Third Act Upstate New York

In the month of March, stand up for climate justice and democracy. 3/10, Albany Gov. Hochul: Defend NY, Fund Our Future 3/25, Albany Defend Our Climate Law Emergency RallY 3/28, Everywhere No Kings

Stand up for climate justice & democracy!

3/10: Hochul, Defend New York Now!
actionnetwork.org/events/d853d...

3/25: Defend Our Climate Law Emergency Rally
actionnetwork.org/events/rhn-m...

3/28: No Kings
www.nokings.org?SQF_SOURCE=t...

@renewableheatnow.bsky.social
@nyrenews.bsky.social

Tell Congress: No War with Iran Trump has launched unauthorized military strikes on Iran, dragging the United States into yet another war without approval from Congress. This reckless escalation is putting U.S. servicemembers, Ameri...

From immediate oversight, to forcing a vote on a War Powers Resolution, to restricting or cutting off funding for unauthorized hostilities, our Members of Congress must use every lever in their toolbox to put an immediate stop to this war.

Make sure your elected officials hear from you.

Mark your calendar for this important program: THE SEPARATION OF POWERS by Constitutional scholar, Dr. Jeffrey Koch, Monday, March 2, 7:00 pm at Michael's Episcopal Church, Geneseo, NY.
Details and RSVP - www.mobilize.us/genseevalley...
Free admission with limited seating. (Donations welcome).

As Governor Hochul Proposes Climate Law Rollbacks, New Yorkers’ Health, Energy Bills, and Future Threatened — NY Renews Governor Hochul is gaslighting the public. She’s equipping her agencies to gut the climate law — backed by bad data that ignores years of the state’s own modeling and research — and echoing the T...

@nyrenews.bsky.social's response to NYSERDA memo claiming cap and invest would raise costs for NY households:

"Governor Hochul: Don’t pull a Trump and destroy New York’s climate law."

Third Act Upstate NY is on the NY Renews coalition steering committee.

www.nyrenews.org/news/governo...

@profbobhowarth.bsky.social on leaked NYSERDA memo:

“The reason natural gas prices are going up is that the U.S. is now the world’s largest exporter of gas as liquid natural gas (LNG)...A decade ago there was no exporting of LNG from the U.S.; It was illegal. Now we’re the biggest exporter...”

Trump is wrong about solar power, Maga diehards say The president is notoriously scathing about solar energy, which he has described as a ‘blight on our country’. Can his movement’s leading lights change his mind?

Even MAGA Loves Solar!
www.thetimes.com/us/american-...

This is terrible. Untreated wastewater in rivers and streams in exchange for some short-term construction jobs?

@thirdactoh.bsky.social

Plotting to Deny the People's Will Trump may be weighing emergency powers to suppress the vote. "We're going to stop it," he says of fabricated cheating. We cannot be complacent.

www.americaamerica.news/p/plotting-t...

'Plug-In Solar' Has Faced Major Red Tape in Most States. That Could Soon Change Plug-in solar offers affordable clean energy for renters. Learn how states like Utah are removing barriers to expand access and equity.

Great explanation of the difference between rooftop and plug-in solar and what could be done to facilitate the equitable adoption of plug-in solar.

For information on NY's SUNNY Act, see: thirdact.org/upstate-ny/2...

www.wri.org/insights/ena...

A Supreme Court Shield for Big Oil Would Come at Your Expense When we talk about someone wanting to both eat their cake and still have it, we’re using a logical impossibility to highlight the cake-haver’s delusional mental state. When it comes to the fossil-fuel...

We're heading for a world where the Supreme Court decrees fossil fuels can't be regulated, but they can't be sued either. That would leave you paying every cent of the tab for climate damages

Gift link to my column for @opinion.bloomberg.com

www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

Hochul budget director hints at rolling back state’s climate law Blake Washington, the governor’s top budget adviser, called the current energy transition benchmarks “own goals” as they place financial burdens on New Yorkers

Hochul seems to be waffling on whether/how to roll back New York’s flagship climate law, the CLCPA, but her budget director strongly suggested yesterday that it is still on the agenda for the coming weeks. www.cityandstateny.com/policy/2026/...

Stature of Liberty hold the torch Day of Action Gov. Hochul: Defend NY, Fund Our Future Logos of NY Renews, Invest in Our New York, and Make the Road New York Tuesday, March 10th Albany, NY 10:00 AM

Hochul, Defend NY Now!

3/10 Albany

Climate, housing, immigrant, health, & economic justice movements are coming together to demand a sustainable, affordable, & safe NY for all.

RSVP: actionnetwork.org/events/d853d...

@investinourny.bsky.social
@maketheroadny.bsky.social
@nyrenews.bsky.social

Kathy Hochul Is Failing on Climate The Democratic base in New York State and some party leaders nationwide are charting a path toward a greener future. New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, meanwhile, is choosing billionaires and polluter...

Alex Patterson, @publicpowerny.bsky.social:

“Building affordable, public renewables is the only way to lower energy bills, reduce pollution, and ensure a livable New York.”

jacobin.com/2026/02/hoch...

Sam Alito has an oil money problem 30 percent of Alito’s individual stock portfolio is directly tied to fossil fuels.

The Supreme Court has decided to hear a major climate case against fossil fuel companies

Alito has not recused himself, despite owning nearly $200,000 in fossil fuel stocks—including in Phillips 66 and ConocoPhillips, which are being sued in cases that would be directly affected by a SCOTUS ruling

Why public power campaigns win Electricity affordability is an urgent, widely felt problem that public power can solve. Anger alone isn't enough to win. Sarahana Shrestha talks to me about the organizing model in Fabian Holt's book...

