The Climate Mobilization Act
What is it?
With climate change occurring at an exponential and rather extreme rate, the New York City Council has passed the ClimateMobilization Act to mitigate the current environmental situation.
This series of laws is one of the largest climate solutions implemented by any city, with its focal point being Local Law 97, which aims to dramatically cut the carbon emissions within New York City. Beginning May 1st, 2025, Local Law 97 will require all covered buildings over 25,000 square feet to meet stringent carbon reduction objectives, cutting their climate emissions 40% by 2030 and more than 80% by 2050.
These buildings will need to submit a report exhibiting their carbon emissions from the previous year, 2024, and then annually within the proceeding years. Climate change is mainly driven by greenhouse gas emissions, which New York city is a major culprit of. By implementing such strict legislation like Local Law 97, these regulations could greatly help in cutting greenhouse gas emissions while boosting the city’s environment.
Other laws within the Climate Mobilization Act will necessitate things like green roofs solar PV systems on specific construction and renovation projects, or even force buildings to include wind energy generation as one of its renewable energy technologies. With several laws being passed within this environmental act, Local Law 97 remains at its center of focus.
What happens if I don’t comply?
Non-compliance with Local Law 97 will result in a fine of $268 per ton of carbon emitted over the allowable limit, with a cap of $5 million per year per building. These limits are determined by building occupancy type, with most emissions coming from areas with an abundance of buildings and a high volume of transportation.
With such a huge penalty set in place, the need for buildings to analyze and gather information regarding their greenhouse gas emissions is quite pertinent. The city has experienced a decrease in these emissions due to a halt in day-to-day building and transportation operations from COVID-19 but will soon resume its normal behavior.
This predicted elevation in carbon emissions will further emphasize the need for buildings to comply with Local Law 97. And it is not only building owners and managers who will be affected by this, but also tenants, investors, sellers and purchasers, and lenders. Those involved with the buildings that fall under the guidelines of Local Law 97 will need to act fast as the deadline quickly approaches, or risk paying a hefty fine while worsening the current climate conditions.
Where can I find help to comply with Local Law 97?
The Cotocon group offers a variety of services to help prepare buildings in New York City to deal with the upcoming sustainability laws.
We perform operations such as local law compliance, energy audits, and retro commissioning. All of these resources, along with others we provide, serve to examine and improve energy efficiency within our buildings while exploring new cost-effective ways to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
These solutions can help New York City buildings comply with Local Law 97 as well as the other laws contained within the Climate Mobilization Act. We are dedicated to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions and bettering the environment here at the Cotocon Group.
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