FOR PLANNING PURPOSES
Albany, NY — On Wednesday, February 27, dozens of members of the #DivestNY coalition will escalate the call for Comptroller DiNapoli to divest from fossil fuels through a theatrical action and postcard delivery. Organizers will rally before holding a lobby day urging state legislators to support fossil fuel divestment and take bold climate action toward a Green New Deal for New York.
This comes in the lead-up to the March 20 forum for a Green New Deal for NY and ahead of a April 30 formal legislative hearing on the State Divestment bill convened by Senator Liz Krueger and Assembly Member Felix Ortiz.
WHAT: #DivestNY creative action & lobby day
WHO: Members of the #DivestNY coalition representing groups across the state, including: 350.org, 350 NJ/Rockland, NRDC, New York Communities for Change, Divest Invest, NY Against Fracked Gas, Green Education Legal Fund.
WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday, February 27, 2019 at 10:15am, War Room, Capitol Building, Albany, NY
WHY: New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli is still investing $13 billion of New Yorkers’ pension money in fossil fuel companies, despite it being proven to be financially imprudent. This includes $1 billion in ExxonMobil, a corporation currently being sued for fraud by NY attorney general Tish James.
Pensioners, community members, and young people launched the call for DiNapoli to divest from fossil fuels the day after Superstorm Sandy hit, a storm which devastated the lives and livelihoods of New Yorkers, and cost the taxpayers over $60 billion with costs of recovery still ongoing. In January 2018, New York City’s similar sized pension funds committed to divest within five years.
During his State of the State, Governor Andrew Cuomo directed state agencies to begin the process of divestment. DiNapoli remains isolated as the world urgently moves off fossil fuels, and as New York takes bold action for a Green New Deal.
MEDIA AVAILABILITY: Members of the #DivestNY coalition, as well as Senator Liz Krueger, available for interviews.
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Contact: Lindsay Meiman, lindsay@350.org, (347) 460-9082
For more information, visit: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/divest-ny-lobby-day