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sambalzac.union.place.ap.brid.gy
Sam Balzac
@sambalzac.union.place.ap.brid.gy
15 followers 8 following 8 posts
Actor, composer/lyricist, socialist, nature lover

BLUESKY FOLLOWERS: please follow @ap.brid.gy so I can follow you back! It's fancy Fediverse stuff ooooh

[bridged from https://union.place/@sambalzac on the fediverse by https://fed.brid.gy/ ]
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Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
During times like this, a warm home is a life-or-death necessity. But in our profit-fueled system, exploitative landlords and greedy energy companies extort us just to stay alive.

We need a public energy system that puts people first and cuts out the rent-seeking middle men.
New York Times headline A Week Without Heat in New York City Across New York City, complaints of a lack of heat and hot water shot up to record highs this past year, and over the past two years, the number of city-issued violations for serious heat deficiencies was more than double the typical average. “We are just left to freeze,” said George Sanchez, 25, a seasonal worker at the Bronx Zoo who lives in the building on Anderson Avenue. The Bronx, the poorest borough, may also be the city’s coldest, judging by the number of heat complaints in 2024, according to RentHop, a real estate site. In an interview on Jan. 6, Mr. Sanchez said it was the first day the heat had been on in about a week. During the lapse, the temperature outdoors had dropped to a bitter 19 degrees at night, making him fear for his pet turtles’ health. “We feel like prisoners in our own homes, just neglected,” he said. Mercedes Escoto, 67, keeps a space heater in each room and a pot of water in her open oven for steam heat when the boiler fails. The cold has pushed her to become a tenant organizer with Community Action for Safe Apartments, a group participating in the long-running legal battle with the landlord. Ms. Escoto said she was hopeful about the professed tenant-first policies of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, including “rental rip-off” hearings for tenants to voice their housing problems. “I deserve to live well in an apartment that provides all the services I pay for,” Ms. Escoto said after a week without heat, her voice breaking. In her hand was the wool cap she wears on the days when she can see her breath in her apartment. “I don’t deserve this,” she said. Energy Must Be A Human Right During bitter winters and sweltering summers, energy is a life-or-death necessity. But under our for-profit system, millions of New Yorkers are forced to choose which of their basic needs they can afford to skip. There’s only one way out of this crisis: an energy system that puts our needs first, not shareholders. We need public power.
January 23, 2026 at 3:15 PM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
Trump's Venezuela oil grab shows why oil imperialism is leading the world to the brink of disaster.

Join us Tuesday at 8pm ET for a mass call on what these events mean for Latin America, the planet, and the fight for anti-imperialist ecosocialism. RSVP: bit.ly/VZecosocialism
MASS CALL Venezuela, Resource Imperialism & Internationalist Climate Politics Featuring: Thea Riofrancos, Gabriel Hetland, Danny Valdes Moderated by: Batul Hassan Tuesday 1/13, 8pm ET bit.ly/VZecosocialism
January 12, 2026 at 6:57 PM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
New York needs power BY the people, FOR the people

@sarahana.bsky.social & @sengonzalezny.bsky.social are making sure NYPA truly represents the people it needs to serve ✊
publicpowerny.bsky.social Public Power NY @publicpowerny.bsky.social · Dec 10
Our energy system is in crisis, and New Yorkers demand action. Public power can lower our bills, create union jobs, clean our air, and save our future--but only if NYPA listens to the people. The Public Power Democracy Act will ensure they have the leadership to get the job done.
December 10, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
Fossil fuel capitalism is killing the planet, our communities, and our wallets

We need to #BuildPublicRenewables to break out of the death spiral

Tell @governor.ny.gov to invest in *real* solutions, not disaster pipelines: bit.ly/200MillionOrBust
December 16, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
2023: Pass groundbreaking BPRA climate law with Zohran Mamdani ✅

