New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced a new plan, Getting 97 Done, on Tuesday to mobilize building owners who need to comply with Local Law 97 — a measure intended to reduce carbon emissions from buildings that will take effect early next year.
But environmental experts say the new plan will weaken the law’s enforcement powers by giving qualified building owners an extra three years to meet carbon reduction deadlines.
Local Law 97, which passed in 2019, calls for most buildings over 25,000 square feet to meet new energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions limits by 2024 before stricter limits go into effect in 2030. The Getting 97 Done plan states that buildings account for 70% of NYC’s carbon emissions, and approximately 50,000 buildings would be affected. But owners are reportedly fretting over the looming arrival of the standards, and environmental advocates have raised concerns that the Adams administration is slow-rolling their implementation.
The loosened enforcement deadlines are one of the plan’s four main points, which includes educating the public on what funding is available through city, state, federal and utility entities; hosting workshops and providing better technical support to navigate the law; and collaborating with Con Edison to decarbonize parts of its energy system potentially through the use of biogas produced from the city’s sewage and food waste.
“The mobilization plan and DOB’s rulemaking guidance provide the roadmap and the tools to invest in building improvements, cut emissions, and clean our neighborhoods’ air,” wrote Meera Joshi, the deputy mayor for operations, in a press release.
The mayor’s office did not respond to questions on the weakened enforcement.
What’s happening with enforcement?
The Department of Buildings shared details of the enforcement actions in a rule proposal, which was also released on Tuesday.
Under the rule, building owners may be eligible for reduced compliance fines for 2024 deadlines. The…
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