken every step to ensure that the jobs created from this important initiative will accomplish that.”