Regional Plan Association works toward a better future for the tri-state region
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Transition to a Decarbonized Region

RPA advocates for policies and investments that can help our region hit ambitious climate targets without triggering other crises of equity, affordability or economic decline.

Our region has committed to hit ambitious climate targets that approach or achieve carbon neutrality by mid-century, requiring an aggressive shift away from the status quo. But we must address the climate crisis in ways that don’t trigger other crises of equity, affordability or economic decline. RPA is advocating for policies and investments that reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, advancing fair and effective decarbonization strategies for buildings, ensuring investments in port facilities and interstate collaboration to catalyze a thriving, regional offshore wind development hub and clarifying options in the face of near-term energy decisions.

Related News

Politico New Jersey

New York, New Jersey hesitant on offshore grid planning amid federal uncertainty

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Study of Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway aims to build ​‘a more resilient and equitable borough’

InsiderNJ

Massive, Diverse Groups To NJ Assembly: Pass Nation’s Strongest Cumulative Impacts Bill

The New York Times

New York as a Biking City? It Could Happen. And It Should.

Inside Climate News

In New York City, ​‘Managed Retreat’ Has Become a Grim Reality

NY Daily News

Proposed 425-mile network of bike lanes would make New York an easier place to pedal, Regional Plan Association says

Wall Street Journal

New York City Proposal Would Vastly Expand Protected Bike Lanes

Columbia Spectator

What It Takes To Implement The Climate Protection Act In New York

The New York Times

Why Guzzling 12,063 Megawatts Dimmed the Big City

New York Daily News

Dump the diesel buses for climate’s sake, transit experts tell MTA

Careful thinking about adaptation and resilience must be an integral component of every decision, from land use and transportation to how and where we build housing.”

Freudenberg Rob

Robert Freudenberg

Vice President, Energy & Environment

read the testimony view full bio

Coming Up

Energy Equity

Event Highlight

A Just Transition: Energy Equity

Join RPA and Climate Group for a wide-ranging discussion on energy equity with leaders from the region’s utility companies, community-based organizations and leading thinkers in energy and decarbonization.

Speakers

Dale Bryk
Consultant, Energy Innovation
Nathaniel Bullard
Chief Content Officer, BloombergNEF
Tim Cawley
President, Con Edison
Cecil Corbin-Mark
Deputy Director & Director of Policy Initiatives, WE ACT for Environmental Justice
Richard Thigpen
Senior Vice President of Corporate Citizenship, PSEG
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Research

Bikeways Detailed Small DZ v1 01

The Five Borough Bikeway

Critical infrastructure connecting New York City
When climate change threatens our communities, congestion and air pollution chokes streets and residents, the Five Borough Bikeway is the right solution to these multifaceted challenges. Securing a carbon-free future requires that we change our infrastructure so that biking can become as accessible and common tomorrow as driving is today.
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Adding Value

Adding Value

Open Space Conservation in the Mid-Hudson Valley
The forests, farmlands, and wetlands in the Mid-Hudson Valley are critical environmental and economic resources for the entire region. Yet the burden of protecting these lands is disproportionately borne by local communities, a tension which undermines efforts to preserve them.
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Action

Restore Mother Nature Bond Act

RPA Vice President for Energy & Environment Robert Freudenberg offered a statement on the delay of New York’s $3 billion bond to fund green infrastructure projects.

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The Nation's First Purpose-Built Wind Port

RPA praised Governor Phil Murphy’s administration for announcing that New Jersey would become home to the nation’s first port for the construction of offshore wind infrastructure.

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Meadowlands Master Plan

RPA urged the New Jersey Sports and Exhibition Authority to integrate adaptation and resilience more thoroughly into its master plan for the Meadowlands.

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RPA Lab

New Jersey Statehouse

Green Infrastructure, Public Transit, and Housing for All: RPA's Agenda for New Jersey
Our Senior Vice President Kate Slevin’s comments during a June 17 panel hosted by the New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center offer an outline of RPA’s agenda in the Garden State.
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Developing Dual Solutions for Transportation and Climate Change
The Transportation Climate Initiative would reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector and raise revenues for badly needed transportation investments in New Jersey.
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Green infrastructure banks e1564409166118

Green Banks: The Answer to Funding Green Energy in Our Region
In this webinar, the heads of the Connecticut Green Bank and the New York Green Bank share their experience accelerating clean energy deployment in their states.
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Events

NY Energy Goals September2019

From the Fourth Plan

Fourth Plan Scale Up Renewables

Create a Greener Energy System, with More Capacity

RPA’s Fourth Regional Plan offers four recommendations to create a greener energy system, including scaling up renewables and managing demand with energy efficient buildings.

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From the Archive

1973 Oil Crisis Wikimedia Commons

1973

Regional Energy Consumption
Amidst the national oil crisis in 1973, RPA evalu­ated energy consumption trends and energy conservation oppor­tunities in the New York metropolitan region.
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Research Areas

Energy & Environment

Location

ConnecticutNew JerseyNew York