2025: Elect him the first Ecosocialist mayor in NYC ✅✅

2026: Supercharge the movement for a Green New York ✅✅✅
Grist Can Mamdani supercharge New York’s clean energy revolution? New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani promised power to the people. Clean energy advocates want him to take that literally. New York’s public-renewables campaign “was instrumental in getting Zohran elected,” state Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes said of Mamdani’s primary win that night. They want an expanded public power system, utilities and renewable generation owned and regulated by community stakeholders, not corporations. That campaign, which began in earnest four years ago, was driven by a small group of progressive and socialist legislators in Albany: among them, Zohran Mamdani, who was elected to the assembly in 2020. He has since rallied that same base — experienced canvassers, people used to hiking up six-floor walk-ups and texting their friends to rally for a policy or for a candidate — for his election as mayor. Nonetheless, with a powerful ally about to take office, activists like Johanna Bozuwa, executive director of the Climate and Communities Institute, think now is a “key moment” to push the power authority forward NYPA. With federal tax credits for clean power set to expire in 2027, “they have a real incentive, right now, to move as quickly as they can. If there was ever a moment for them to mobilize as quickly as possible, this is the one to do it.” So, on that brisk September night in Brooklyn, public power activists wanted to use the moment of Mamdani’s win to tell the New York Power Authority to go even further: instead of a 7 gigawatt plan, they wanted 15. Mamdani won’t have a direct hand in how the power authority executes the Build Public Renewables Act, but as mayor of the largest city in the nation, he can shape where and how New York City supports the transition. Much of what he can do resides on the consumer end: not just helping build more public power, but limiting the city’s consumption of it. His administration could require rooftop-solar installations on municipal buildings, align city permitting and zoning with state clean energy priorities, and use his Green Schools plan to advance the agenda. Mamdani can also control the enforcement of Local Law 97, a city mandate that buildings larger than 25,0000 square feet nearly halve their emissions by 2030. For activists, that makes City Hall a crucial partner.
November 21, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
How dare you imply that being married to someone at the firm representing the Williams Pipeline would affect @governor.ny.gov’s judgment?

She is totally capable of being a strong female corporate sell-out all by herself.

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/n...
Hochul Approved Permits That Could Help Clients of Her Husband’s Firm
www.nytimes.com
November 13, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
‼️ConEd and @Governor.ny.gov want to raise our bills AGAIN? Not without a fight 😡

This weekend we rallied with @sunrisemvmt.bsky.social to tell Hochul & her cronies to #StopTheCon 💰 and #MakePollutersPay

Tell them New Yorkers won’t pay more for dirtier energy: sunrisenyc.org/stopconed
November 11, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
When @governor.ny.gov tells you she wants affordable clean energy, don’t believe it. She’s doing Trump’s work for him, selling you out to the gas companies raising your bills.

NY needs to #BuildPublicRenewables, not pipelines!
Headline: Gov. Hochul OKs key permit for Trump-favored gas pipeline for NYC, North Jersey NYC is NOT a pipeline
November 7, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
When will @governor.ny.gov stop sucking up to Trump and start building the livable future New Yorkers need?

Hochul is selling out our future for fossil fuel profit. We don’t want back room pipeline deals and expensive bills - we need public renewables!
Inside Climate News headline: Federal actions make New York's energy future more uncertain At a Brooklyn church in early September, the advocacy group Public Power NY hosted a People’s Hearing for Public Renewables, where officials, environmentalists and a few dozen New York residents discussed the state’s renewable energy plans and expressed disappointment with Hochul’s progress. “We have a movement behind us that is fighting for something better,” said state senator Jabari Brisport, who represents a district in Brooklyn. “We have a governor who wants to drag her feet.” New York’s Climate Act requires the state to achieve a 40 percent reduction from 1990 levels in economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and an 85 percent reduction by 2050. The act also requires that 70 percent of the state’s electricity come from renewable sources by 2030. Residents were advocating for the New York Power Authority to build 15 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030, which they view as necessary to meet the state’s goal of net-zero emissions from the electricity grid by 2040. Currently, the utility plans to build 7 gigawatts of renewable energy, despite state law requiring it to fill all gaps in electricity generation left by the private sector. “Hurricane Ida completely destroyed my district,” said former Democratic U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, whose district included White Plains and Yonkers. “We need a governor with human-centered leadership… and if not, we need a new governor.”
October 17, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
Our fossil-fueled grid is heading for blackouts as soon as NEXT YEAR. This is why we can’t wait to build a full 15 gigawatts of public renewable energy. ⚡️

We can’t trust private companies to invest in the public good. We need public power.
October 15, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
While @governor.ny.gov ties us to toxic gas plants and destructive pipelines, the rest of world builds clean, affordable energy at record rates. Hochul and Trump aren’t just walking us backwards, they’re sprinting.

