Articles, Blogs, & Other Materials

The Climate Mobilization Act is a suite of local laws passed in 2019, including the laws discussed below.

“NY utilities signal that they will consider electrification to offset gas demand,” Tom DiChristopher, S&P Global, July 21, 2020

“5 Key Considerations as 1-Year Countdown Begins for Climate Mobilization Act,” Raymond “Rusty” Pomeroy and Brian Diamond, New York Law Journal, July 13, 2020

“Progress and Delays on Putting Milestone Emissions Law into Action,” Danielle Cruz, City Limits, July 7, 2020

“Trading: A New Climate Solution for Buildings,” Urban Green Council, June 2020

“Empire State of Green,” Sarah Kaplan and Aaron Steckelberg, The Washington Post, May 27, 2020

“Dirty Energy, Big Money: How Private Companies Make Billions from Polluting Fossil Fuel Peaker Power Plants in New York City’s Environmental Justice Communities—and How to Create a Cleaner, More Just Alternative,” Clean Energy Group, NYC Environmental Justice Alliance, New York Lawyers for Public Interest, THE POINT CDC, and UPROSE, The PEAK Coalition, May 7, 2020

“After Pandemic, New York’s Buildings May Face Daunting Decarbonization Mandate,” Justin Gerdes, Green Tech Media, April 23, 2020

“NYC Congestion Pricing Program on Hold Due to Coronavirus, Imperiling MTA Modernization Plans,” Clayton Guse, Daily News, April 22, 2020

“Preparing Real Estate Professionals for NYC’s Climate Mobilization Act,” Raymond Pomeroy and Brian Diamond, New York Law Journal, April 21, 2020

“Navigating New York City’s New Green Roof Requirements,” Ethan DeLehman, Urban Energy, August 12, 2019

“Challenges for Co-Ops, Condos, and Other Residential Buildings in Complying with New York City’s 2019 Climate Mobilization Act,” Karen Meara and Christopher Rizzo, New York Law Journal, June 19, 2019

“Can New York Make Buildings Super-Efficient, Fast?” Kriston Capps, City Lab, May 2, 2019

“How New York City is Preparing for Climate Change,” Renee Cho, State of the Planet, April 26, 2019

“Action on Global Warming: NYC’s Green New Deal,” nyc.gov, April 22, 2019

“NYC Climate Mobilization Act: Moving Towards a Sustainable Future,” The Cotocon Group, April 18, 2019

“Big Buildings Hurt the Climate. New York City Hopes to Change That.” William Neuman, The New York Times, April 17, 2019

“NYC Building Emissions Law: Frequently Asked Questions,” Urban Green Council, 2019

“Ambitious New York City Bill Aims to Replace Gas-Fired Power Plants with Renewables,” Alexander C. Kaufman, HuffPost, January 8, 2019

Local Laws 16 require that no later than August 31, 2027, “all portions of Rikers Island shall be fully transferred” to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) and “shall no longer be used by the Department of Correction for the housing of incarcerated persons and  Local Law 17 directs the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability to conduct a feasibility study for constructing renewable energy sources and battery storage facilities on Rikers Island

"Council Votes to Pass the 'Renewable Rikers' Act," New York City Council, February 11, 2021. 

"Major Victory in Coalition Push for Renewable Rikers Island," Sara Imperiale and Eric A. Goldstein, NRDC, February 11, 2021

Local Laws 92 and 94 require green roofs or solar PV systems on certain new construction and renovation projects. This requirement applies to all projects approved after November 15, 2019.

“Navigating New York City’s New Green Roof Requirements,” Ethan DeLehman, Urban Energy, August 12, 2019

"Navigating New York City’s Sustainable Roof Requirements," Christian Bergland, Building Energy Exchange, June 17, 2019

Local Law 95 establishes a grading system to assess the energy performance of buildings that are 25,000 square feet or larger. Buildings were required to submit energy use data by May 2020.

"Like Restaurants, Buildings Will Get Grades (D’s for Energy Guzzlers)," Jane Margolies, NYT, Nov. 21, 2019

Local Law 96 establishes clean energy financing tools for building owners.

“How New York City is Picking Up the ‘PACE,’” Thomas O’Connor and YuhTyng Patka, New York Law Journal, November 4, 2019

New York Developers Rush to Reduce Emissions as Hefty Fines Loom, Jane Margolies, New York Times, Aug. 16, 2022

Building Owners File Lawsuit to Block Key NYC Climate Law, Liz Donovan, CityLimits, May 23, 2022

Coalition of co-ops, building owners sues to block Local Law 97, Caroline Spivack, Crain's New York, May 20, 2022

Local Law 97: A Breakdown of NYC’s Green New Deal, Katey St. John, BKReader, May 4, 2022

NYC Considers Steps Towards Reducing Emissions with Local Law 97, Brett Spielberg, NYLCV, Apr. 29, 2022

Building owners get state playbook for energy-efficient retrofits, Caroline Spivack, Crain's New York, Apr. 21, 2022

New York Emits More Building Air Pollution Than Any Other State - Going Electric Can Fix That," RMI, Talor Gruenwal and Stephen Mushegan, RMI, May 18, 2021

"Local Law 97: Building Emissions Adjustments Applications," Building News Update, April 9 2021

"NYC building owners renewable workaround," Marie J. French and Samantha Maldonado, POLITICO, January 25, 2021. 

"New York Housing Authority announces new bold commitment to electrification," Sherri Billimoria and Yu Ann Tan, Rocky Mountain Institute, November 5, 2020. 

Local Law 97 places limits on the amount of greenhouse gases that large buildings may emit.

"NY City Council Passes Expansion of Climate Mobilization Act for Residential Properties" October 30, 2020

"New York City’s Building Emissions Law Shows the Importance of Economywide Climate Policy," Dr. Noah Kaufman and Yu Ann Tan, Columbia SIPA, October 1, 2020

New York Eyes Technologies for Buildings’ Emissions Compliance, Stephen Lee, Bloomberg, Sept. 21, 2020

nyc LL97 carbon emissions calculator

“All About NYC’s Historic Building Emissions Law,” Urban Green Council, 2019

“2019: A Big Year for Reducing Building Emissions in NYC,” Donna DeCostanzo and Rebecca Behrens, Natural Resources Defense Council, December 20, 2019

“Mayor de Blasio and City Council Speaker Johnson Announce Appointees to Climate Advisory Board Ahead of First Meeting,” NYC.gov, December 19, 2019

“To Fight Climate Change, New York City Will Push Skyscrapers To Slash Emissions,” Camila Domonoske, NPR, April 23, 2019