Sam Balzac

Our fossil-fueled grid is heading for blackouts as soon as NEXT YEAR. This is why we can’t wait to build a full 15 gigawatts of public renewable energy. ⚡️

We can’t trust private companies to invest in the public good. We need public power.

While @governor.ny.gov ties us to toxic gas plants and destructive pipelines, the rest of world builds clean, affordable energy at record rates. Hochul and Trump aren’t just walking us backwards, they’re sprinting.

Are we going to keep falling behind, or #BuildPublicRenewables?

Your Words Build Our Future Use our letter tool: Tell Governor Hochul & the Energy Planning Board to build public renewables, not pipelines!

New Yorkers will be the difference between a livable future and fossil fuel disaster ⚡️

Only one week left to tell @governor.ny.gov & the Energy Planning Board to #BuildPublicRenewables - not pipelines! actionnetwork.org/letters/plan...

LoHud headline: New York Power Authority champions clean energy. Its executives fly in a private jet. By Thomas C. Zambito

The New York Power Authority has embraced the state’s clean energy goals, vowing to lead the charge against climate change by investing in renewable energy, reducing the state’s planet-warming carbon emissions and replacing its gas-powered vehicles with EVs. But NYPA regularly flies its top executives, media personnel and board members to monthly meetings, press conferences and ribbon-cuttings on a $7.5 million plane that burns tens of thousands of gallons of carbon-spewing jet fuel every year.

The plane has been used to fly executives on short hops of an hour or less from Westchester County Airport to airports in Albany; Rome, New York; and Pittsfield, Massachusetts. NYPA President and CEO Justin Driscoll flew 42 times over 21 days during a time period of just over a year with 23 trips of less than an hour, including four between Westchester and Albany, a two-hour drive.

“It seems like Justin Driscoll is more concerned with the speed of his travel than the speed of building public renewables,” said Michael Paulson, the associate director of the Sane Energy Project and a leader of the Public Power New York campaign to get the state to build more renewables.

Nothing says clean energy like 42 fossil-fuel guzzling private jet flights, right Justin??? 😵‍💫✈️

Instead of building public renewables so New Yorkers can actually afford their energy bills, NYPA's CEO is more focused on flying private (in a major Amtrak corridor‼️)

Saranac Lake Make Billionaires Pay Local organizations including High Peaks DSA, Adirondack Voters for Change, Show Up, Third Act, and John Brown Lives! are co-hosting a peaceful “Make Billionaires Pay” event in Saranac Lake’s Riverside Park from 3–5 p.m. on September 20, 2025, rain or shine. It’s not just a rally, but a chance to have fun, make local connections, and send an important message to state and federal leaders that cuts to Medicaid and other social safety net programs resulting from the One Big Beautiful Bill will...

@kathryncramer.bsky.social Protest on Saturday in SL, if you're interested! https://action.womensmarch.com/events/saranac-lake-make-billionaires-pay

Gothamist article headline: New Yorkers to foot bill for pipeline pushed by feds, new report says costs will rise

The federal government isn’t just encouraging New York to build a new pipeline that’s already been ruled a threat — it's also making you pay for it, and a new independent analysis claims the project will cost 17% more than estimates from the utility company. The once dead project was revived in July after the Trump administration announced its strong support for building new fossil fuel infrastructure. The pipeline is on a fast-tracked review after the Department of Environmental Conservation closed its 45-day public comment period last month despite rallies calling for more time as well as public hearings.

Con Edison customers are already paying around $50 more per month than they did three years ago. Over the last two years, National Grid customers are paying over $40 more on monthly bills. A report released this week by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, an energy research think tank, estimated the pipeline’s price tag at least $1.25 billion. That’s 17% more than National Grid’s estimate.

We're trying to make ends meet. @governor.ny.gov & Trump are trying to fast-track a new pipeline that will pollute our water and send our bills even higher.

We won't accept a plan that makes life more unaffordable. Join us and fight back! ecosocialists.nyc/join-us

While NYPA and @governor.Ny.gov drag their feet on clean energy, New Yorkers are facing drought and climate catastrophe.

