PlanNYC’s Public Political Push Starts Today

Leading members of the Campaign for New York's Future, a broad coalition of 80 environmental, public health, civic, labor, community and business organizations, will today join Mayor Bloomberg in separate meetings with Governor Eliot Spitzer and State legislators to help call attention to the urgent need for action on the Mayor's PlaNYC initiative during the current legislative session.

The Campaign for New York's Future, which was formed in response to Mayor Bloomberg's visionary PlaNYC initiative, has grown to become an unprecedented coalition of organizations, from corporate to environmental justice advocates, and from century-old citywide institutions to recently-formed neighborhood grassroots groups. On Monday, the Campaign will stand with the Mayor in voicing its full support of his efforts to provide New Yorkers with the greenest, healthiest and most livable city in the United States.

The Straphangers Campaign strongly supports the bold vision of Mayor Bloomberg's plans to tackle New York's environmental woes. We are especially excited about his proposals to provide billions of dollars to fund fixing and expanding the metropolitan-area's transit network. The first to benefit would rightly be those in neighborhoods that now have limited options, like Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, where I grew up.

The Mayor has demonstrated that he understands the depth of the challenge and has created a plan that resonates throughout our neighborhoods. It is important for all of us to stand with him in demanding improved air quality, reduced asthma prevalence, more access to open space and clean, reliable energy.

Now is the time for New York City and State to unite in the fight against global warming. The proposed plan would deliver clean air, energy efficiency and technology innovation for millions of New Yorkers. It provides a model for how all of New York State's cities can lead the world in creating a healthy, low-carbon future. It deserves support now.

More energy efficient homes and workspaces, along with highly efficient, cleaner power plants, and more fuel efficient cars are critical to meeting our growing energy needs, lowering energy bills, and reducing global warming pollution. We cannot start soon enough on implementing the Mayor's PlaNYC initiatives.