Hundreds virtually attended a Department of Buildings hearing on Tuesday to weigh in on the fate of Local Law 97, which requires New York City’s biggest carbon polluters — buildings over 25,000 square feet — to reduce their emissions by 40% by the end of the decade and 80% by 2050.
The hearing effectively closed out the public comment period for a rule the Adams administration proposed in mid-September around enforcement of Local Law 97. The law is due to take effect Jan. 1, at which point buildings must lower their emissions.
Under the Getting 97 Done proposal, building owners can delay their energy changes and may be eligible for reduced fines for 2024 deadlines as long as they make so-called “good-faith efforts” toward compliance.
Tuesday’s testimony featured scientific experts, grassroots environmental organizations and several elected officials who said the draft regulations would weaken the climate law through loopholes for buying-out of compliance for wealthy landlords or offering a two-year extension to noncompliant buildings.
“We need full Local Law 97 implementation and enforcement, now with no loopholes, no delays,” said Alex Beauchamp, northeast region director for Food & Water Watch. “This is what New York City Council passed, and now it’s the mayor’s job to enforce the law.”
Among the proposal’s supporters were larger environmental groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council, which said the enforcement rules are a path for buildings to reasonably achieve the ultimate goal of decarbonization. Joining the NRDC were other groups such as large low- and middle-income co-ops and nonprofit hospitals, which want more leeway in the law.
“I don’t see it as a two-year delay, but as a way to lock in property owners’ progress,” said Councilmember James Gennaro, who represents parts of Queens and chairs the Council’s Committee on Environmental Protection, Resiliency and Waterfronts. “We want your carbon, not your money.”
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