News Archive | Page 2 of 23

Oct 3 2024

Upstate United Reacts to Port Strike Along U.S. Coasts

A statement from Justin Wilcox, Executive Director of Upstate United. “In representing trade groups and regional chambers of commerce throughout Upstate New York, we know firsthand that many industries, business owners, and consumers are still recovering from the pandemic and battling inflation. This is the first strike of its kind since 1977, and in only […]

Oct 3 2024

Buffalo News Another Voice: Superfund Act is unable to assess largest fossil fuel producers

Visit the Buffalo News to read the full piece. The Climate Change Superfund Act, which passed the New York State Legislature in June of this year, aims to place $75 billion in surcharges on fossil fuel producers. The reasoning behind the Climate Change Superfund Act is that the largest producers of fossil fuels should be […]

Aug 15 2024

Upstate United: Financial Sector Growth in Dallas Outpacing New York City

A statement from Justin Wilcox, Executive Director of Upstate United. “From Wall Street to…Y’all Street? The latest moniker for the major shifts happening throughout the financial sector is proving to be a possibility in the future as growth across the industry in Texas outpaces New York by an alarming percentage. A recent article in the […]

Jul 24 2024

Democrat & Chronicle: New York wants to be an innovation hub. We have to do better for our businesses

A guest opinion piece by Justin Wilcox. As New York embarks on an ambitious plan to revitalize the regions upstate and reclaim the state’s role as a hub of innovation, it is essential that these efforts are supported by smart lawmaking and rolling back restrictive red tape. Bipartisan support for the CHIPS and Science Act […]

Jul 17 2024

Upstate United Responds to Damning Report on CLCPA Progress

A statement from Justin Wilcox, Executive Director of Upstate United. “Following the release of the New York State Comptroller’s most recent audit, we reiterate our calls to pause the implementation of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) until critical issues are addressed. Moreover, the report shared today highlights what we have been saying publicly for years […]

Jul 8 2024

POLITICO: Calling state’s renewable goal a ‘moral imperative,’ environmental groups oppose likely delay

Read the full article by Marie French here. The pushback comes as the Hochul administration acknowledges the state’s renewable target is out of reach. NEW YORK — Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration has acknowledged for the first time that the state’s renewable target is out of reach. New York has enough existing and under-development renewables to […]

Jul 3 2024

Albany Times Union Report: New York will likely miss a major green energy deadline

Two major state energy agencies cast doubt on getting 70 percent renewable energy by 2030 Read the full article by Rick Karlin here. ALBANY — Citing high inflation and what is expected to be an unprecedented increase in demand for power, two major energy agencies on Tuesday said it was unlikely that the state will […]

Jul 2 2024

State Leaders Come Clean on Reality of New York’s Renewable Goals

A statement from Justin Wilcox, Executive Director of Upstate United. “Yesterday’s draft report issued by the New York State Department of Public Service (DPS) and NYSERDA referred to the state’s goal to achieve 70% renewables by 2030 as ‘extraordinarily ambitious’ and concluded that a delay in achieving the 70% goal may be unavoidable. “Given the amount of government resources […]

Jun 20 2024

POLITICO: ‘Too far too fast’: Lawmakers leave Albany without major environmental progress

Environmentalists blamed Assembly Democrats for failing to tackle major bills to slash greenhouse gas emissions. Read the article by Marie French here. ALBANY, New York — Lawmakers returned to their districts this month with few significant environmental wins to campaign on — the latest sign that reducing emissions and achieving climate law mandates remain elusive. […]

Jun 18 2024

Recent Court Ruling Shines Light on Regulatory Inaction on CLCPA

A statement from Justin Wilcox, Executive Director of Upstate United “Since the passage of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) in 2019, the Public Service Commission (PSC) has been assigned the nearly impossible and unenviable task of developing a program to require that the statewide electrical demand system be ‘zero emissions’ by 2040. […]