Climate Jobs Institute Moderates Panel on New York’s Energy and Affordability Crises at 2026 LiUNA Builds Renewables Summit

On October 1, the Climate Jobs Institute (CJI) led a panel at the 2026 LiUNA Builds Renewables Summit. The two-day conference held on Wednesday, September 30, and Thursday, October 1, at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, NY, brought together more than 100 labor leaders, workforce development professionals, and industry partners to strategize on building a high-road clean energy economy in New York. 

The panel of three experts examined the barriers to responsible renewable energy production in New York. The panel, titled “Let Us Build: Building Our Way Out of New York’s Energy, Affordability, and Inequality Crises,” was moderated by Zach Cunningham, Assistant Director for Labor Education.

Panelists included:

• Molly Dunton, Senior Manager of Development, Bedrock Renewables
• Josh Kellerman, Director of Policy and Research, Climate Jobs New York
• Kevin Reilly, Director of Policy, Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA)

The discussion highlighted several areas key to New York’s mixed track record on climate and clean energy development, emphasizing the need to build faster. Panelists examined the role federal policy plays in development, the challenges that are hindering a larger, faster buildout of renewable energy in New York, and the role labor plays in getting projects unstuck and making renewable energy development happen at the pace and scale needed.

“New York has only scratched the surface in terms of its renewable energy and job creation potential,” said Cunningham. “It was refreshing to moderate this panel and connect with people throughout the state looking to build a unionized clean energy economy.”

The Climate Jobs Institute has previously participated in the annual LiUNA Builds Renewables Summit, a two-day conference organized by the New York State Laborers’ Union (LiUNA) in Upstate New York. The summit brings together renewable energy professionals from New York and beyond for networking, panel discussions, and collaborative activities. Participants include solar and wind installers, project developers, labor and workforce leaders, government agencies, and other key stakeholders in the renewable energy sector.

CJI representatives included Assistant Director for Labor Education, Zach Cunningham; Grennan Milliken, Climate Jobs Associate; and Nathan Lamm, Senior Research Support Specialist.