Transcript: Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Hochul Announce a $70 Million Investment to Decarbonize NYCHA Buildings

August 2, 2022

Governor Kathy Hochul: Good morning, everyone. It's always tempting when we do something around a basketball court. Because if there was a ball, I might just take a shot from here. I did that in Buffalo, mayor. I was at a community center on our Day of Healing in Buffalo, bringing together the community in the aftermath of the shooting, and it happened to be on a basketball court. Once I took my jacket off, I just laid it up. So I just want to say, not trying to challenge anybody here. But I am a little bit competitive, or I wouldn't be in this business, actually.

Governor Hochul: Great to see everybody. First of all, to have our mayor here, who I'll introduce in a couple minutes. Partnership matters, and what we're seeing with NYCHA is perhaps the first time in history where you really have this shared objective of lifting people up who live in NYCHA housing. They deserve the best. And when you have the feds with the money and the state and the city in partnership, that's when good things happen. So thank you, Mayor Adams, to you and your administration for being that partner that we need at this time.

Governor Hochul: I also want to recommend, I did see Jessica Ramos in Saratoga this morning, so she's not able to come down. She's the chair of the Labor Committee. This is her district, but she was up there with the Building Trades Conference, so I did just see her a couple minutes ago.

Governor Hochul: Julie Won is here. Thank you, Julie. Who's this little ... Who's this?

Council Member Julie Won: Rex.

Governor Hochul: Well, how do you have a baby that far from me? Okay, we're going to settle this afterward. Okay? Congratulations on the baby, councilmember, and thank you.

Governor Hochul: Doreen Harris, who's our resident visionary at NYSERDA making great things happen every single day. Thank you for all you do, for all the great ideas. I mean, we could just continue on with the status quo, but you're always pushing your team the way I want them pushed, and that is to innovate new ideas. And that's what we're going to be talking about in a couple of minutes.

Governor Hochul: Greg Russ. Greg, we've seen you at some amazing events as we talk about transforming people's lives through building a first ever trust fund, so there's money for repairs going on for generations. You were at the forefront at that, Greg, and thank you as the NYCHA chair.

Governor Hochul: And Justin Driscoll, the head of NYPA. NYPA, energy source, but when I need it, it's a great source of money for projects like this. So Justin, thank you.

Governor Hochul: And Annie Cotton Morris. Let's give Annie a round of applause, our president of the Woodside Houses' Tenant Association. Thank you, Annie.

Governor Hochul: So I have some good news that's going to benefit both our NYCHA residents and our environment. Okay, that's a good day. If you've been outside lately, a little hot, but I'm reminded about extreme weather. It was just, well just about 11 months ago because I was a brand new governor, when we saw the effect of Hurricane Ida on this community and communities nearby.

Governor Hochul: No one could have foreseen that we would have more hurricanes in New York City than Florida had last year. That we'd see our communities battered and houses flooded, and the desperation as I walk those streets day after day after day. So we have seen the ravages of climate change right here in Woodside and East Elmhurst and our neighboring communities right here.

Governor Hochul: This is not some conceptual idea that things are going to get bad someday. Things are bad right now. And let's just start acknowledging that. We are the first generation to really feel the effects of climate change, and we are the last generation that can do something about it. That's what we're continuing to focus on here in New York State with our nation-leading climate agenda.

Governor Hochul: So we have goals that are bold. We want 70% renewables by the year 2030. Sounds like a long way, but 2030’s right around the corner. But we are getting to those numbers. Well, I think we'll hit that even earlier. And 85% of emissions reduced by 2035, so we're getting there.

Governor Hochul: But now we have to look at our buildings. What's going on in our buildings? We're upgrading building codes, replacing old fossil fuel infrastructure with clean energy systems. And making sure that our laborers, unionized labor are the ones working on these projects as well. And one more thing I need to make a pitch for. A $4.2 billion bond act on the ballot this November. And why is that important? Because that is going to free up the money we need for the next generation to continue investing in clean energy initiatives as well as building up resiliency.

Governor Hochul: What does resiliency mean? It means protecting you, your families, and your businesses from the ravages of climate change, the storms, the flooding, the rain. And that's what we're going to continue doing as well. We're also investing in offshore wind. We have so many projects, but we're here today to talk about prioritizing green investments in public housing.

Governor Hochul: No one has focused on this before. No one has done this before because we're investing in communities that have been systematically ignored, ignored. The buildings go up, the people go in them, and all of a sudden, people on the outside are like, "Doesn't matter what happens there." Guess what? It does matter. It matters to the Mayor, it matters to myself and everybody's sitting here. It does matter.

Governor Hochul: And so we're taking steps to improve the indoor air quality in public housing. That's what this is about. And in the process, we're going to spur innovation for brand new technologies here in New York that the rest of the nation will be looking at. So I'm excited about that because today we're renouncing the Power Authority and NYSERDA and the state are making a $70 million investment to decarbonize buildings by using electric heat pump technology.