This one was a lot of fun to write, because it let me reflect on many things i've learned about surveying public power campaign histories and try to tell a story from them.

Public power is a transformative approach for democracy, climate action, and affordability, but we have to win it first.

A Warming Planet Makes Nor’easters & Other Storms More Intense: Climate Scientist Michael Mann As the Northeast United States contends with the aftermath of a historic bomb cyclone blizzard that blanketed the region, we speak to climate scientist Michael Mann about the causes and effects of inc...

@michaelemann.bsky.social on the increase in intensity in winds & snow fall amounts in nor’easters:

"...we expect to see that increase as long as we continue to warm up the planet by burning fossil fuels and putting carbon pollution into the atmosphere."

www.democracynow.org/2026/2/24/no...

Lawmakers won’t water down or delay climate law mandates, Stewart-Cousins says Republicans blame the state’s green energy mandates for high energy costs, but state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said there are no plans to change the law.

Senate Majority Leader @leaderasc.bsky.social:

NY Senate Dems not discussing changing or delaying mandates required under 2019 CLCPA:

“Beyond anything, we've demonstrated our commitment to trying to make things more affordable.”

www.cityandstateny.com/policy/2026/...

"The more Trump talked, the less he said."

A crown with a large red X through it. No Kings. On March 28, we are coming together again. Where will you march? Hand holding up a sign that reads We the People Reject Fascism.

No Kings March 28

@thirdactorg.bsky.social, alongside hundreds of organizations, will mobilize millions of Americans to stand together and say:

No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings.

Find an event near you: www.nokings.org?SQF_SOURCE=t...

Graphic of smiling sun faces rising from the pages of an open book. Storytelling for Connection & Action February 24 4:00 PM ET Logos of Third Act Upstate New York and Third Act Educators

Storytelling for Connection & Action

February 24, 4:00 PM ET

Have a story you'd like to tell about your concerns and hopes for our democracy and the climate?

This guided, hands-on workshop will help you write your story.

Register: actionnetwork.org/events/story...

Opinion | They Don’t Tell You How Fun the Resistance Can Be

“Joy is an act of resistance.” Or, as Rebecca Solnit wrote in Hope in the Dark, “Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a fine initial act of insurrection."

My native intelligence considers AI data centers Yes, they're fast, and yes it's time to slow the heck down

McKibben quotes Michael Richardson, @thirdactorg.bsky.social's organizing director:

"...the permitting of data centers with massive energy needs will only feed into the fossil fuel industry’s narrative that to keep this technology running we have to put a pause on dealing with climate change...”

The Town of Dryden just banned data centers. Here’s why. - The Ithaca Voice DRYDEN, N.Y. — Dryden officials believe they are the first town in the state to ban data centers. The decision, which also bans cryptocurrency mines, comes after a local 18-month […]

"Dryden’s ban on data centers and cryptocurrency mines comes as a simple zoning update.The zoning update, which passed by unanimous vote Feb. 19, defines data centers and cryptocurrency mines."

Why Targeting Activists Will Backfire As I mentioned in my last installment, the federal government has been increasing its surveillance of activist groups that focus on immigration and more. There are numerous accounts of the Trump Ad…

Some thoughts about the likely effects of the surveillance and repression of civic groups in the US: danarfisher.com/2026/02/21/w...

Trump issues order declaring glyphosate national defense priority President Donald Trump in an executive order prioritized production of controversial herbicide glyphosate, subject of la

As our Senior Attorney Dani Replogle says, “This is the clearest indication yet that the Trump administration is at the beck and call of the pesticide industry – Bayer specifically.”

YouTube video by Third Act Upstate NY Working Group Solar Energy & the NY Power Grid - Part 2 (R. Perez)

Solar Energy & the NY Power Grid

A fascinating segment of the 2/16 webinar with Dr. Richard Perez of University at Albany hosted by Third Act Advocates for NYS Climate Policies, a joint initiative of Third Act Upstate NY & NYC:

Land Use for Solar: Modeling Where to Deploy in New York State

Commentary: The Constitution pipeline proposal is coming back from the dead By approving the NESE pipeline, Hochul opened the door to other fossil fuel projects. This time, project proponents are trying for a federal override of New York’s authority.

A new Constitution pipeline tactic from the Williams Companies:

"...convince the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, a supposedly independent agency, to let the project bypass New York state review and go forward..."

@greenwatchdogny.bsky.social

Storytelling for Connection & Action Image of a smiling sun face with an open book February 24, 4:00 PM ET Have a story you'd like to tell about your concerns and hopes for our democracy and the climate? This workshop will provide tools and support to help you write your story to inspire others to take meaningful action. Third Act Upstate New York Third Act Educators

Storytelling for Connection & Action

Feb 24, 4:00 PM ET

1-hr session on effective storytelling tools & models to help you tell your climate and/or democracy-focused stories & an optional 30-min post-session

By: Third Act Upstate NY & Third Act Educators

RSVP: actionnetwork.org/events/story...

🔋 BESS & Beers: Battery Energy Storage in Ulster County

Learn about BESS, how they work, and the benefits they can bring to our community.

Feb 25 | Blue Duck Brewing Company
RSVP: bit.ly/BESSANDBEERS

@sierraclubny.bsky.social @cclusa.org

How a More Flexible Grid Could Save New York Billions Officials have long eyed “virtual power plants,” which coordinate energy use across thousands of homes, but the state has lagged in adopting them.

How would a flexible grid work?

"Tapping into the collective power of millions of smart devices in homes and businesses to balance electricity needs, experts say, would make the grid more reliable, help phase out polluting power plants, and save billions each year on energy bills."