Jun 20, 2019
New York’s sweeping climate change law comes with lots of unknowns
“Fiscal implications: To be determined,” an official summary of the bill reads.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks about the city's strategy to fight climate change in April. The State Assembly approved a sweeping climate change bill, which now moves to Governor Andrew Cuomo's desk.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
New York is on the verge of mandating net-zero emissions across the entire state — the most ambitious state climate change law in the U.S.
Early Thursday, the New York Assembly approved a bill that now heads to Governor Andrew Cuomo, which — if he signs it as expected — will mandate zero-net greenhouse gas emissions across the state by 2050.
It means a radical overhaul of infrastructure in a state not exactly known for it and where 80% of energy transmission equipment predates the 1980s. The bill’s supporters say those unknowns pale in comparison to the cost of failing to curb climate change.