We need to build the solutions TODAY. Help demand NY follow its own laws and build the full public renewable energy we need ⚡️ ecosocialists.nyc/take-action

Ulster County "I Voted" spider head sticker edited to read "I Submitted My Public Renewables Comment" Ecosocialists.nyc/take-action

༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ you can only repost this when you've submitted your public renewables comment ✨

📅 less than 3 days left to demand a #GreenNewYork! submit your comment & send this post to 5 friends 👇
ecosocialists.nyc/take-action

Take action : NYC-DSA Ecosocialists Take action by demanding Governor Hochul direct the New York Power Authority to build 15 gigawatts of public renewables by 2030.

Demand a future you want to live in ecosocialists.nyc/take-action

Need a break from doomscrolling? How about an easy way to fight for a better future? It takes just 30 seconds to demand the 15 gigawatts of renewable public power New York needs to keep our bills affordable, clean our air & fight the climate crisis⚡🌹

🔗 in our bio & below 👇

Missed your chance to testify to NYPA yesterday?

Join TONIGHT’S virtual hearing starting at 6pm to let them know why NY needs 15 gigawatts of public renewables.

Register here: actionnetwork.org/event_campai...

Tell NYPA: New York Demands More Thanks to your pressure, the New York Power Authority has committed to building half the renewable energy New York needs. But our future needs more than half-measures. Tell NYPA we need full buildout at their virtual hearings Tuesday at 10am & Wednesday at 6pm.

Thanks to pressure from New Yorkers, NYPA is building 7GW of clean public power — but we know that's not enough.

Join us at NYPA's virtual hearings at 10am today & 6pm tomorrow to demand the full 15GW of public renewable energy NY needs!

Register here: actionnetwork.org/event_campai...

RTO Insider headling: New York PSC Denies NYPA's Clean Path Transmission Priority Status

New York Focus headline: New York to Scale Back Key Energy Affordability Program Subhead: Empower+ helps thousands of New Yorkers afford energy efficiency upgrades. The state is planning to slash funding by nearly two-thirds in two years.

Spectrum News headline: NYSERDA: New York may need to rely on fossil fuels for longer

New York Focus headline: Major Pipeline Moves Closer to Approval in New York as Critics Decry ‘Bargain’ with Trump Subhead: Public comments are closing soon for an underwater pipeline project that sprang back to life this spring after talks between Hochul and Trump.

In case it wasn't clear, @governor.ny.gov isn't working for you, she's working for big oil billionaires.

Higher bills, polluted air, and a dying planet for you; another yacht for them. Fight back: ecosocialists.nyc/take-action

New York Says No Trump Pipelines! Right now, Governor Hochul is trying to revive a Trump-backed pipeline New Yorkers already rejected in 2020. This pipeline would be a disaster for our climate, for our communities, and for our energy bills. Tell Hochul: Don't sell out New York to big oil billionaires!

Back to back heatwaves. Skyrocketing energy bills. And now @governor.ny.gov & Trump are trying to fast-track a new gas pipeline that would make them even worse🤮

We have less than a week to say NO to this disaster. Tell Hochul: NO TRUMP PIPELINES! www.stopwilliamsnesepipeline.org

Slide from NYPA presentation titled "renewable opportunities overview," outlining how NYPA's updated strategic plan has grown from 3.2 gigawatts to 7 gigawatts of public renewable energy projects

Before we passed the #BuildPublicRenewables Act, we were told it was impossible. Then we were told NYPA didn't have to build. Then we were told only 3GW was possible.

Our movement never stopped demanding more. Today, NYPA announced 7GW of public renewables projects in the works.

Rally at NYPA headquarters with dozens of people holding signs, including a huge banner reading "Build Public Renewables"

We know we have to #BuildPublicRenewables to fight the climate crisis and build a better NY while we're at it 🗽⚡️

Because of our movement, the New York Power Authority announced today it's MORE THAN DOUBLING their public renewables plan. And we're just getting started. ✊

The Energy Department is doing climate denial. The EPA is pro-pollution. Trump wants to let us burn.

And what’s @governor.ny.gov doing? Nothing.

