Robust Public Input Provided Over the Past Three Years
Informed Creation of Roadmap to Meet Climate Leadership and Community
Protection Act Requirements
New York State's Climate
Action Council (Council) Co-Chairs, Department of Environmental
Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos
and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
President and CEO Doreen M. Harris, today announced the approval and
adoption of the New York State Climate Action Council Scoping Plan,
which outlines recommended policies and actions to help meet the goals
and requirements of the nation-leading Climate Leadership and Community
Protection Act (Climate Act). After a 19-3 vote by the Council during a
meeting on Dec. 19, 2022, the Scoping Plan is available to the public and
will be submitted to the Governor and the State Legislature by Jan. 1,
2023. This critical milestone represents the culmination of over three
years of collaboration, including contributions from the Council's
Advisory Panels and Working Groups, since the enactment of the Climate
Act in 2019.
Climate Action Council
Co-Chair and DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos
said, "I applaud my colleagues on the Climate Action
Council, and members of the various advisory panels and working groups,
for their tireless work over the past three years to develop this Scoping
Plan to serve as a framework to achieve our ambitious climate targets
under the nation-leading Climate Act. This Plan serves as a bold,
monumental achievement not just for New York State, but for the nation
and the world, which centers on equity and climate justice across all
sectors, building opportunities for all, and ensuring we have a workforce
that can transition as seamlessly as possible in our new clean energy
economy. Our work is just beginning, and we are leading the way to a
cleaner, greener, and brighter future.
Climate Action Council
Co-Chair and NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, "New
York State laid the groundwork for change with its nation-leading climate
law, and through the diligent and thoughtful work of the Climate Action
Council, along with input from the public in every corner of the state,
we now have an action plan to follow to ensure we meet these critical
goals. Today is certainly a day to celebrate, but this also marks the
beginning of more significant work to come as we forge the path ahead and
lead by example on how to transition an economy based on the conventional
energy practices of yesterday to the thriving green economy of
tomorrow."
The Council approved the
Scoping Plan following the release of the Draft Scoping Plan on Dec. 30,
2021, and a robust public comment period that included 11 public hearings
across the State and more than 35,000 written comments. This feedback and
other information on the plan's development can be found on the New York
State Climate
Act website, along with an Executive Summary and additional
resources. The Council's seven Advisory Panels, along with the Climate
Justice Working Group (CJWG) and Just Transition Working Group (JTWG),
also submitted recommendations for consideration in the development of
the Scoping Plan. The contributions from these groups are included in
appendices to the Scoping Plan. As required under the Climate Act, the
Council will update the Scoping Plan every five years to ensure the plan
continues to meet the State's aggressive climate targets.
Taking Climate Action
The Scoping Plan's
recommendations will provide the foundation to significantly reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, drive critical building and transportation electrification,
secure climate justice, and advance the State's commitment to economywide
carbon neutrality by 2050 consistent with interim and long-term
directives established in the Climate Act. The Plan outlines actions
needed for New York to achieve 70 percent renewable energy by 2030; 100
percent zero-emission electricity by 2040; a 40-percent reduction in
statewide greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2030, an
85-percent reduction from 1990 levels by 2050; and net-zero emissions
statewide by 2050. It also identifies a variety of regulatory and legal
changes, market mechanisms, and technologies essential to achieving these
directives.
Based on the Council's
integration analysis, recommendations include:
·
Critical investments in every sector of New
York's economy to support deep decarbonization efforts;
·
Accelerated energy efficiency and end-use
electrification mechanisms to foster approximately one to two million
homes transitioning to clean heating and cooling options such as heat
pumps by 2030, in addition to a statewide scale-up of approximately three
million zero-emission vehicles on the roads by 2030;
and
·
Electric grid infrastructure investments
to support retrofitting existing infrastructure to help withstand extreme
weather and deploying energy storage or onsite renewables that will
improve the reliability and resilience of the electric grid in the face
of worsening storms and other impacts of climate change.
