In the battle for the Democratic nomination in NY-16, climate change is on the ballot

One of the most consequential primaries in recent New York history is playing out as Rep. Jamaal Bowman faces a challenge from Westchester County Executive George Latimer. The seat is safely Democratic and the primary election on June 25 decides who will represent New York's 16th Congressional District. While so much attention is on the ongoing war on Gaza, more couldn’t be at stake in our fight against climate change and corporate polluters.

On one hand, Jamaal Bowman has been an outspoken advocate for tackling climate change. Alongside the Green New Deal, Bowman co-sponsored the Future Generations Protections Act, which would stop the buildout of fossil fuel power plants and end fracking nationwide. He has fought against specific fossil fuel proposals in New York, including the Astoria NRG and Danskammer fracked gas plants, and understands that Black and Brown communities stand to suffer the most from the disproportionate effects of polluting infrastructure.

More importantly, Bowman doesn’t just co-sponsor the right bills or tout rhetoric. He’s actively building power to move us off fossil fuels both in the halls of Congress and at other levels of government. For example, when student climate activists fought to pass the Build Public Renewables Act — a state bill that quickly ramps up the buildout of renewable energy projects — Jamaal Bowman rallied with us in the Majority Leader’s district and even united his New York colleagues in pressuring the governor to pass it.

On the other hand, Latimer has been notably silent regarding the buildout of fossil fuel projects. As a state Senator, he remained largely silent around the construction of the AIM fracked gas pipeline, though he did call for a risk assessment of the project. Because of his and his colleagues’ passivity, that pipeline now runs through Westchester and is precariously close to the radioactive contaminants at the retired Indian Point facility. The company that owns this fossil fuel liability, Enbridge, now wants to expand the compressor stations and pipeline infrastructure along the route. One of Enbridge’s lobbyists, CDD Strategies, has contributed $1,000 to the county executive.

Years later, when an expansion of a fracked gas plant, Danskammer, was under consideration in the Hudson Valley, the Westchester County Legislature unanimously passed a resolution against the project. Despite this fact and significant grassroots pressure from students like ourselves and activists in the district, Latimer refused to publicly oppose the expansion of the power plant, let alone actively fight the proposal.

If you’re wondering how a New York Democrat acts this way during a climate crisis, look to who has his ear. Andrew Roffe, head of the Roffe Group, the prominent industry firm that lobbied legislators and state agency officials in support of Danskammer, has consistently contributed to the county executive’s coffers to the tune of $3,600.00. On top of that, Danskammer’s attorneys at Greenberg Traurig donated $4,500 to him outside of an election year while groups like Sunrise Westchester, Food & Water Watch, and Sierra Club were lobbying county legislators and the county executive to oppose Danskammer.

Unfortunately, the county executive's tacit approval of fossil fuel projects like Danskammer aren’t the only exceptions of pay-to-play politics souring his candidacy. The Peekskill Wheelbrator, the county’s number one polluter, is currently burning trash in an overburdened environmental justice community with Latimer’s blessing. Coincidentally, Wheelabrator Technologies has given the maximum allowable donations to him in two off-election years ahead of negotiations to extend the facility’s lifespan. In the end, the county executive accepted a total of $13,500 from them, and that garbage incinerator is slated to keep polluting Westchester until 2029.

More: Outside spending on Latimer-Bowman race starts up with $1.9M in TV ads by pro-Israel group

The pattern here is a dangerous one that we cannot allow in Congress. From what we know, it comes as no surprise that Bowman is the only candidate in the race who has signed the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge. And while both candidates tout significant environmental achievements, Bowman obviously wins when it comes to fighting big polluters. We need Bowman, a climate champion who will work with advocates outside the halls of Congress and fight the fossil fuel industry on the inside, not a pay-to-play politician who has repeatedly allied with them.

Caitlyn Carpenter, 19, is a resident of the village of Mamaroneck and a co-founder of Sunrise Westchester.

Jenna Cain, 18, is a resident of the town of Mount Pleasant and a member of Sunrise Westchester. 

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Climate change NY-16 Bowman Latimer