As Prime Day Draws Record Profits and Extreme Truck Traffic, Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes and ElectrifyNY Coalition Call for Clean Deliveries

Tuesday, July 16, and Wednesday, July 17 marked Amazon’s annual “Prime Days.” Prime Day, marketed as a “shopping event with deals exclusively for Prime members” has historically drawn in more than $12.9 billion in sales on the e-commerce platform from the purchase of over 375 million items. This year’s Prime Day was the largest and most profitable in Amazon’s history since the event began in 2015 with an estimated $14.2 billion made in sales in just 48 hours.

While Prime Day entices consumers with flashy deals on enticing products, the day is far from celebratory for the one in four New Yorkers living within a half-mile of the mega-warehouses essential to Amazon and other e-commerce companies’ operations. E-commerce mega-warehouses generate significant emissions from the large number of delivery trucks that come in and out of each facility. According to the Environmental Defense Funds’s “Warehouse Boom” report, 4.9 million residents live within half a mile of a leased warehouse 50,000 square feet or larger. Unlike traditional warehouses, these e-commerce warehouses are larger, with some larger than 15 football fields combined.

These mega-warehouses operate 24/7 and produce greenhouse gas emissions equal in scale to those from power plants and factories. The trucks operating out of the warehouses pollute particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds, worsening local air quality, and increasing the risk of asthma, heart attacks, and premature deaths in the surrounding neighborhood. These impacts are far from evenly distributed — of the 4.9 million residents living near warehouses, 315,000 are under age five and 649,000 are over age 64. Black, Hispanic/Latino, and low-income populations live near warehouses at rates that are more than 59%, 48%, and 42% higher, respectively, than would be expected based on statewide demographics. The health and safety impacts of these warehouses are placed on communities already overburdened by the effects of historically rooted discrimination in housing access and racially biased land-use planning.

In response to the hundreds of thousands of items already purchased during Prime Day and the subsequent hundreds of polluting truck trips needed to deliver those products, the ElectrifyNY Coalition calls for the passage of the Clean Deliveries Act (S.2127A / A.1718A), a commonsense environmental justice bill introduced by New York Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris (NY-District 12) and Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes (NY-District 51). The bill would direct the state to review emissions related to large warehouses and require warehouse operators to choose from an array of actions to minimize pollution. The legislation would also commission a study of the feasibility, benefits, and costs of implementing low and zero-emissions areas for air pollution and congestion hotspots. In addition to widespread grassroots support across the state, the bill passed in the New York State Senate last session.

“Sunset Park and Red Hook, like many working-class communities of color across the State of New York, have been the sites of increasingly large last-mile warehouse facilities that send trucks out throughout our neighborhoods every day. This impact is only exacerbated today as billions of dollars worth of purchases are made due to Prime Day. The rapid proliferation of vehicle-intensive e-commerce, in addition to New York State’s ongoing noncompliance with federal air quality standards, suggests that regulation for warehouses and other indirect sources is necessary to improve air quality and protect public health. The passage of the Clean Deliveries Act is a priority for our residents,” said Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes.

“This week millions of online shoppers will take advantage of steep discounts and free deliveries as part of Amazon Prime Day. But the true cost of these deliveries is the toll they take on disadvantaged communities and our climate. On what is the hottest summer on record, we need to hold the e-commerce industry accountable for its role in fueling the climate crisis. We need to pass the Clean Deliveries Act,” said Jaqi Cohen, Director of Climate and Equity Policy at Tri-State Transportation Campaign.

“Large e-commerce companies like Amazon are celebrating record profits and sales at the expense of the environment and the health of low-income communities of color that live near these sites. These are the same communities that have suffered from long-term exposure to toxic pollution due to decades of environmental racism and disinvestment. We need the Clean Deliveries Act to hold big e-commerce companies accountable for their contributions to air pollution and protect environmental justice communities across the state,” said Kevin Garcia, Senior Transportation Planner for the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance.

“The Clean Deliveries Act is yet another common-sense legislation that has passed the state Senate and is waiting for our Assembly and the Governor to start taking the climate and the pollution crisis seriously. It will help protect the health and well-being of millions of New Yorkers from fossil-fuel pollution, and companies like Amazon can implement it with a fraction of the sales from a single day like today if our leaders showed some real environmental leadership,” said Anshul Gupta, Policy & Research Director at New Yorkers for Clean Power.

“Behind the gleam of Amazon’s record sales and convenience of shorter delivery times come a range of hidden costs, from congestion and air pollution to hazardous working conditions. The impacts of Prime Day will be felt by the one in four New Yorkers who live within a half-mile from one of the mega-warehouses that underpin the entire e-commerce industry — and which induce around-the-clock truck trips that pump health-harming pollutants into the air and lungs of neighboring communities. We need lawmakers to support the Clean Deliveries Act, which would deliver clean air for millions of New Yorkers, and ensure the e-commerce industry’s emissions are no longer left unregulated,” said Alok Disa, Senior Research and Policy Analyst at Earthjustice.

“The pollution generated by traffic spikes during events like Amazon Prime Day contributes to the problem, not the solution to our efforts to advance New York’s ambitious climate goals,” said Mo-Yain Tham, New York Policy Manager at Jobs to Move America.

Background

The Clean Deliveries Act establishes an indirect source review (ISR) program for certain warehouse operations and requires the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to conduct a study regarding zero emissions zones.

Key provisions of the bill include:

• A review of emissions from all e-commerce warehouses exceeding 50,000 sq. ft.
• An air emissions reduction and mitigation plan requiring warehouse operators to minimize pollution by implementing one or more of the following:
  • Acquiring zero-emission vehicles & charging infrastructure
  • Installing solar panels and/or batteries on-site
  • Considering alternative transportation modes for incoming or outgoing trips where appropriate
  • Paying additional fees
• Enhanced protections for warehouses operating in disadvantaged communities or that impact schools and similar facilities
• A permit requirement for new warehouse developments or those proposing significant modifications
• Ongoing reporting requirements related to truck traffic and emissions mitigation measures
• A zero-emission zones study on the feasibility, benefits, and costs of implementing low and zero emissions designated areas for air pollution and congestion hotspots within New York State

New York State has been a clean energy leader, passing the landmark Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) in 2019, adopting the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) Rule in 2021, and enacting the Advance Clean Cars II (ACCII) Rule in 2022 to reduce emissions economy-wide and advance a just transition towards a zero-emission transportation sector. Passing the Clean Deliveries Act is a critical next step towards achieving New York State’s climate mandates, and ensuring that New Yorkers that are burdened with emissions from fossil fuels are prioritized for zero-emission investments.

ElectrifyNY is a statewide coalition of advocates for environmental justice, public transportation, social justice, and good jobs fighting for a clean, equitable electric transportation future for New York. Our work aims to improve the environment and public health outcomes for the communities most affected by the negative impacts of the transportation sector’s dependency on fossil fuels.