Cosas que el aire limpio controla 2026

Feliz año nuevo! Last year was an intense time, and we navigated through some extremely rocky storms – unfortunately, we’re expecting more stormy seas ahead in 2026.

Here are a few topics we’re keeping tabs on as we enter this new year –

Data Center Boom and the AI bubble

• We expect to continue to see data centers, a largely unregulated industrial sector, continue to be an issue in 2026, with a growing trend in upstate of mostly speculative data center project developers transitioning from plans for cryptocurrency mining to leasing to Artificial Intelligence developers, with only a few developer plans actually leading a shovels in the ground (but causing spikes in energy costs as NYISO reports these proposals as future energy demand), and those few that do get built causing significant environmental justice concerns.
• We urge following developments at STAMP, la Riverview Innovation and Tech Campus (former Tonawanda Coke site), at the TESLA plant, y, of course, at the Fortistar plant in North Tonawanda. Clean Air is part of a growing statewide alliance that is developing regulations and other policies that we hope to see implemented at the local and state level this year.

• We also urge keeping an eye on the market this year, and how it could affect you personally, especially if you are a retiree who depends on your investments for your income. The economy is currently in an artificial economic bubble due to the massive investments in AI development and data center industrial developments, y there are strong warning signs on the horizon that a significant economic downturn is coming our way. Without pre-emptive policy to head this downtown off, it’s not a matter of if, but when, and our current elected leadership in DC is more interested in inflating this bubble rather than taking those actions. This could be a limited downturn, like the one following the dot.com bubble, or it could be a far broader reaching one, como el 2008 housing crash.

Migrant Justice Intersections

• Clean Air is keeping an eye out for any proposed large warehouse developments, or for lease contracts from Department of Homeland Security agencies, as well as urging local governments to consider utilizing zoning code violations by ICE and CBP detaining migrants in our community. We also urge local governments to pass resolutions in favor of the NY For All Act and examine any potential collaborative actions by local police with deportation actions. New York City recently passed a resolution which can be used as a model.

State Regulatory Overlooks

• As we have come to learn in recent years, neoliberal austerity policies at the state level have left our state regulatory oversight very frayed, with some air permits “SAPA-extended” for a decade or more (es decir, these permits were supposed to be renewed over a decade ago, and these plants continue to operate on these older permits while the DEC catches up on paperwork.) This has led to some alarming stories in recent years, and we will certainly continue to track this issue as well as support efforts to address this backlog in 2026.

Nuevo liderazgo electo, Nuevas posibilidades

• Similar to peers downstate excited by the new Mamdani administration, we are excited by the newly inaugurated elected leadership throughout our region, particularly the progressive shifts in the Tonawandas, en Cheektowaga, y, of course, en la ciudad de búfalo. After years of stagnation, we expect 2026 will see some rapid changes and, while we do not expect that every fight for progressive policy will be won in 2026, we look forward to celebrating some big wins. Check out our memo that we sent to Mayor Sean Ryan’s transition team shortly after the election for some policies we hope to see adopted during his term!

Petrochemical Fascism Dying but Dangerous

• As we grimly were aware at the end of 2024, we knew we would see some setbacks in 2025, particularly in the movement for a Just Transition away from petrochemical reliance and towards an equitable and green economy. Indeed, we saw a resurgence last year not only in oil and gas, but also setbacks in wind and solar, and even saw the federal government intervene to keep coal power plants that were slated for closure after years of phase down on life support at a cost of millions of dollars to taxpayers and ratepayers. 2026 has already started off with a shockingly grim note, with the US government invading Venezuela to conduct a coup and pull us into yet another war for oil, as the President admitted openly. Clearly, while a transition away from oil, gas, coal and petrochemicals is inevitable, it will require a greater fight than expected, and will also require directly tackling the fight against fascism, bigotry, imperialism, and authoritarianism, which are all intertwined.
• This is especially disturbing given the larger existential crisis that climate change presents, and the news that we are not only rapidly approaching several tipping points, but have already passed at least one. We are rapidly running out of road to prevent catastrophe.
• Sin embargo, there were still some wins in 2025 that we hope to build off of. Notablemente, the “Big Beautiful Bill”/”Billionaire Bailout Bill” did not revoke tax credits or subsidies for thermal energy projects, like geothermal or thermal energy networks, nor did it revoke credits or subsidies for utility-scale battery storage projects, which will be crucial for the transition to renewable energy for grid reliability. We are especially excited by the potential for TENs as a just transition solution, as the work involves with building a TEN in a neighborhood shares many of the skills that building a gas pipeline network does.

Organizing Levels Up

• There are more people today interested in resisting the MAGA agenda than there were a year ago, and we hope that in 2026 this will manifest in people finding an organizing home, whether that’s with Clean Air or with any number of our peer organizations.
• Each and every one of us are superheroes in our own way, but even superheroes fight as a team – and with practiced tactics, not just throwing themselves into the melee. Too often, people who want to fight for justice wind up repeating the same mistakes, and commit to show up for protests but not for the longer campaign.
• We hope that in 2026 there will be a shift towards building a collective movement built across demographic and policy lines, rather than following charismatic self-described leaders, and towards winning longstanding policy campaigns rather than protesting after harms have been inflicted – the growing movement for May Day 2028 is a key opportunity for Western New York to engage in mass movement and solidarity oriented organizing.
• With that said, we urge signing up for the Midwest Academy 1-day training on Saturday January 24 en búfalo – click here to sign up, and please share this link widely with friends, family and colleagues!