By Paul Presendieu and Alejandro Alvarez
As we approach the fourth year since the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act) was signed into law, the time is right to assess the progress New York State is making in meeting the ambitious goals of its nation leading climate agenda.
Significantly, the Act prioritizes environmental justice to address the unequal impacts of climate change on Black, brown and historically marginalized communities. One of the ways this is done is to include the requirement to invest or direct resources to ensure that disadvantaged communities receive at least 35%, with the goal of 40% of the overall benefits of spending on clean energy and energy efficiency programs.
Recruiting and training people for the green-energy jobs of the future is key if the State is to meet its goals of both reducing carbon emissions and providing economic opportunity to frontline communities. The Energy Justice Alliance (EJA) of the greater Hudson Valley and Soulful Synergy have built a partnership that is successfully connecting Black and brown people with green jobs.
EJA is a Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) led non-profit organization dedicated to advancing energy justice in New York State through grassroots advocacy, education, and organizing. Soulful Synergy trains workers primarily from historically marginalized communities for clean-energy jobs and has teamed up on programs with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to meet the goals of New York State's 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (the Climate Act).
The Climate Act is fueling an explosion in jobs. A Demos report estimated that the CLCPA would create 160,000 jobs in the first year of implementation and it will support on average 150,000 each year over the next decade. The CLCPA is expected to generate $138 billion in cumulative income for New Yorkers over the next decade. The Climate Act prioritizes this job growth for low-income communities and communities of color by mandating that 35-40% of state funds for the green energy transition are invested there.
In 2019, Soulful Synergy developed a partnership with Willdan Energy Solutions, ConEdison, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and others to form the Clean Energy Academy, a workforce training program that serves as both an on-ramp for clean energy professionals looking to enter or transition into the energy efficiency workforce, as well as upskilling for existing workers.
The Academy is a free 60-hour energy efficiency technical training focusing on energy efficiency, outreach, education and implementation assistance for small commercial properties. The training has a strong focus on energy efficiency for buildings including, energy auditing principles, lighting, HVAC, building envelope, heat and hot water systems, and air source heat pumps while providing participants an understanding of the ecosystem around energy efficiency, local laws and compliance.
NYSERDA has prioritized funding for job training for people in disadvantaged communities and priority populations, including the formerly incarcerated, homeless, people on public assistance, veterans, and single parents.
NYSERDA requires that at least 50% of the people Soulful Synergy trains come from disadvantaged communities and priority populations. Disadvantaged communities are defined by location and priority populations are defined by their demographic -- the formerly incarcerated, people on public assistance, veterans, single parents, etc. This is done intentionally to diversify the workforce to better represent the state's population, address historic inequities and to make sure that communities that have traditionally been left out are included.
The demand for this training in the clean energy sector has been high. To date Soulful Synergy has graduated more than 700 people, with a majority now working in the industry. When it comes to salary, pay ranges for renewable-energy jobs vary widely based on location, skills, and experience, ranging from $24,000 - $140,000, with the average salary just over $72,000 a year.
EJA's mission is to move New York away from fossil fuel through a just transition that prioritize the health and safety of frontline communities and includes shutting down fossil fuel plants, and the creation of prevailing wage, union jobs in the clean energy sector. Through its advocacy, education and organizing, EJA's partnership with Soulful Synergy demonstrates that meeting the goals of New York's Climate Act can be done.
Let this be a hopeful sign as New York, and the world, take action to meet the challenges of climate change.
Paul Presendieu is co-founder of the Energy Justice Alliance of the Hudson Valley. Alejandro Alvarez is co-founder of Soulful Synergy
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