“Deeply Disappointing” New York State Enacted Budget Weakens its Climate Law

ALBANY, NY — New York State’s finalized Fiscal Year 2027 budget includes substantial rollbacks to the state’s landmark Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), but retains some important climate protections. Experts at the NRDC expressed disappointment at the changes and note that New York must now act quickly and boldly to make up for lost ground and ensure that the CLCPA’s new goals are attained.

The following statement is from Jackson Morris, director of State Power Sector, Climate & Energy at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):

“The CLCPA amendments are deeply disappointing. This action is likely to increase costs for many New Yorkers in the long run, while prolonging harmful pollution and fossil fuel dependence. While the budget stops short of dismantling New York’s core climate obligations under the CLCPA, it substantially weakens key elements, undercutting the law’s ambition, accountability, and enforceability at a critical moment.

“If done right, New York will have a cap-and-invest program in place by 2028 that will help drive investments in communities overburdened by pollution, shield New Yorkers from energy price shocks, and reduce air and climate pollution.

“New York must implement strong regulations to launch the cap-and-invest program as soon as possible that is designed to deliver robust emissions reductions and cleaner air, and is grounded in affordability and equity. As energy prices soar, the CLCPA remains one of the most important tools we have to address the fossil fuel price spikes that plague the state. New Yorkers should not be forced to wait for the clean energy economy and all the benefits it brings.”

Background:

The budget package released today would:

• Remove the regulatory mandate tied to the law’s 2030 emissions target;
• Weaken the state’s stronger greenhouse gas accounting methodology;
• Delay the date to promulgate regulations from 2024 to 2028, with explicit language to consider a cap-and-invest program;  
• Establish a new interim target of a 60 percent reduction in economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, subject to a “maximum extent feasible and cost-effective” standard;
• Preserve the CLCPA’s binding 85 percent reductions from 1990 levels by 2050 emissions limit;
• Commit $1 billion for the Sustainable Future Fund to invest in clean energy in communities across the state.

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health, and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).