NY State Climate Bill: CLCPA
The 2023 legislative session closed with continued disappointing lack of legislation and funding to support this hallmark climate bill.
The 2024 legislative season passed the Superfund Act and Governor Hochul signed it in Dec. 2024
Important climate bills in 2024 carried over to 2025:
1.the Governor’s proposed cap-and-invest program. With DEC estimating that the actual cost of greenhouse gas emissions is $121 a ton, the proposed $23 a ton initial floor on carbon pricing is ridiculously low and continues the state’s massive subsidy of fossil fuels. The state should not exempt electricity producers from the new cap-and-trade program, at most providing a credit for any costs associated with their potential continued involvement with RGGI. The state should also not exempt energy intensive, trade challenged greenhouse gas emitters from the program. The state should significantly speed up the greenhouse gas emission targets in the CLCPA, as the world is already close to exceeding the global warming target cap of 1.5 degrees C. And the state should enact provisions such as outlined by NY Renews and in As. Kelles’ legislation (A8469) to ensure that emissions are reduced in environmental justice communities. this statement is from www.gelfny.org.GELF continues to oppose a cap-and-trade program which even Pope Frances warns has been manipulated by various Wall Street schemers and often has had a negative impact on EJ communities. GELF supports a carbon tax instead.
2. The NYHeat Act: NY Home Energy Affordable Transition Act (S.2016-A/A.4592-A) will give the Public Service Commission the authority and direction to align gas utilities with the Climate Act's emission reduction and climate justice mandates.
3.The New York State Legislature will consider The climate education bill,Senate Bill 278A/Assembly Bill 1559A, has been it would represent the first holistic and interdisciplinary climate education bill in New York State. It would establish an Office of Climate Education and Workforce Development, provide professional learning opportunities and ongoing support for educators across a variety of disciplines, as well as establish Green Career & Technical Education programs across the state. Importantly, the bill would also center equity and justice, as the effects of climate change are not shared equally across our state, necessitating different kinds of social, cultural, and geographic responses.(courtesy Bill McKibben)
4. The Climate Superfund Act(signed into law Dec.2024) Thank you Governor Hochul
Climate Change Superfund Act (S.2129-A/A.3351-A) Climate Change Superfund Act (S.2129-A/A.3351-A) makes the state's worst polluters, major oil companies, pay for the harm they've caused.
5. New York created a state fund dedicated to climate, the Climate Action Fund (CAF). This fund would help lower energy bills for New Yorkers and direct money to support decarbonization measures—but right now, the fund is empty, and potential proceeds from the state’s controversial cap-and-trade program aren’t scheduled to start until 2025. That’s why the NY Renews coalition, of which PUSH Buffalo is a member, has put forward a $1 billion People’s Climate Justice Budget to launch the CAF and start getting money to communities in need this year.
One billion dollars is a mere fraction of the overall state budget, which was nearly $230 billion in 2023.
By passing the People’s Climate Justice Budget, New York can start to address the climate crisis at scale by updating our energy grid, making our homes safer, lowering our energy bills, and improving roads and public transportation vulnerable to rising seas and worsening storms.
6. The Better Bottle Bill rally day Jan 28 Albany
7.Just Energy Transition Act
Just Energy Transition Act (S.2935-C/A.4866-C) provides a plan to guide the replacement and redevelopment of New York State's fossil fuel facilities and sites by 2030.
What is 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act?
The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act was signed into law in NYS on July 18, 2019.
New York State’s Climate Act is among the most ambitious climate laws in the world and requires New York to reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and no less than 85 percent by 2050 from 1990 levels. The law created a Climate Action Council(CAC) charged with developing a scoping plan of recommendations to meet these targets and place New York on a path toward carbon neutrality. 2022 saw a spring early summer season of residential participation in reviewing and adding to the Scoping Plan and winter 2023 is targetted timeframe for release and implementation of this plan.
The 2021 Legislative session failed to pass the climate justice portion of this original proposal- the CCIA.
Legislative session 2022 only passed 2 bills
The CLCPA:
https://climate.ny.gov/
Climate Targets:
The CAC
The New York State Climate Action Council (Council) is a 22-member committee that prepared a Scoping Plan to achieve the State’s bold clean energy and climate agenda. The Council will also oversee the establishment of sector-specific advisory panels and working groups and will work in consultation with the Climate Justice Working Group and the Environmental Justice Advisory Group.
View all past meeting presentations
https://climate.ny.gov/
Climate Targets:
- 85% Reduction in GHG Emissions by 2050
- 100% Zero-emission Electricity by 2040
- 70% Renewable Energy by 2030
- 9,000 MW of Offshore Wind by 2035
- 3,000 MW of Energy Storage by 2030
- 6,000 MW of Solar by 2025
- 22 Million Tons of Carbon Reduction through Energy Efficiency and Electrification
The CAC
The New York State Climate Action Council (Council) is a 22-member committee that prepared a Scoping Plan to achieve the State’s bold clean energy and climate agenda. The Council will also oversee the establishment of sector-specific advisory panels and working groups and will work in consultation with the Climate Justice Working Group and the Environmental Justice Advisory Group.
View all past meeting presentations
| climate_change_presentation_slide_on_cac.pptx |
The NYS Green Amendment
was passed in November 2021!!!