Missed deadlines pile up as New York’s climate bill…

Some supporters have begun to question whether Hochul will continue the program at all after her recent change of stance on congestion pricing, in which she cited known cost concerns. Hochul sparked fury last year when she proposed changing the way the state counts methane emissions, a move she said would lower the costs that cutting carbon emissions could impose on New Yorkers. She was quickly forced to shelve the proposal, but her administration has since proposed other cost-saving measures that could reduce the program’s effectiveness.

In addition to already missed deadlines, Hochul’s hesitation does not bode well for the state’s ability to achieve the larger goals that are emerging 2030 — in particular: A 40 percentage of emission reduction from 1990 horizontal.

The large-scale renewable energy projects that underpin these goals continue to develop. New York’s wind and solar development prospects have deteriorated over the past two years, largely due to the cancellation of large offshore wind projects. With current contracts 59 A percentage of New York’s energy is expected to come from renewable sources 2030– says the state energy authority. This is down from 66 percentage predicted by the state 2022.

Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Environmental Voters, said every other part of the economy needs to be cleaned up ​“depends on whether we have a clean network.”

“This is really the foundation of how we are going to achieve our goals overall,” Tighe said. ​“And honestly, that’s the easy part. But she said economic hardships, not the government, are largely to blame for the state’s recent failure to develop renewable energy.

More broadly, Tighe – who worked at DECEMBER Down 11 years and is trying to take the top position in the agency – he finds it understandable that the Hochul administration is acting slower than the climate law stipulates.

“Sometimes the legislator sets very ambitious deadlines that do not coincide with the time frame needed to develop the regulations,” she said.

This is particularly true for regulations governing complex policies such as an economy-wide carbon price. ​“We’re not just talking about a narrow, single industry… we’re dealing with the entire economy,” Tighe said. ​“It’s very important to get it right.”

Others are less willing to give the Hochul administration a pass.

“These were the deadlines set by the legislator. These are the minimum deadlines we need to comply with the Paris Agreement,” said Michael Gerrard, director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University. ​“We are one of the richest states in the richest country in the world and people look to us as an example.”

Gerrard said the delays could be grounds for a lawsuit against the administration, although no one has yet publicly threatened legal action.

Even some longtime critics of the climate law agree that the state is setting a bad precedent.

““As a general rule, when a state government doesn’t follow its own laws, it weakens the rule of law,” said Ken Girardin, research director at the Empire Center, a conservative think tank. He said one of the main pitfalls is the law’s heavy dependence on executive leadership ​“blank check for the regulatory state.”

“What the climate bill asked for DECEMBER “What needs to be done goes far beyond what the courts have found is an appropriate delegation of power to state agencies,” Girardin said. Still, he, too, is looking forward to Hochul’s draft cap-and-invest rules – if only because he expects they will be put to the test in court once they are finalized.

Despite uneven progress on the bill, the Hochul administration regularly boasts about New York ​“country-leading” climate action. In response to New York Focus’s questions about this story, DECEMBER highlighted several recent actions taken by the state to reduce emissions, including requiring all new cars sold after 2035 be electric and tighten restrictions on two powerful greenhouse gases used in refrigeration and electrical appliances.

“Some of these issues are being addressed within the agencies,” said Raya Salter, an environmental justice advocate and attorney who serves on the Climate Action Council, which is tasked with developing the state’s climate plan. But at the same time, industry opposition to the most far-reaching parts of the climate law has intensified, and politicians have failed to act to enforce the mandates, Salter said.

For the few climate hawks who have expressed doubts about CLCPA When the bill passed, the last five years were a painful confirmation for me.

““Goals and process are nice, but you actually have to do something to make those goals a reality,” said Pete Sikora, director of the climate and inequality campaign at the lobbying group New York Communities for Change. ​“And the things that make it real are not happening.”