Hudson, NY — Groups rallied Thursday in Hudson to hold Representative Marc Molinaro accountable for his litany of votes supporting the dirty, dangerous fossil fuels of the past and to urge him to stop blocking climate progress at every turn. The rally comes after a summer of extreme heat and deadly flooding, where the fossil fuel driven climate crisis has been on full display.

Food & Water Watch New York State Director Laura Shindell said:

“From terrifying tornadoes and dangerous extreme heat to the deadly flooding just across the border in Connecticut, this summer has been one of climate chaos in New York. Representative Marc Molinaro has spent too long doing the bidding of his fossil fuel donors — New Yorkers have had enough. Rep. Molinaro must stop blocking climate progress, starting right here at home, by opposing the Iroquois fracked gas pipeline expansion.”

Speakers highlighted Molinaro’s disastrous climate record including his refusal to oppose the Iroquois fracked pipeline expansion; his support for fracking in New York; his vote to repeal federal clean energy funding  set to provide good jobs for his district; and his support for fast tracking dirty liquified natural gas (LNG) projects.

Speakers also criticized the Congressman for doing corporate donors’ bidding. Molinaro has accepted thousands of dollars from corporate interests, including from PACs supporting Big Oil, Big Ag, fossil fuel and utility companies. 

Biologist and Hudson resident Sandra Steingraber, PhD, said, “The science is clear. The serial killer named climate change is here, and there is only one way to apprehend it — the rapid pursuit of renewable energy and an end to fossil fuel build-out. This is a doable project, but requires political leadership that is responsive to the good data that scientists have provided. Supporting the expansion of the aging, dangerous Iroquois Pipeline that pushes fracked gas through the Hudson Valley and perpetuates New York’s dangerous dependency on fossil fuels is not that leadership.”

Mary Finneran, co-chair of the Gas Action Team of the Atlantic chapter of the Sierra Club said: “Considering that the Iroquois ExC project would increase the amount of pressure and natural gas going through an aged pipeline, Molinaro’s vote against safety monitoring of pipelines to prevent methane leaks is especially telling of his lack of concern of the dangers inherent in expanding gas.”

Cari Gardner, Vice Chair of the New York Progressive Action Network said: “As Climate Chaos and the catastrophes it engenders for future generations loom, the choice is clear. We can no longer trust Congressman Molinaro to do the right thing. Molinaro caters to his fossil fuel industry donors and will never take a firm stance to ‘get off gas’.”

Photos available here; recording available here.