CLIMATE ACTION

Schoharie County Divestment Petition instructions:

All citizens living or working in Schoharie County are invited to sign-on to the Divestment Petition below. You can do so by sending an email message to stinson@midtel.net with "Petition Sign-on" as the subject.

Please provide your full name and town where you live or work. A separate entry for each individual of a family is appreciated.

Schoharie County Climate Action

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To the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors,

Over a year ago the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UN-IPCC) released a status report stating it is critically important we reduce carbon dioxide emissions 50% by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. They stated we have just 10 years to avoid serious social and economic disruption as well as real existential threats to many species we depend upon.

Over the past year young citizens around the world have stepped up to the challenge. The Sunrise movement has been pressing their case in our legislature, and Extinction Rebellion is in the streets demanding governmental action proportionate to the crisis we face. It is incumbent upon us as responsible citizens and political leaders to support the youth in this effort.

We are writing you today to help you understand how you may join the effort to protect our planet and preserve a home place for the generations to follow. As individuals many of us have attempted to do our part; driving more fuel efficient autos and driving less as well, lowering heating thermostats, installing solar collectors on our homes, but the experts tell us such individual actions will not be sufficient to achieve the stated goals. The climate crisis requires larger scale communal action such as that which can only be undertaken by a legislative body representing their constituents.

One important step you can take as elected representatives of all Schoharie County’s citizens is to ensure our wealth is not fueling the continuing exploitation of fossil fuels. The tens of millions of dollars of our county’s various reserve funds, representing the tax revenue contributed by all of us, must not be deposited with financial institutions which are investing in corporations engaged in fossil fuel exploration, extraction, processing or transportation. To continue to invest our wealth in this way is self-destructive and condemns our grandchildren to climate chaos.

Presently, a significant portion of Schoharie County’s funds are placed with JP Morgan Chase (Chase) bank. A recent report, jointly authored by several environmental organizations, singled out Chase: “One inescapable finding of this report is that JP Morgan Chase is very clearly the world’s worst banker of climate change. The race was not even close: the $196 billion the bank poured into fossil fuels between 2016 and 2018 is nearly a third higher than the second-worst bank, Wells Fargo. ...JP Morgan Chase sticks out even more as the worst of the worst: the bank’s $67 billion in finance for expansion over the past three years was a stunning two-thirds higher than the second-biggest banker of fossil fuel expansion (Citi).” [Banking on Climate Change, Rainforest Action Network, January 2019]

The rational way forward is clear, Schoharie County’s funds must be removed from JP Morgan Chase and any other financial institution with similar commitments to fossil fuel corporations. Ideally, the funds should be placed with a New York State Public Bank (legislation pending), or better yet, a Schoharie County Public Bank.

Our specific demands;

• The Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution committing to divestment from JP Morgan Chase and any other institution financing fossil fuel involved entities.

• The Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution recognizing the climate crisis and appealing for community cooperation in carbon emissions reduction.

• The Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution supporting establishment of the NY State Public Bank and communicate said support to state legislators and the Governor.

• The Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution supporting establishment of a Schoharie County Public Bank and authorizing investigation of that possibility.

Schoharie County Climate Action;

 

Signatory      Residence or Employment

Mike Lagana				Summit 

Zoe Stinson				Summit 

Deb Krol				        Fulton 

Bella Lagana				Summit 

Christopher Eastman 		Sharon

Tina M. Stinson                     Summit

Louise Maher Johnson		Sharon

Sheila Sweeney          Cobleskill

Ann Adams                 Sharon

Mike Schuster            Sharon

Lisa Zaccaglini           Sharon

Pamela Bohsung         Summit

Jennifer Stinson         Summit

Wayne A Stinson        Summit

Basil Gagnon             Schoharie

Julian Gagnon            Schoharie

Eleanor Gagnon         Schoharie

Jason Gagnon             Schoharie

Laura Gagnon             Schoharie

Walter Wouk                Summit

Susan Spivack            Cobleskill

Paul Turner                 Summit

Robert Kerley              Fulton

Matthew Daynard       Schoharie

Nancy Daynard         Schoharie

Nancy Sheehan         Cobleskill

Katherine Hawkins     Fulton

Wayne R Stinson         Summit

Nancy VanDusen        Cobleskill

Richard Ashworth     Seward

Linda Sheets            Cobleskill

Gwen Medak           not reported

NVD                        not reported