Governor Hochul: Now, I'm going to explain to you what that is in a couple minutes. You're going to be an expert on electric heat pump technology before you leave here today. But I'll give you a clue, it looks like that. Creating a healthier, cleaner air environment for NYCHA residents and making contributions to protect our planet, this is a good day. And what we're going to do is to achieve our goals by transitioning to fossil-free sources of heating, while addressing heating and cooling initiatives in our buildings.

Governor Hochul: And what we did, how we get that, we decide to launch a competition. I mentioned I'm a little bit competitive, right? I love competitions. We announced in December a competition called the state's Clean Heat For All Challenge that we launched. And we did it because we wanted the private sector to help us come up with how we would do what we want to do. We didn't have all the answers. We knew who to ask and we put forth this competition.

Governor Hochul: And as a result, industry and manufacturers have a competition to have a new design for a heat pump that can be deployed for the first time, right here in NYCHA housing. And that's what we're so excited about. I asked you what's a heat pump anyhow? I ask all these questions, and I said, why is it a heat and cooling pump, right? It should be called a heating and cooling pump because it does both, so I just want to put that out there. I would call it more than just a heat pump. It's a heating and cooling pump. Maybe I can make that happen. But what it does is it provides cool air in the summer and heat in the winter. But right now the technology is too expensive, and it's not available, and it's not a good use of our resources, so let's re-innovate to get a better product that makes sense.

Governor Hochul: We'll be able to have residents control the temperature in their own units. That's a radical idea for NYCHA residents. Is it not? Because you're always too hot. You're too cold. You're opening up the windows in the winter time when it gets too hot. You're like, "What is going on here?" So we're giving the power back to the people and saying, "Yes, you can have control because if it's too cold for your little baby or your seniors are getting a little too hot, whatever it is, you can now have control over it."

Governor Hochul: This is important to me. This is important to me that people feel empowered over their own lives, and that's what we're talking about. We're focusing on that, and you're also going to make sure that we focus on quality of life issues as well. And this is a big milestone. We're going to continue focusing, not just here at Woodside Houses, but we're going to be selecting a number of homes right here that'll be installed over the next two weeks.

Governor Hochul: And eventually, we're going to have this in over 30,000 units. 30,000 units in our first wave as soon as this is developed. And what we're talking about, developing this technology. And I want it built here in New York. Greg and I were just talking about this. Doreen knows this. Where are we going to build this? I'm not having this built in China, just telling you right now. I want it built right here, not just in the United States. I want this built in New York State. This is what we should be doing is creating jobs to manufacture these technologies, and let's get that done.

Governor Hochul: We've had firms selected. Doreen will mention the names and what they're doing, but this is also going to reduce greenhouse emission as well. Given how hot it is, I'm not going to go on and on, but we have want to hear from some other speakers, but this is how we're going to continue improving the experience for NYCHA residents.

Governor Hochul: Greg will mention, the last time we were together, we talked about how we now have a preservation trust to make sure that the money is there. Unlocking billions of dollars, billions in federal funding to help long needed repairs, and finally make people who live in these homes feel, yes, you are valued. Your experience should be just as positive and uplifting as any other building in the city of New York or in the state of New York. That's what we're focusing on as well.

Governor Hochul: We're also going to cut tape around getting repairs done in night shift projects, as well as other rights of residents. So I signed a number of bills last year. It's all important. We're going to get it done. And I want to thank everybody for being out on this hot day to talk about heat pumps, but they're also heating and cooling pumps. That's the good news. With that, let me bring up my amazing partner in government, our mayor, Eric Adams. Thank you, mayor.

Mayor Eric Adams: I'm going to find you a basketball.

Governor Hochul: Sure.

Mayor Adams: And the governor is right. This is an amazing moment. And we cannot say enough about the role this governor has played as she has moved around the city and state addressing just real on the ground issues. Folks will come and they do ceremonial ribbon cuttings and ceremonial events, that is not what is happening since my day of being in office and since her time of being governor. One of the most significant things had to happen that was really revolutionary in modern times of governors and mayors, we had to communicate with each other, and we had to like each other, and we had to work with each other in order to get stuff done. That's what we're doing.

Mayor Adams: These two devices and innovations ... There's a biblical moment that the first would be last and the last would be first. Historically, NYCHA has always been last. Last in technology, last in evolution, last in changings, last in repairs, last in the resources that are coming from Albany. You are now first. You're first because of brother Greg Russ, and how we put in place the important land trust. That is going to change the game.

Mayor Adams: You’re first in this new technology. I don't have this in my home, but you're going to have it in your home. You're first in the repairs that you are going to see on NYCHA. We promised from the beginning that you would not be left behind as NYCHA residents. You have been abandoned, denied, and left behind for far so long. I walked through the NYCHA establishment and saw the dripping pipes. Every year responding to heat being out during the winter. The coldest days of the year, pipes freezing and the whole destruction of the heating system.

Mayor Adams: We saw what happened in Red Hook. We saw what happened in the Gowanus. We see what happens even here. That is what we are moving for. We are laser-focused on the 400,000 plus tenants and residents that live in NYCHA and how do we bring the quality of living that you deserve.

