Help Protect Your Community

Electric Heating Fuels Climate Change

Most electricity comes from fossil gas, which is even worse for the environment than coal. Electricity-related greenhouse gas emissions reached an all-time high in 2021, and recent research shows that fossil gas pipelines leak up to 10 times more than previously predicted.

New research in Environment Science & Technology reveals that neighborhoods with more people of color and lower household income tend to have more gas leaks. Gas leaks release methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and can result in dangerous and deadly explosions.

Environmental Injustice in New York

This is bad for all New Yorkers, but it’s even worse for our most vulnerable communities. More than half of all power plants are located near low-income communities. Residents here are more exposed to harmful pollution and climate disasters including hurricane flooding.

Improving the Health of New York

35% of census tracts across New York state are considered disadvantaged by the Climate Justice Working Group. The five boroughs contain about 60% of those tracts, equaling about 60% of all New York City households, and 50% of all households considered disadvantaged statewide.

New York City has one of the country’s highest rates of hospitalizations and deaths due to asthma among children and young adults.

Electric heat pumps create more demand for fossil gas and more power plant pollution. On the other hand, Bioheat® fuel reduces fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. This helps protect all New Yorkers and has added public health benefits for at-risk communities.

The South Bronx has been hit particularly hard by air pollution from fossil gas-burning peaker power plants, garbage transfer stations and other polluting locations. Recent studies by Clean Fuels Alliance America show that the use of Bioheat® fuel in the Bronx could drastically enhance the communities’ health and financial conditions, including:

83% reduction in cancer-related burdens
$639,000 fewer asthma-related medical costs
Add $1.12 million in financial benefits from fewer restricted activity and lost work days
Communities could see health risks drop 92%, from 125 per 1 million to less than 10

Don’t let politicians determine what’s best for your health. Let them know you want more Bioheat® fuel, not more fossil-gas produced electric heat. Act now.

A Shrinking Island

Climate change and severe weather from greenhouse gas emissions have hit Long Island hard. “Sunny day” flooding from changing tides and rising sea levels is a real problem – roads in some communities are impassible even in clear weather because of high tides. Cold water fish and shellfish like lobster, blue mussels and winter flounder have all but disappeared, while black sea bass have moved into the now warmer waters off the Island. Rising groundwaters are damaging septic systems, polluting our waters.

Infrastructure costs to maintain shorelines, roads, housing and clean groundwater are skyrocketing. Some insurance companies are now refusing to cover Long Island properties because of the heightened risk. The coal and natural gas that fuel power plants are among the largest producers of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change and cause these problems for our homes.

Protect the beauty of Long Island – tell Albany to let Long Islanders use Bioheat® fuel, not electric heat.

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