Are we going to keep falling behind, or #BuildPublicRenewables?
October 7, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
New Yorkers will be the difference between a livable future and fossil fuel disaster ⚡️

Only one week left to tell @governor.ny.gov & the Energy Planning Board to #BuildPublicRenewables - not pipelines! actionnetwork.org/letters/plan...
Your Words Build Our Future Use our letter tool: Tell Governor Hochul & the Energy Planning Board to build public renewables, not pipelines!
September 29, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
Nothing says clean energy like 42 fossil-fuel guzzling private jet flights, right Justin??? 😵‍💫✈️

Instead of building public renewables so New Yorkers can actually afford their energy bills, NYPA's CEO is more focused on flying private (in a major Amtrak corridor‼️)
LoHud headline: New York Power Authority champions clean energy. Its executives fly in a private jet. By Thomas C. Zambito The New York Power Authority has embraced the state’s clean energy goals, vowing to lead the charge against climate change by investing in renewable energy, reducing the state’s planet-warming carbon emissions and replacing its gas-powered vehicles with EVs. But NYPA regularly flies its top executives, media personnel and board members to monthly meetings, press conferences and ribbon-cuttings on a $7.5 million plane that burns tens of thousands of gallons of carbon-spewing jet fuel every year. The plane has been used to fly executives on short hops of an hour or less from Westchester County Airport to airports in Albany; Rome, New York; and Pittsfield, Massachusetts. NYPA President and CEO Justin Driscoll flew 42 times over 21 days during a time period of just over a year with 23 trips of less than an hour, including four between Westchester and Albany, a two-hour drive. “It seems like Justin Driscoll is more concerned with the speed of his travel than the speed of building public renewables,” said Michael Paulson, the associate director of the Sane Energy Project and a leader of the Public Power New York campaign to get the state to build more renewables.
September 19, 2025 at 4:45 PM
sambalzac.union.place.ap.brid.gy
@kathryncramer.bsky.social Protest on Saturday in SL, if you're interested! https://action.womensmarch.com/events/saranac-lake-make-billionaires-pay
Saranac Lake Make Billionaires Pay
Local organizations including High Peaks DSA, Adirondack Voters for Change, Show Up, Third Act, and John Brown Lives! are co-hosting a peaceful “Make Billionaires Pay” event in Saranac Lake’s Riverside Park from 3–5 p.m. on September 20, 2025, rain or shine. It’s not just a rally, but a chance to have fun, make local connections, and send an important message to state and federal leaders that cuts to Medicaid and other social safety net programs resulting from the One Big Beautiful Bill will...
action.womensmarch.com
September 18, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
We're trying to make ends meet. @governor.ny.gov & Trump are trying to fast-track a new pipeline that will pollute our water and send our bills even higher.

We won't accept a plan that makes life more unaffordable. Join us and fight back! ecosocialists.nyc/join-us
Gothamist article headline: New Yorkers to foot bill for pipeline pushed by feds, new report says costs will rise The federal government isn’t just encouraging New York to build a new pipeline that’s already been ruled a threat — it's also making you pay for it, and a new independent analysis claims the project will cost 17% more than estimates from the utility company. The once dead project was revived in July after the Trump administration announced its strong support for building new fossil fuel infrastructure. The pipeline is on a fast-tracked review after the Department of Environmental Conservation closed its 45-day public comment period last month despite rallies calling for more time as well as public hearings. Con Edison customers are already paying around $50 more per month than they did three years ago. Over the last two years, National Grid customers are paying over $40 more on monthly bills. A report released this week by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, an energy research think tank, estimated the pipeline’s price tag at least $1.25 billion. That’s 17% more than National Grid’s estimate.
September 17, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
While NYPA and @governor.Ny.gov drag their feet on clean energy, New Yorkers are facing drought and climate catastrophe.

