THE BX PLAN: What is the future of energy and environment in the Bronx?

Post #4 in a series on transforming the Bronx economy

Bronxites have borne the brunt of environmental racism and an energy system that puts profits before people for too long. Highways, power plants, and trucking routes have so polluted our air that a study by ProPublica and SUNY researchers last fall ranked the Bronx the worst county for COVID-19 death rates and respiratory hazards in the United States. Bronxites live at the frontline of climate change, and our communities face elevated risk of hurricanes, water stress, and sea level rise over the coming decades. Monopolies among utility providers like ConEd translate to power outages, price gouging, and a lack of accountability to consumers, threatening our ability to create a future where we can not only survive but thrive.

Despite these challenges, Bronxites have fought back, developing shared visions, solutions, and expertise to tackle climate change and democratize energy in our communities, from designing resiliency plans to protect our communities to constructing community-shared solar to improve energy access and security. Green New Deal legislation from the federal to local level offers an opportunity to not only improve our health and protect our communities from climate change, but also take control of our energy system and build a green economy for workers and businesses that will provide family-sustaining careers in the Bronx. This includes implementing the Renewable Rikers Act, which will reimagine Rikers Island as a resource for renewable energy and restorative and environmental justice, and passing the New York State Build Public Renewables Act, which would create a public option for renewable electricity. It also means investing in community-owned and operated solutions like the Hunts Point Community Solar program led by THE POINT CDC. We can transform highways and other infrastructure that has separated and polluted our neighborhoods into community assets that promote health and connectivity, and we can seed worker cooperatives to retrofit our aging buildings, which contribute nearly 70 percent to the city’s carbon emissions. With a commitment to racial equity and shared ownership, we can build on the people power here in the Bronx, and together we can create a green economy that will power our communities and provide safety, health, and wealth for all of us.