We make our own future. It’s up to us to build a movement, #BuildPublicRenewables & build a #GreenNewYork. ecosocialists.nyc/join-us

Governor Hochul: Fight Trump's Climate Arson With Public Renewables! Donald Trump is taking aggressive steps to end all climate progress in the US. He is fast tracking fossil fuel projects while blocking renewable energy development. He is moving to reverse state-level...

We called for NYPA to #BuildPublicRenewables. Today they officially doubled their buildout plan. 💪🏗️⚡️

Now we need them to double it again. Help make it happen: bit.ly/nypa15now

Not long ago, @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social was just another rank-and-file member of @socialists.nyc. He's not alone. 10,000+ NYers just like him are building working class power 💪

As NYC-DSA's ecosocialists, we're taking on big oil billionaires to win a #GreenNewYork. Join us! 🗽⚡

Air Quality Health Advisory AQI: 101 - 150 Unhealthy for Sensitive People What New Yorkers should do - The risk of health impacts from outdoor activities remains low for healthy people - Young children, older adults and people with heart or breathing conditions should avoid strenuous and prolonged outdoor activities - If your eyes are watering, your throat is sore, you have a headache, or you are out of breath or coughing during outdoor activities, take a break and go indoors.

While we face a heat index of 105+ degrees, NYC's air is also DANGEROUS to breathe.

Stay hydrated, watch out for signs of heat stroke (nausea, flushed skin, headache/confusion), and check on your neighbors, especially the elderly & kids. Find a cooling center: maps.nyc.gov/cooling-cent...

Web page with instructions for NYC citizens air complaints, which reads that all questions are required to be answered in English

While @governor.ny.gov refuses to take action to build the clean energy & transportation we need to stop polluting our air & planet, @mayor.nyc.gov won't even let our neighbors who speak other languages report air pollution. 🤬

New Yorkers deserve better

Tackling the climate crisis must mean improving working people's lives. @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social shows how to do it.

⚡️ #BuildPublicRenewables
🫁 Keep our air clean
💸 Keep our bills affordable
🏫 Green & healthy schools

Read more about our vision for a #GreenNewYork from @dharna.bsky.social👇

Ecosocialism is the future. How do we know? Because the next Mayor of NYC is an Ecosocialist.

Want to help @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social build a #GreenNewYork? Join us: ecosocialists.nyc/join-us/

POLITICO headline: Mamdani backs clean energy buildouts, decarbonization efforts Subhead: NYC's presumptive Democratic mayoral nominee is poised to take on big energy transition challenges in the nation's largest metropolis Photo: Zohran speaking at rally outside of New York Power Authority's NYC hearing on public renewables

“I’m running for mayor to make the city more affordable and to take on the existential crisis of our time — climate change,” Mamdani said during a March candidate forum on climate. One of Mamdani’s signature legislative priorities — although he wasn’t the prime sponsor of the bill — was pushing for the New York Power Authority to build out new renewable generation. He’s one of only two lawmakers who actively participated in Con Edison’s last rate case and recently slammed the utility for seeking another bill hike. Mamdani also opposed a new gas plant in his district that was blocked by Gov. Kathy Hochul and sponsored an unsuccessful measure to ban new fossil fuel power plants.

“At a time when we’re certainly seeing Republicans, but even some Democrats, backing away from climate change and a kind of Green New Deal style politics, this is a huge rebuke to that,” said Daniel Goulden, the strategy co-chair of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America’s Ecosocialist Working Group. “Our horizons have expanded exponentially — and I’m really excited for the future for the first time, maybe, in my entire life,” they said. Mamdani’s most detailed clean energy proposal on the campaign trail was to renovate and decarbonize 500 schools, transform 500 schoolyards into green spaces, and create 50 resilience hubs at schools.

Mamdani supports the [Public Power NY] effort to get the power authority to move faster and build 15 gigawatts of renewables, including a third of that in the downstate region. The authority currently has plans to build 6 gigawatts, although many of those projects are in the early stages of vetting. As mayor of New York City, Mamdani would have a significant platform to pressure the power authority and Gov. Kathy Hochul to do more to decarbonize the downstate grid. The region’s electricity mix is currently 89 percent fossil fuels. He could also promote additional solar and storage on city properties if he ascends to City Hall, although there is already a local law setting targets for solar on city facilities.

