Shapiro on Opposing Permitting Reform

On Wednesday, October 28 at noon, outside of the Department of Public Service headquarters (Agency Bldg. 3, Empire State Plaza), advocates will rally to urge Governor Hochul to slow down and expand the review process for new data centers, while giving the public more opportunities to meaningfully engage in the process. Inside, the Public Service Commission is holding an important conference with implications for AI data centers development and policy in New York. This comes as the PSC is reviewing data centers – including environmental, economic and energy grid impacts – as a part of Governor Hochul’s Executive Order (EO) which put a temporary pause or moratorium on data centers in New York while the review is underway. Isaac Silberman-Gorn of Frack Action talks to Mark Dunlea for the Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

A new exhibit has opened at the New York State Museum in Albany celebrating a half century of the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater and the role of music and its sloop in building the movement to save the Hudson River. The exhibit consists of a collection of Great Hudson River Revival signs, programs, photographs, and other artifacts. The initial exhibit will be on display through April 25, 2027, with a larger exhibition opening in 2028 or 2029. We talk with John Mylod who was Executive Director of Clearwater for 18 years and David Toman, current ED. We end with some music by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason.

On October 28, four dozen climate and environmental advocates held a press conference outside of the state Public Service Commission to call upon the PSC and Governor Hochul to do a better job in analyzing the various environmental, public health and financial challenges related to the construction of data centers. The PSC is doing such a study as part of the Governor Hochul’s moratorium on data centers but the groups want more time for public comments, a more comprehensive review, and public hearings. In part 2 of our coverage, we hear from Eric Weltman of Food and Water Watch, Emma Paulsen of NYPIRG, and Kathy Nolan of Catskill Mountain Keeper. This has been Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

On October 28, four dozen climate and environmental advocates held a press conference outside of the state Public Service Commission to call upon the PSC and Governor Hochul to do a better job in analyzing the various environmental, public health and financial challenges related to the construction of data center. The PSC is doing such a study as part of the Governor Hochul’s moratorium on data center. In this segment, we hear from Renee Vogelsang of Frack Action, Ethan Gormley of Citizen Action. and two opponents of the proposed Kenwood data center in the South End of Albany, local businessperson Alexandra Payne and Rhonda Pulliam of the Mt. Hope Neighborhood Association.

Environmental groups and climate activists are urging the Senate not to approve permitting reform (aka Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act or BAAJA). The renewable energy industry is pushing it to speed up the deployment of solar and wind. Opponents argue that BAAJA would create more legal runway for this president to make corrupt deals and greenlight harmful projects of all kinds, and it would constrain any future president from repairing the damage. Environmental attorney Larry Shapiro talks to Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

The US Senate voted Monday, November 9 to advance a major bipartisan bill that aims to speed up the construction of energy and other infrastructure projects. The procedural vote required 60 votes to pass; it got 73. Future votes will mainly only require 51. Climate activists will now turn their attention to the House, where the Republicans hold only a slim majority, many of whom were recently defeated. The bill is opposed by most – but not all – climate and environmental justice groups. They view the “Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026,” as the wish list for Big Tech and the plastics and fossil fuel industry. Because it would also make permitting of renewable energy easier, it is being promoted by the wind and solar industry. At a press conference on Friday Nov. 6 opposing the bill, we hear from Eric Weltman and Jim Walsh of Food and Water Watch and Judith Enck of Beyond Plastics. This is Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

A new NYPIRG–Environment America report found that 42% of New York State public schools had at least one drinking or cooking water outlet testing above the state’s 5 parts per billion (ppb) lead limit, representing over 12,000 outlets statewide . Blair Horner discusses the report with Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

Elizabeth Kolbert will speak on Sat. Sept. 26 at 3:45 PM at UAlbany as part of the 9th Annual Albany Book Festival with the NYS Writers Institute. Kolbert is one of America’s best-known journalists covering the climate crisis and the natural world. Her new book is Life on a Little-Known Planet: Dispatches from a Changing World (2025), a landmark collection of her most important pieces, and a New Yorker “Best Book of the Year.” Kolbert’s previous books include Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change (2006), The Sixth Extinction (2014), winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future (2021). Her talk will be moderated by Judith Enck. Betsy talks with Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine. www.albanybookfestival.com

September 25 was the close of the public comment period to the State Public Commission (PSC) on the state’s Advanced Nuclear Policy Options Paper, which lays out potential approaches to Governor Hochul’s desire to add five new nuclear power plants. Three dozen lawmakers submitted a letter urging the PSC to reject any public subsidies for the nuclear power expansion. Fred Harrison, a long time utility rate advocate who has worked with groups like Food and Water Watch and the Alliance for a Nuclear Free New York, talks with Mark Dunlea about concerns by environmentalists about the Governor’s proposals.

Environmentalists are calling on Starbucks to stop telling customers that its single-use plastic cold cups are “widely recyclable,” after a nationwide tracking investigation by Beyond Plastics could not confirm a single cup being recycled. As part of a national week of action, a protest will be held at the Starbucks at 1244 Western Ave. in Albany (near UAlbany) on Saturday Oct. 3 at noon. Alexis Goldsmith of BP talks with Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.