New York Passes Strongest U.S. Climate Law

Sierra Club Commends New York’s Historic, Nation Leading Climate Legislation; Bill puts state on path to achieve 100 percent carbon-free electric sector by 2040 and economy wide

June 19, 2019 (Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter)

“…[T]he New York State Senate passed the strongest climate legislation in the nation as part of a three-way agreement with the Assembly and Governor Andrew Cuomo. The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act…[is deeply rooted in climate justice, and widely supported and led by frontline community groups, environmental justice organizations, labor, environmental organizations including the Sierra Club…[It sets] the highest standards in the nation by mandating 85 percent greenhouse gas emissions reductions economy-wide by 2050, with incentives to reduce the impact of the last 15 percent; Mandates that New York sources 70 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, like wind and solar, by 2030, and achieves a 100 percent carbon-free electric sector by 2040; Codifies the Governor’s existing clean energy commitments, including a 3 percent utility energy efficiency target, 9 gigawatts of offshore wind, 3 gigawatts of energy storage and 6 gigawatts of distributed solar…

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…[It also invests] 35 percent of state climate funds in frontline communities through efficiency, renewable energy, jobs programs and more; Protects disadvantaged communities by requiring an air quality monitoring program and prohibiting carbon offsets for the electric, transportation, and building sectors; Creates a framework by which the Department of Environmental Conservation, in consultation with the climate council and others, must craft regulations to implement emissions reduction targets across the economy, including the electric sector, performance standards for buildings, industry and other sectors, and transportation sector emissions reductions programs, including electrification…” click here for more

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