Image by Fré Sonneveld.

In the fight for a just transition to renewable energy in the United States, New Yorkers achieved two major legislative wins in 2019 and 2023. Today, the realization of that landmark legislation hinges on whether the Democratic governor will uphold those legislative commitments – or yield to a resurgent Trump administration and the escalating energy demands of AI data centers.

During the peak of the youth-led climate movement in 2019, New York was one of seven states (and Puerto Rico) to set 100% clean energy goals. The aggressive 2019 legislation, titled The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, mandated that New York achieve 70% renewable energy by 2030 and 100% emission-free energy by 2040.

But the legislation offered little “how to” for doing so. In late 2019, community organizers, environmental justice groups, and Democratic state assemblymembers came together to form the Public Power NY coalition to advocate for their plan: the Build Public Renewables Act.

What is the Build Public Renewables Act?

The BPRA took advantage of a unique entity in New York: the New York Power Authority, a public utility company founded in 1931 by then-Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt. The utility built two major dams on the Canadian border which still supply a fifth of New York’s power today. FDR believed public utilities would serve as a check against for-profit monopolies on energy resources and provide cheaper electricity for New Yorkers.

The BPRA authorized NYPA to build and own new renewable energy and battery storage projects in order to meet New York’s 2019 climate goals. The legislation also included a program for low-income New Yorkers to receive clean energy credits, required new projects to be built with union labor, and mandated the closure of New York City’s peaker plants – high-emission fossil fuel plants known for polluting Black and Brown neighborhoods when energy demands peak in the summer months. In many ways, the BPRA was a state-level Green New Deal.

“Thanks to FDR’s vision and the fighting spirit of New Yorkers, we have the tools in place to launch a new era of public power that serves all people – not just wealthy investors,” State Senator Julia Salazar and Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha wrote in 2024. “Through NYPA, we can build a truly green New York, with 100% renewable energy, plentiful union jobs, lower bills and cleaner, healthier air.”

Public Power NY spent four years campaigning for the passage of the BPRA. They organized statewide orientation sessions and rallies to help New Yorkers understand how for-profit utilities affect their cities. Con Edison, for example, was........

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