Rachel Spector

Deputy Managing Attorney

Northeast Office

Rachel looks directly at the viewer with a friendly smile. She's wearing a light green collared shirt and standing in front of a light colored wall.

Bar Admissions

NY

Rachel Spector

Deputy Managing Attorney Northeast Office

Nydia Gutiérrez
Public Affairs and Communications Strategist
ngutierrez@earthjustice.org

Rachel Spector is the Deputy Managing Attorney of Earthjustice’s Northeast office.

Prior to joining Earthjustice, Rachel served as director of the Environmental Justice Program at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, where she represented community groups in low-income communities and communities of color in New York City fighting disproportionate pollution, and worked in coalitions to advance equitable and sustainable state and local environmental, climate, and housing policy. Previously, she co-taught the Community and Economic Development Clinic at Fordham Law School, and represented low-income tenants, workers and consumers at MFJ Legal Services.

Rachel also served as a law clerk for Hon. Shira A. Scheindlin in the Southern District of New York. She received her law degree from City University of New York School of Law and her undergraduate degree from Barnard College.

Expert Posts & Articles

March 10, 2026

Mega-Warehouses Can be Better Neighbors

In New York, mega-warehouses have clustered in communities already dealing with heavy air pollution. Smart policies can improve air quality.
Cars and trucks move along the Cross Bronx Expressway, a notorious stretch of highway in New York City that is often choked with traffic and contributes to pollution and poor air quality on November 16, 2021 in New York City. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)
May 6, 2025

The Race to “Green” New York’s Mega-Warehouses

Over the last decade, the boom in online shopping and e-commerce has made massive warehouses spring up in New York faster than you can make an online purchase.

Nydia Gutiérrez
Public Affairs and Communications Strategist
ngutierrez@earthjustice.org

Bar Admissions

NY

Quoted in the News

April 6, 2026

Times Herald-Record

Why can’t Gov. Kathy Hochul let go of fossil fuels in NY?

“It’s not just that fossil fuels aren’t good in a crisis. It’s that they are the crisis.”
April 1, 2025

Spectrum News

Environmental groups sue DEC over failure to launch cap-and-invest

Rachel Spector, attorney at Earthjustice, discusses the lawsuit with Capital Tonight.
January 15, 2025

Heatmap

What If Kathy Hochul Is Violating New York’s Climate Law?

“There have to be enforceable regulations that ensure we can meet the emission reduction mandates. Those were supposed to be in place a year ago. Now they are late and there’s no clear date when we are getting those regulations, and that’s a really troubling situation.”

Latest Press Statements

October 27, 2025

NY Supreme Court Rules the State Must Issue Climate Regulations

New York is violating the state’s climate law and must issue regulations to reduce climate pollution by February 2026
May 22, 2025

Court Decision Protects NYC’s Law to Clean up Building Pollution

New York City’s Local Law 97, enacted in 2019 as part of the Climate Mobilization Act, requires large buildings across the city to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions
March 31, 2025

First-of-its-Kind Lawsuit Filed Urging New York to Release Overdue Climate Law Regulations

Regulations to reduce pollution from oil and gas and protect communities are stalled amid record-breaking heat and wildfires
January 13, 2025

A Robust Cap-and-Invest Program Can Help New Yorkers Save Money on Utility Bills, Raise Billions to Invest in Local Communities

Report finds capping emissions can fund billions in investments for local communities, help 46% of New York households upgrade to clean heat pumps by 2035, delivering up to $524 million in annual energy savings across the state
Map of e-commerce warehouses by potential environmental justice area in NYC, 2022.
October 8, 2024

As the Holiday Season Begins, ElectrifyNY Calls for Cleaner Deliveries

Big savings deals worsen air pollution in vulnerable communities where e-commerce mega-warehouses cluster; State bill could slash emissions from e-commerce mega-warehouse operations and advance clean air and public health for disadvantaged communities