New York State Future Emissions & Energy Regulations
New York State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA)
While the future of building emissions and energy in New York City is the Climate mobilization Act, the future of emissions and energy policy for New York State is the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). The act passed the State Legislature in June, 2019 and aims to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions much like OneNYC 2050 does for New York City. The CLCPA seeks to eliminate all CO2-producing sources (e.g. coal, oil, natural gas, gasoline, diesel, biomass) in the State. The most significant differences between the two plans is that the CLCPA calls for at least 70% of statewide electric generation to come from renewable energy systems by 2030, “zero emissions” from the statewide electrical system by 2040 and no importation of any electricity generated by fossil fuels outside New York State (called “leakage”) so as not to shift New York emissions to another state or country. Climate Action Council To accomplish its stated goals, the CLCPA creates a 22-member “New York State Climate Action Council” which is directed to:
The Scoping Plan The scoping plan developed by the Climate Action Council is to be a roadmap for the reduction, elimination or offset of all the State’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by the year 2050. The emissions goals for statewide GHG emissions are:
This language is a bit confusing with the references to 1990 emissions levels, however there is no confusion about the plan’s goals. Zero percent carbon emissions mean zero emissions regardless of the base year used for measurement. The goal of the scoping plan is to achieve zero carbon emissions statewide by 2050 with an allowance for a 15% statewide offset of GHG emissions where fossil fuels are absolutely required. Emergency backup generators might be an example of situations where fossil fuel is absolutely necessary. At a minimum, the measures and actions considered in the scoping plan are to include:
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The CLCPA summarizes itself as:
“…the adoption of a state energy plan establishing clean energy goals for the year 2030 aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emission levels by 40% from 1990 levels, producing 70% of electricity from renewable sources, increasing energy efficiency from 2012 levels by 23% and the additional expressed goal of reducing 100% of the electricity sector's greenhouse gas emissions by 2040”. The following puts some of CLCPA's major elements into perspective. Increasing Energy Efficiency The energy efficiency goal of reducing 185 billion kBtus from the 2025 statewide energy forecast represents a reduction of nearly 11% in for electricity, natural gas, and delivered fuels (oil and propane) consumed by the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. 1990 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Level
A 2015 report, by the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA) reported the state’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions levels as:
The CLCPA's emissions 2030 target of 60% of 1990 levels is therefore: 238 * 0.6 = 143 MMtCO2e or 218 - 143 = 75 MMtCO2e or a 32% reduction from 2015 levels. To give 143 or 75 MMtCO2e some context, the following data comes from a 2017 European Commission study:
CO2 Emissions (millions of metric tons)
Population (millions)
Emissions per Capita (metric tons/person)
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