FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 5, 2017
Media Contact: Brooke Havlik, 212-961-1000 ext. 320, brooke@weact.org
New York, NY — In light of the Trump Administration’s decision to exit the Paris Climate Agreement, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced an Executive Order last Friday committing NY State to the accord, and several new initiatives in clean energy, jobs and justice. Governor Cuomo’s newly formed Environmental Justice and Just Transition Working Group will “develop priority programs and policies to help historical underserved communities – and those navigating the retirement of carbon-intensive energy plants – prepare for a cleaner, greener future.” WE ACT’s Co-Founder and Executive Director, Peggy Shepard, was nominated to serve alongside other statewide leaders in the working group.
In response to the nomination and climate-focused initiatives, Peggy Shepard released the following statement:
“I want to thank Governor Cuomo and his office for the nomination to serve on the Environmental Justice and Just Transition Working Group and commend him for his leadership, especially as our federal government steps backwards on the most dangerous threat to equality of our time—climate change. Communities of color and low-income residents across New York State will be disproportionately impacted by climate change’s consequences, like flooding, heatwaves, and economic instability. I look forward to advising New York State on how to lead the way with policies that ensure historically underrepresented groups are more climate resilient, and have access to job opportunities and livable wages in New York’s clean energy future.”