We need to build the solutions TODAY. Help demand NY follow its own laws and build the full public renewable energy we need ⚡️ ecosocialists.nyc/take-action
September 11, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ you can only repost this when you've submitted your public renewables comment ✨

📅 less than 3 days left to demand a #GreenNewYork! submit your comment & send this post to 5 friends 👇
ecosocialists.nyc/take-action
Ulster County "I Voted" spider head sticker edited to read "I Submitted My Public Renewables Comment" Ecosocialists.nyc/take-action
September 10, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
Demand a future you want to live in ecosocialists.nyc/take-action
Take action : NYC-DSA Ecosocialists
Take action by demanding Governor Hochul direct the New York Power Authority to build 15 gigawatts of public renewables by 2030.
ecosocialists.nyc
August 26, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
Need a break from doomscrolling? How about an easy way to fight for a better future? It takes just 30 seconds to demand the 15 gigawatts of renewable public power New York needs to keep our bills affordable, clean our air & fight the climate crisis⚡🌹

🔗 in our bio & below 👇
August 26, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
Missed your chance to testify to NYPA yesterday?

Join TONIGHT’S virtual hearing starting at 6pm to let them know why NY needs 15 gigawatts of public renewables.

Register here: actionnetwork.org/event_campai...
August 20, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
Thanks to pressure from New Yorkers, NYPA is building 7GW of clean public power — but we know that's not enough.

Join us at NYPA's virtual hearings at 10am today & 6pm tomorrow to demand the full 15GW of public renewable energy NY needs!

Register here: actionnetwork.org/event_campai...
Tell NYPA: New York Demands More Thanks to your pressure, the New York Power Authority has committed to building half the renewable energy New York needs. But our future needs more than half-measures. Tell NYPA we need full buildout at their virtual hearings Tuesday at 10am & Wednesday at 6pm.
August 19, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
In case it wasn't clear, @governor.ny.gov isn't working for you, she's working for big oil billionaires.

Higher bills, polluted air, and a dying planet for you; another yacht for them. Fight back: ecosocialists.nyc/take-action
RTO Insider headling: New York PSC Denies NYPA's Clean Path Transmission Priority Status New York Focus headline: New York to Scale Back Key Energy Affordability Program Subhead: Empower+ helps thousands of New Yorkers afford energy efficiency upgrades. The state is planning to slash funding by nearly two-thirds in two years. Spectrum News headline: NYSERDA: New York may need to rely on fossil fuels for longer New York Focus headline: Major Pipeline Moves Closer to Approval in New York as Critics Decry ‘Bargain’ with Trump Subhead: Public comments are closing soon for an underwater pipeline project that sprang back to life this spring after talks between Hochul and Trump.
August 15, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
Back to back heatwaves. Skyrocketing energy bills. And now @governor.ny.gov & Trump are trying to fast-track a new gas pipeline that would make them even worse🤮

We have less than a week to say NO to this disaster. Tell Hochul: NO TRUMP PIPELINES! www.stopwilliamsnesepipeline.org
New York Says No Trump Pipelines! Right now, Governor Hochul is trying to revive a Trump-backed pipeline New Yorkers already rejected in 2020. This pipeline would be a disaster for our climate, for our communities, and for our energy bills. Tell Hochul: Don't sell out New York to big oil billionaires!
August 12, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
Before we passed the #BuildPublicRenewables Act, we were told it was impossible. Then we were told NYPA didn't have to build. Then we were told only 3GW was possible.

Our movement never stopped demanding more. Today, NYPA announced 7GW of public renewables projects in the works.
Slide from NYPA presentation titled "renewable opportunities overview," outlining how NYPA's updated strategic plan has grown from 3.2 gigawatts to 7 gigawatts of public renewable energy projects
July 29, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Reposted by Sam Balzac
nycdsaecosoc.bsky.social
We know we have to #BuildPublicRenewables to fight the climate crisis and build a better NY while we're at it 🗽⚡️

Because of our movement, the New York Power Authority announced today it's MORE THAN DOUBLING their public renewables plan. And we're just getting started. ✊
Rally at NYPA headquarters with dozens of people holding signs, including a huge banner reading "Build Public Renewables"
July 29, 2025 at 8:32 PM