I am excited to bring this Solar Strong Town Hall to my district and the larger Brooklyn community. The ability for us to reduce our carbon footprint and reliance on outdated energy sources while creating good-paying jobs and spurring the green collar economy is a win-win for our communities.

The Solar Strong program is an important component in the journey to the state's Clean Energy Standard. As the chair of the Subcommittee on Renewable Energy, I’m constantly advocating for the retrofit of solar panels for all communities. It just makes sense. The installation of solar panels lowers resident’s energy bills and simultaneously reduces their carbon footprint.

We must embrace a bold vision for New York when it comes to solar energy. Creating one million homes powered by solar by 2023, including 100,000 low-income households will kick start this effort. Expanding solar energy will create jobs, save New Yorkers on utility bills, cut harmful air pollution, and accelerate an equitable transition to our clean energy future.

I am proud to stand with the Million Solar Strong Campaign in part because it seeks to ensure solar will be accessible to many of my constituents. The benefits that solar provides should be accessible to homeowners, renters, low and middle income residents and people who for some reason can’t install solar on their home. More solar deployment, including community solar, will also play a key role in meeting New York’s clean energy goals. With new policies in place we can ensure New York once again becomes a top solar state.

I am proud to join The Million Solar Strong Campaign in calling upon Governor Cuomo to embrace a bold vision for New York with one million homes powered by solar by 2023, including 100,000 low-income households. We can no longer look at environmental justice and social justice as two separate causes with competing interests. It is time that we get rid of that notion and recognize that environmental justice is social justice. The Million Solar Strong Campaign has demonstrated that an investment in solar can have tremendous pay-offs for low-income residents. I urge the Cuomo administration to invest aggressively in solar energy, particularly in low-income communities, to ensure the health of our shared environment.

New York can be a national leader in renewable energy and solar power is a great place to build our green energy future. I am pleased to join the Queens community in pushing for a strong plan for the future of our state.

Our green economy is creating the jobs of the future, and it is important that New York be at the forefront of the shift to a ‘green collar’ economy. As we move away from fossil fuels, we must be prepared to replace traditional fuels with cleaner, renewable energy sources like solar. It is time for New York to take the lead and commit to solar energy. With smart planning and a true commitment at all levels of government, we can reach the goal of powering one million households with solar energy in the next five years.

Solar energy can be expanded to help our communities and environment. I look forward to continue having these discussions at the state level.

As more and more extreme weather and massive storms drive home the reality and dangerous impacts of climate change, it is critical that we support a new, clean energy economy. Building enough solar to power a million homes here in New York by 2023 is a good first step. We must also take this as an opportunity to make our economy work for vulnerable communities. Here in the Bronx, we have witnessed the impact of a dirty energy system- negative health outcomes, pollution and other issues- so I am excited to see this project get off the ground to build a new energy economy.

As we reduce our reliance on dirty fossil fuels, we also see the reality of renewable energy taking shape. Solar energy is a big part of that and needs a robust support system to make Queens a greener, cleaner place to live. In Astoria, we are in the process of installing more solar panels on schools as well as the Steinway Library, one of the most frequented in the Queens Library system. I look forward to seeing these efforts continue grow.

Chair of the Committee on Environmental Protection

We have a duty to our city and our planet to make clean energy like solar power more accessible. Investing in solar energy must be a key part of our strategy for economic innovation and sustainability in Queens moving forward. Million Solar Strong has a real and attainable goal of powering 100,000 low-income households with solar power. We can achieve our green energy future, but it takes investment today.