Climate Law on Thin Ice: New York’s Backward Step

The proposed deal to weaken New York’s landmark climate law is a stark reminder that even in progressive bastions, politics can be more pragmatic than principled. Governor Kathy Hochul’s administration has long touted its commitment to clean energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but the current budget proposal would roll back many of these ambitious targets.

The 2019 Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act (CLCPA) set a bold standard for New York: reducing emissions by 40% by 2030 and an 85% cut by 2050. The state has already missed its 2024 deadline, but instead of tightening the screws on polluters or investing in clean energy infrastructure, Albany is considering a plan to extend deadlines and water down targets. This move would undermine New York’s reputation as a climate leader and transfer power from communities to industries that have stalled progress thus far.

Hochul frames the rollback as “affordability relief,” but this claim rings hollow when you consider that utility bills are high due in part to the state’s reliance on natural gas for half its electricity. The governor’s administration is essentially blaming climate policy for costs already locked in by fossil-fuel dependence – price volatility, asthma, storm damage, and aging infrastructure. Weakening the law would not loosen gas’s grip on New Yorkers’ wallets; it would tighten it.

New polling from Siena Research Institute suggests that New Yorkers want their government to invest more in improving systems that impact them. The majority of respondents say Albany spends too little on programs like health care, education, and infrastructure – exactly the kind of investments the climate law was designed to facilitate. However, this message is being lost amidst a sea of short-term thinking.

New York has missed every major deadline set under CLCPA so far. Without enforceable deadlines, clean-energy policies become perpetual targets for industries with deep pockets. Weakening the law does not just delay carbon cuts; it transfers power from communities to officials and interests that have stalled progress from day one.

Restoring nearer-term accountability is crucial to ensure timely and cost-effective progress. Pushing out deadlines by more than a decade only allows polluters to continue business as usual while communities bear the brunt of climate change.

The budget deal also includes a path forward for establishing a cap-and-invest program, which was announced by Hochul in 2023 as a way to fund “a sustainable and affordable future.” The rules are already written; it’s time to issue and implement them. Additionally, annually funding the Sustainable Future Program until the climate law’s cap-and-invest regulations begin generating revenue would be a crucial step forward. Labor unions and climate advocates have called for $3 billion to fund this program – a stopgap measure to keep clean energy investments moving.

Furthermore, sending the ASAP Act and SUNNY Act to the governor would raise the state’s distributed solar goal, unjam the interconnection backlog, and bring cheap clean power within reach of millions of renters locked out of rooftop solar. These bills are already on New York’s desk, awaiting action.

New York’s climate law is not just a policy; it’s a promise to its people. Weakening it would be a betrayal of that promise – one that could have far-reaching consequences for the state’s environmental and economic future. As the budget deal hangs in the balance, let us hope that Albany finds the courage to keep its commitment to clean energy intact.