NYC's next mayor is an ecosocialist 🌱

From stopping new smokestacks in Astoria to winning public renewables and fighting Con Ed's rate hike, @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social has led the fight for a #GreenNewYork from Day 1.

Now it's time to build it. Join us. ecosocialists.nyc/join-us/

Zohran Mamdani is the climate mayor NYC needs His plan will make our city affordable now & livable for generations to come Green, Healthy Schools Renewable energy, climate resilience, green space & healthy indoor air quality — all while creating good, green jobs & better learning spaces for youth Fast, Free Buses Better public transit helps get New Yorkers where they need to. gowhile reducing smog from private vehicles — the source of 80% of our transportation pollution Affordable Housing Fast-tracking affordable housing projects that create union jobs and help more New Yorkers live sustainably Rank Zohran #1!

We're fighting for a city we can afford today, and one where ALL New Yorkers can thrive for generations to come 🌱

@zohrankmamdani.bsky.social has been one of NY's greatest climate champions for years. Now it's time for a mayor who will build a Green New York. 🗽

Rank Zohran #1! #DontRankCuomo!

This mayoral election it’s Build or Burn. Green or Greed. Livable future or fossil fuel profits. Between a progressive environmental champion and a disgraced creep ex-governor, we also all know who is fit to be mayor: @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social! #ZohranForNYC #DontRankCuomo

Image of South Bronx peaker plant with text: What's going on with NYC's dirtiest power plants? The New York Power Authority (NYPA) is still burning gas in working class communities across NYC. Here's what's going on and how you can help fight to shut them down.

Image of Williamsburg peaker plant with text: What's a peaker plant? "Peakers" are power plants that burn fossil gas when energy demand "peaks" — like on hot days when everyone turns on their air conditioning. Because they have to turn on fast, they run less efficiently, burn more gas, emit more pollution, and cost even more than ordinary fossil fuel plants

Image of South Bronx peaker plant with text: Bad for the planet, bad for communities The gas these plants burn is 120 times as harmful for the climate as CO2, increases childhood asthma by 42%, and is linked with early onset dementia. NYC's peakers are all located in the working class communities already burdened with heavy pollution.

Image of march with people holding Build or Burn sign Text: NYPA is supposed to shut them down This May, NYPA was required to release a plan to phase out its NYC peaker plants by 2030. But when they finally released their plan (10 days late), all they had were proposals for more studies on the impacts of decommissioning the plants. MORE STALLING = MORE POLLUTION

Last month the New York Power Authority was supposed to announce its plan to close down its dirtiest fossil fuel plants. Instead, it tried to make the case for keeping them burning.

We won't let them.

Central Bankers Bow to Political Winds When It Comes to Climate, Study Shows Central bank independence is about more than just interest rates.

It turns out, you can’t trust bankers to take climate change seriously on their own. We have to MAKE them.

At the end of the day, political power is what’s going to decide whether we Build or Burn. Join the movement! ✊🌎🌹⚡️
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

City Council Call Relay for Public Renewables City Council Public Renewables Call Relay NYPA's plan for public renewables has only ONE project for all of NYC. So Council Member Sandy Nurse introduced a resolution calling on NYPA to build at least...

‼️TAKE ACTION NOW: Just ONE renewable energy project for all of NYC?? That won’t cut it. Let’s change that. 💪

Tell your City Councilmember to join @cmsandynurse.bsky.social in urging NYPA to build the full 5+ GW public renewables downstate needs ☎️👇

bit.ly/bpra-hearing

YouTube video by Seth Christenfeld March of the Critics (Christenfeld/Grunin) - Doug Shapiro, Sam Balzac, and Apryl Arden

6. "March of the Critics" from DOWN WITH THE SCRIPT!, music by @egrunin.bsky.social, sung by Apryl Arden, @sambalzac.union.place.ap.brid.gy, and @dougshapiro.bsky.social.