Mayor Adams: This is only one of many initiatives that we are going to continue to push through. And I know there's a lot of distrust because you've been there for so long of seeing how government has failed. Trust me, this partnership is not going to fail. We have our eyes on the mission, our eyes on the prize. And we're going to ensure that you have the suitable living environment that you deserve and treated with the level of dignity and respect that we expect all New Yorkers to go through.

Mayor Adams: And so governor, I want to thank you for being here. I want to thank you for when we were together in Brooklyn with the announcement of the land trust. I want to thank you for the constant commitment and investment in NYCHA. We can't just talk about it, we have to be about it. And that is what we are doing today, these devices here in the windows. It's so good not having to look through those broken pipes anymore, Greg. And it's a real vision that you had and how do we bring this all together as one entity working together to improve NYCHA.

Mayor Adams: So I want to bring on our next speaker, so we could get out of this heat. The president and CEO of NYSERDA, Doreen Harris. And thank you for this innovative way of dealing with climate and dealing with the conditions in NYCHA. Thank you.

Dorreen Harris, President and CEO, NYSERDA: Good morning, everyone. What a pleasure it is to be here representing the state's Clean Energy Agency. We are responsible for implementing New York State's Climate Law, and this is the perfect example of this law in action. Three components, partnership, innovation, and equity. Those are the central tenants when we achieve our climate goals as a state.

Harris: And I can think of no better way to really demonstrate partnership than this announcement today, which required partnership from the state, my colleagues at NYPA included. It required the leadership of Governor Hochul, who works with us day after day to achieve this on a statewide level with the full instruments of the state at hand. It requires the partnership of NYCHA, the city, the mayor, to recognize these investments here. And it recognizes the investments by the private sector. Midea America and Gradient Comfort, congratulations today on advancing these projects here and beyond.

Harris: Technology, this was a challenge as Governor Hochul noted. The Clean Heat For All Challenge was saying that we need solutions to bring to bear here that can be scaled up across our state. When we think about the goals that the governor has set forth, 2 million climate friendly homes by 2030, we need to start with scale. And these technologies are going to start here, as the mayor noted, but they are not going to end here. We are going to be able to apply these resources and these technologies across our state to realize not only our goals, but to bring this industry here to New York, as it should be.

Harris: And equity, equity is a central component of the Climate Act because it is not the case that we can always do what we always used to do when we talk about these transitions. And that's why starting here, as the mayor noted, is the most critical part of it all. That we need to invest in places like NYCHA housing. We need to realize the benefits here, perhaps more so than other places because of the fact that these communities have not always been served in the same way as others.

Harris: And so when we meet these commitments and all of these pieces come together, this is why New York is a leader, not only in the fight against climate change, but the responsible advancement of the developments that are necessary to achieve it. And so these window units are the beginning of this opportunity, as I see it. And I'm thrilled to be here today representing the state in doing so.

Harris: With that, I'd like to introduce Greg Russ, my partner in advancing today's exciting announcement. Thank you.

Gregory Russ, Chair and CEO, NYCHA: Thank you, everyone. And I want to thank the governor, the mayor, and Doreen for being great partners for helping us make this investment possible. And in framing what we're doing here, I'd like us to think about a couple things. First, these units would really benefit seniors. So many seniors in NYCHA properties cannot get out. Now, you have heating and cooling. And then the second part of that is thousands and thousands of kids who have the opportunity to be in a unit that's not too hot or not too cold, in the sense that the mayor was talking about, or fight every winter with the systems that we have.

Russ: NYCHA must change every single piece of equipment that it currently has. We can no longer rely on these ship-based boilers. Which, in fact, if you go back, were designed to run hot with the windows open, and that was 80 years ago, so we need to change that technology. And the other thing I want to say, that both the mayor and the governor touched on. No pipes. That we have an electric unit. We have limited piping in the walls. We get rid of the distribution systems in the ground, and we create an entirely new energy environment and culture. And it's here at NYCHA. It's here in the units that benefit low-income families and seniors.

Russ: And there are two other things I'd like to say that this is going to make possible. Both the governor and mayor. And Doreen alluded to this, this is step one. Step two is to think about how we engage in the discussion on the assembly and manufacturer of components like this, and not just these systems, but the other kinds we'll be installing in the apartments as we improve them and make them livable.

Russ: And step three is aggregation of resources. What could we do across 30,000 units, 50,000, 110,000, if we aggregated the energy savings and the capacity to generate electricity across the entire grid for the city and the state. So this is really that door swinging open. This is really one of the biggest social investments we can make, and it's being made in the right place in the homes of the folks who live here and have had to endure these conditions for so long.

Russ: Over time, with the collaboration of the trust and the energy investments we see here, we will fix every apartment, and it'll be a place that everyone will be glad to come home to without worrying about whether it's too hot or too cold. And I want to thank all the partners for this. I especially want to thank my team led by [inaudible] and so many other partners. There's at least 10 other folks who've been integral to this.

Russ: Thank you so much. I appreciate it. And now I would like to introduce Annie Cotton Morris, the T.A. president here at Woodside Homes.

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