New York's climate actions,
as recommended by the Council in the Scoping Plan, will deliver many
benefits to New Yorkers, including:
·
Clean and reliable electric power through
solar, wind, and other renewables, combined with energy storage, to help
end consumer vulnerability to fossil fuel disruptions and price volatility;
·
Energy-efficient and comfortable homes
and businesses with a scale-up of modern, clean heating and cooling
technologies, such as electric heat pumps and smart thermostats, combined
with weatherization measures;
·
Healthy, efficient, and reliable electric
vehicle access that will save New Yorkers money with lower costs to fuel,
operate, and maintain. Zero-emission transportation options, including
mass transit, fleet vehicles, and medium-/heavy-duty electric vehicles,
will foster fresher air and cleaner communities across the State;
·
Smart energy choices through State and
federal programs and incentives designed to help New Yorkers choose and
afford more efficient and higher-performing electric appliances and
vehicles when gasoline vehicles and fossil-fueled heating or cooking appliances
need replacement;
·
Significant growth in jobs within green
industries, with union labor as the backbone of the State's clean energy
economy, which will help create family-sustaining jobs and wage gains
across the economy and in every corner of the State;
·
Healthy living for families through
improved air quality, increased active transportation such as walking and
biking, and promoting energy efficiency in low- and moderate-income
homes. New Yorkers will see positive health benefits that will help avoid
tens of thousands of premature deaths, thousands of non-fatal heart
attacks, asthma-related emergency room visits, and other
hospitalizations; and
·
Smart infrastructure investments for a
healthy future, with the cost of inaction in New York State exceeding the
cost of action by more than $115 billion.
Securing Climate Justice
The Scoping Plan also
prioritizes work led by the CJWG and puts forth comprehensive actions to
address climate justice and ensure that the State's transition to a
low-carbon, clean energy economy addresses health, environmental, and
energy burdens that disproportionately impact Disadvantaged Communities. The Climate
Act requires Disadvantaged Communities receive a minimum of 35 percent,
with a goal of 40 percent, of benefits of investments in clean energy and
energy efficiency programs or projects in the areas of housing, workforce
development, pollution reduction, low- and moderate-income energy assistance,
energy, transportation, and economic development.
Identified benefits and
impacts to Disadvantaged Communities are included throughout the Scoping
Plan with recommended greenhouse gas and co-pollutant emissions reduction
strategies designed to deliver concrete benefits to individuals in
Disadvantaged Communities, such as:
·
Addressing energy affordability concerns
and reducing energy burden;
·
Reducing environmental burden from
greenhouse gas emissions and co-pollutants;
·
Ensuring full participation in the new
clean economy and corresponding job growth, including through access to
good quality jobs and union-based employment opportunities;
·
Ensuring access to New York State's
significant and growing policies and programs that invest in clean local
resources, like solar and energy efficiency; and
·
Ensuring an inclusive process and full
participation by Disadvantaged Communities and their representatives in
the ongoing work of developing and implementing climate action policies and
programs.
Ensuring a Just Transition
A critical component of New
York's Climate Act is ensuring that the advancement of a low-carbon and
clean energy economy results in new economic development opportunities
throughout the State and supports long-term careers in jobs across all
sectors, while simultaneously providing support and tools to the workers
and communities who may be affected by the unfolding energy transition.
A Jobs Study, issued by the Council's
Just Transition Working Group, found that job increases are anticipated
in every corner of the State, totaling more than 200,000 by 2030, with a
projected 10 jobs added in growing clean energy sectors for every job
potentially lost in displaced subsectors. At the same time, where certain
sectors and occupations face a risk of job displacement, the State will
work to ensure job losses are minimized and that any losses come with
meaningful support and reemployment protections.
To ensure a just transition,
the State will undertake strategies in the Scoping Plan that help build
connections, support existing workers and communities, create job
pathways, and realize opportunities for New York's future workforce.
State agencies will also work with union labor representatives to ensure
all New Yorkers have access to career pathways through union programs.
The following recommendations
support New York's growing green economy workforce and help protect
workers vulnerable to potential disruption and displacement:
·
Provide direct displaced worker support
to mitigate economic impact and ensure that current and former fossil
fuel workers benefit from the transition to clean energy;
·
Ensure application of labor standards
across all sectors and projects, helping create good union jobs and
helping the State take advantage of new federal tax credit requirements
and attract greater financial benefits to New York;
·
Target financial support for businesses
to ensure access to contracting and procurement opportunities in the
transition away from fossil fuels;
·
Create new and comprehensive training
curricula and programs focused on opportunities for people from
underserved communities that meet employer hiring needs;
·
Expand comprehensive career pathway programs
into clean energy for both existing and future workers;
·
Leverage community engagement,
stakeholder input, and market assessments to identify and assess industry
skills gaps, employee demand, and curriculum and training needs; and
·
Create a new Office of Just Transition
and a Worker Support and Community Assurance Fund to guide ongoing
program and policy support for the near- to medium-term: host community
support, existing worker support, and new worker support.
Scoping Plan's Sector Summaries
Summaries of sector-specific
recommendations include:
Transportation: Transition
nearly all vehicles in New York State to zero-emission technology by
2050, with New Yorkers having substantially greater access to low-carbon
modes of transportation, including public transportation.
·
Transition to zero-emission vehicles and equipment;
·
Enhance public transportation and
mobility alternatives;
·
Promote smart growth and
mobility-oriented development; and
·
Facilitate market-based solutions and
financing.
