3 issues may determine N.Y.’s clean energy future
By David Iaconangelo, E&E News
New York is embarking on a critical year for the implementation of its landmark climate law, which could have a ripple effect on the U.S. energy sector and set a precedent for other states.
The outcome could determine if New York becomes the first state on the East Coast to ban gas in new buildings or place a cap on carbon emissions. It could also result in policies that change how renewables are constructed and natural gas is used in the state.
But consensus has often eluded lawmakers and policy groups in New York, even though Democrats control both the governor’s mansion and the Legislature. This year, clashes are likely to erupt again over key energy issues, creating uncertainty about if and how one of the bluest states in the country can deliver on its climate mandates.
The state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, passed in 2019, made New York one of the nation’s biggest laboratories for climate policy, requiring a swift and far-reaching decarbonization of the energy sector. Its environmental justice provisions were also a model for the Biden administration’s own equity pledges.