FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 23, 2026
Contact: Chris Dobens, 718-679-8542, chris@weact.org
NEW YORK – WE ACT for Environmental Justice is pleased to announce a $100,000 capital campaign gift from Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) in support of the organization’s forthcoming Environmental Justice Center in Harlem. This support from CHPE will help create a permanent home for environmental justice advocacy, research, organizing, and community leadership development in Northern Manhattan.
Upon its launch in 2027, the Center will provide WE ACT’s award-winning Environmental Health and Justice Leadership Training (EHJLT) to hundreds of young people, in Northern Manhattan and beyond. EHJLT provides education on toxics and pollution, energy justice, climate resilience, and advocacy, tailored to the specific issues experienced by young people in environmental justice communities. It also introduces youth to career pathways in advocacy, clean energy, and environmental stewardship.
“We are deeply grateful to Champlain Hudson Power Express for their leadership and commitment to advancing environmental justice,” said Peggy Shepard, Co-Founder and Executive Director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice. “The Environmental Justice Center will be a place where youth can deepen their understanding of environmental health, climate change, and civic leadership – equipping the next generation with the knowledge and tools to protect their communities. We are deeply grateful to Champlain Hudson Power Express for investing in a future where Harlem’s young leaders can learn, grow, and shape a more just and sustainable world.”
Champlain Hudson Power Express is a renewable energy transmission project that will deliver clean hydropower from Québec to New York City, supporting the state’s transition to a clean energy economy while helping reduce climate pollution. CHPE’s contribution reflects its commitment to ensuring that the benefits of the clean energy transition reach the communities most impacted by environmental injustice.
“The CHPE team is honored to support this important initiative that will expand access to education and career pathways for youth living in frontline communities,” said Pete Rose, Senior Director of Stakeholder Engagement of Hydro-Quebec. “We greatly appreciate the partnership with WE ACT and look forward to delivering clean energy to New York City this spring, reducing harmful emissions and improving the health of all who live here.”
This gift represents a major milestone in the campaign to build the Environmental Justice Center and reflects the growing coalition of partners investing in WE ACT’s vision of a resource and education hub for the environmental justice movement.
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WE ACT for Environmental Justice is a Northern Manhattan-based, membership-driven organization whose mission is to build healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and/or low-income residents are meaningfully included in the development of sound and fair environmental health and protection policies and practices. WE ACT has offices in New York and Washington, D.C. Visit us at weact.org and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram. WE ACT’s legislative priorities are detailed in our 2026 Policy Agenda.