The Editorial Board: Advocacy groups have reason to question state's progress on climate

The Buffalo News Editorials

It’s been six years. All residents – not just climate activists – are justified in asking New York’s political leaders this question: How, exactly, is the state planning to reach its goal of eliminating nearly all of New York’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2050?

A groundbreaking piece of climate legislation that incorporates this noble aim, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, was passed by the state in 2019, but the act itself does not have the power to reduce emissions without accompanying regulations that must be written, funded and implemented.

Some of this work has been started, but much more remains to be done, especially when it comes to enforcement. The CLCPA is nothing without strong teeth that will ensure polluters stop polluting.

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It’s not surprising that, as reported by The News’ Mackenzie Shuman, a group of environmental advocates has sued the state for failing to follow through on legislation designed to clean the air and combat climate change. The groups – Citizen Action of New York, PUSH Buffalo, Sierra Club and WE ACT for Environmental Justice – are asking a court to order the State Department of Environmental Conservation to write and enact new rules for a cap-and-invest program.

The program is intended to reduce New York’s statewide greenhouse gas emissions at the same time it raises revenue to invest in clean energy and climate mitigation. Businesses would buy allowances to pollute, gradually reducing the number of allowances – the cap – until emissions are brought down by at least 85%.

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