Today, New York’s Climate Action Council is expected to approve a final scoping plan outlining state strategies to fulfill the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, passed in 2019.

Recent changes to the plan include the elimination of language that would have called for immediate passage of legislation requiring all-electric construction statewide, and additions that allow dirty fuels like hydrogen and so-called “renewable natural gas” or factory farm biogas to qualify as clean energy.

Food & Water Watch Northeast Region Director Alex Beauchamp released the following statement:

“New York’s Climate Plan can only be as strong as the action our Governor and legislative leaders take to enshrine its ideals into law. The Climate Action Council’s scoping plan reiterates the compelling case that New York must take swift, drastic action to end the era of fossil fuels immediately. But eleventh hour changes jeopardize this critical goal, allowing industry scams like hydrogen and factory farm gas to undermine emissions reductions and unnecessarily lengthening the timeline to get off gas in new buildings. Now more than ever, our legislative leaders must rise to the occasion and champion legislation to get New York off fossil fuels for good — no loopholes, no delays.

“New York’s building stock offers a prime example. Every year we wait to mandate all-electric construction, tens of thousands of buildings will go up locking residents into paying for climate chaos. The draft plan rightly calls for a ban on fossil fuels in new construction, but the timeline is watered down. It is technically, administratively, and economically feasible to require all-electric construction statewide beginning in 2024. To get there, Governor Hochul must beat her own Climate Action Council’s timeline, passing the All-Electric Building Act in the budget this year, enshrining all-electric construction statewide beginning in 2024.”

Contact: Phoebe Galt, [email protected]