September, 07 2021, 04:41pm EDT
Climate Activists Rally Outside President Biden's Queens Visit
New Yorkers picketed the President demanding a halt to fossil fuel projects.
WASHINGTON
This afternoon, President Biden visited areas of Queens ravaged by Hurricane Ida's flash flooding and heavy rainfall. President Biden's trip comes as climate groups are pushing his administration for more aggressive action to stop fossil fuel projects and to live up to his campaign pledge to end leasing federal land for fossil fuel extraction - a pledge he has failed to fulfill. Activists representing Food & Water Watch, New York Communities for Change and other environmental groups, held up signs and chanted loudly, picketing the President's appearance in the storm ravaged neighborhood.
As Queens and the broader region struggle to recover from yet another extreme weather event supercharged by climate change, which is caused by emissions from fossil fuels, New Yorkers rallied outside President Biden's appearance in Queens to send a strong message that he must reject, not continue to approve, fossil fuel projects.
In response, Food & Water Watch Northeast Region Director Alex Beauchamp issued the following statement:
"Fossil fuels are destroying our climate with direct impacts in our own backyard. It's time President Biden doubled down on his campaign commitments to end our reliance on fossil fuels by stopping the leasing of public lands for fossil fuel extraction and halting the construction of fossil fuel infrastructure projects.
In New York, Governor Hochul must do her part to end the fossil fuel projects like the NRG Astoria plant moving forward mere blocks from Biden's visit today, to ensure New York doesn't bring any more disastrous fossil fuel projects onto the grid. The fossil fuel age is over -- our leaders must commit real action to moving us into an era of clean energy."
For photos of the event, please visit this Google folder.
Food & Water Watch mobilizes regular people to build political power to move bold and uncompromised solutions to the most pressing food, water, and climate problems of our time. We work to protect people's health, communities, and democracy from the growing destructive power of the most powerful economic interests.
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