Buildings: By
2050, 85 percent of homes and commercial building space statewide should
be electrified with energy-efficient heat pumps and thermal energy
networks.
·
Adopt zero-emission codes and standards
and require energy benchmarking for buildings;
·
Scale up public financial incentives and
expand access to public and private low-cost financing for building decarbonization;
·
Expand New York's commitment to market
development, innovation, and leading by example in State projects; and
·
Transition from hydrofluorocarbons.
Electricity: Scale
up clean energy resources, such as land-based wind and solar, offshore
wind, hydropower, fuel cells that use renewable fuels, and energy
storage.
·
Incorporate load flexibility and
controllability into the electric grid as sectors electrify to create a
more manageable system;
·
Update and build new transmission and
distribution systems statewide;
·
Enhance the electric grid to improve
efficiency and delivery of electricity and facilitate the integration of
renewable energy and prioritize clean resources; and
·
Evaluate emerging technologies and
identify and develop solutions for zero-emission dispatchable
technologies to meet demand and maintain reliability.
Industry: Pursue
incentive-based strategies for attracting and retaining businesses in New
York State and mitigate direct greenhouse gas emissions attributable to
certain industrial activities, like manufacturing.
Agriculture and Forestry: Mitigate
agricultural greenhouse gas emissions through manure management practices
and precision animal feeding. Maximizing the carbon sequestration and
storage potential in the agriculture and forestry sectors is a key
strategy for achieving net-zero emissions across all sectors of the
economy by 2050.
Waste: Implement
waste reduction, reuse, and recycling strategies to fundamentally shift
the way businesses and New Yorkers currently produce, use, and handle
products and materials at end-of-life. Minimize emissions at solid waste
management facilities and water resource recovery facilities and evaluate
beneficial use of methane captured from waste management activities.
Land Use: Reduce
carbon emissions through strategic land conservation and smart growth
development. Equip municipalities with the necessary tools and resources
to protect New York's natural and working lands, while also advancing
renewable energy siting. Achieve smart, sustainable, and equitable
planning, zoning and projects that align with supportive transportation,
economic development, and housing policies and practices.
Local Government: Continue
to engage, build partnerships, and collaborate with local governments as
the state moves toward a more energy efficient future. Create a dashboard
to promote local climate action planning, monitor equity considerations,
measure progress, and ensure data consistency at the county and municipal
levels. Develop model energy conservation building codes and construction
policies to encourage local policy decisions that accelerate energy
efficiency with a focus on equity.
Adaptation and Resilience: Move
forward with actions to adapt to climate change and enhance resilience in
communities, infrastructure, and living systems. Expand state support for
regional and local planning, assist municipalities and local communities
in their efforts to incorporate future conditions into local planning and
regulatory decisions, and address risks due to flooding and extreme heat.
Enhance resilience of living systems by addressing risks to ecosystems
and biodiversity.
Gas System Transition: Strategic
downsizing and decarbonization of the gas system in close coordination
with the increase of renewable energy generation and build-out of the
electric system to ensure reliability and address energy affordability.
Convert the vast majority of gas customers to all-electric by 2050, and
during the gas system transition, manage repair of leak-prone gas
pipelines to ensure safety of the gas system and reduce methane
emissions.
The Scoping Plan also recommends implementation of an economywide
cap-and-invest program that would ensure the Climate Act's emission
limits are met, while simultaneously prioritizing reduction of
co-pollutants in Disadvantaged Communities and supporting clean
technology market development.
For more information on the Climate Action Council's Scoping Plan,
please visit
the Climate Act website.
New York State's Nation-Leading Climate Plan
New York State's
nation-leading climate agenda is the most aggressive climate and clean
energy initiative in the nation, calling for an orderly and just transition
to clean energy that creates jobs and continues fostering a green economy
as New York State recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Enshrined into law
through the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, New York is
on a path to achieve its mandated goal of a zero-emission electricity
sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030,
and to reach economy wide carbon neutrality. It builds on New York's
unprecedented investments to ramp-up clean energy including over $35
billion in 120 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the
state, $6.8 billion to reduce buildings emissions, $1.8 billion to scale
up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and
over $1.6 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. Combined, these
investments are supporting more than 165,000 jobs in New York's clean
energy sector in 2021, a 2,100 percent growth in the distributed solar
sector since 2011 and a commitment to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore
wind by 2035. Under the Climate Act, New York will build on this progress
and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent from 1990 levels by
2050, while ensuring that at least 35 percent with a goal of 40 percent
of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged
communities, and advance progress towards the state's 2025 energy
efficiency target of reducing on-site energy consumption by 185 trillion
BTUs of end-use energy savings.
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