To accelerate New York City 's transition toward sustainability, join Sierra Club NYC Group in asking government leaders to create an energy volatility task force.

Since government alone can't make it happen, also ask leaders in business, civic organizations and media to step up New York City's transition beyond oil.

Sample letter

PlaNYC, the City’s sustainability plan, is a great initial response to climate change.  However, with world oil production expected to peak and begin permanent decline by 2012 or sooner, the more immediate threat is rising and increasingly volatile fuel prices, which PlaNYC addresses only indirectly. 

The current rise of oil prices to over $110 per barrel is not an anomaly.  When gasoline costs $5 or $10 a gallon, demand for mass transit service will rise, increasing the urgent need for mass transit funding from congestion pricing.  Even though its extensive public transit system makes NYC less vulnerable to oil price spikes than other cities, short-term consequences of higher prices may not be immediately obvious.  Higher oil and natural gas prices will affect costs of heating, shipping, government operations, electricity and food. 

NYC officials should follow in the footsteps of San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, which are already preparing for energy volatility, while cutting dependence on imported fuels.  Please form a NYC energy volatility task force immediately, and refer to the Sierra Club NYC Group report, "Sustainable Energy Independence for NYC," for other short- and long-term recommendations for City and State policy.

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Mayor Michael Bloomberg
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
E-mail: http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mayor.html

NYC Council

Click here to find your own Council Member

Speaker Christine Quinn
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
212.788.7210
quinn@council.nyc.ny.us
http://www.nyccouncil.info/rightnow/contactspkr.cfm

New York State

Governor David Paterson
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224
518.474.8390
http://www.ny.gov/governor/
Click here to email Governor Spitzer

Find your New York State Assembly Member.

Find your New York State Senator.

Federal

Find your Congressional Representative.

U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
780 Third Avenue, Suite 2601, NY NY 10017
212. 688.6262
http://clinton.senate.gov/
E-mail: http://clinton.senate.gov/contact/

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer
757 Third Avenue, Suite 17-02, NY, NY 10017
212.486.4430
http://schumer.senate.gov/
E-mail: http://schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/contact/webform.cfm

beyond oil