Image credit: Department of Buildings.
On September 9, 2024, the New York City Department of Buildings announced the City received a $19.9 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. This funding will support the implementation of various Local Law 97 projects.
Passed in 2019, Local Law 97 intends to reduce building carbon emissions across the five boroughs. This includes mandating approximately 40,000 New York City property owners to replace inefficient lighting, heating, cooling, and ventilation (HVAC) systems in their buildings with more efficient technology (retrofits). If this is not done, building owners incur penalties. The City’s goal is to achieve net-zero building emissions by 2050.
The projects this grant will fund include: improvement of current public Local Law 97 training programs; development of automated audit tools to record property owners who comply with Local Law 97; creation a citywide database to record the City’s decarbonization efforts; provide New York City residential multifamily property owners located in in state-designated disadvantaged communities (DACs) educational guidance on how to comply with Local Law 97 through outreach; equip the public with mapping tools to provide them knowledge on the sustainability efforts New York City is taking to combat climate change; increase awareness of substantiality workforce training and development programs to have more sustainability professionals to hire for retrofit projects; and expand the Department of Building’s Sustainability Bureau to handle building outreach and enforcement. The funding will also be utilized to create a comprehensive emission reduction plan which may be replicated by other local jurisdictions.
The New York City Department of Building’s Sustainability Bureau applied for this grant in collaboration with New York University Marron Institute of Urban Management (NYU Marron) and Urban Green Council (UGC).
The New York University Marron Institute of Urban Management will spearhead development and expansion of the web-based tools for this initiative. Urban Green Council will handle outreach and workforce development.
Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi said, “DOB’s Sustainability Bureau applied for this funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in partnership with New York University Marron Institute of Urban Management (NYU Marron) and Urban Green Council (UGC), which have been strong advocates of LL97 since it was first passed into law in 2019. “Meeting the climate crisis head-on requires all of us– but like most ‘worth it’ things, reducing carbon emissions isn’t always easy. Which is why we are so grateful to President Biden and the Department of Energy team for granting our city key funds that will help us help New Yorkers do their part to implement Local Law 97. The Biden Administration’s legacy-defining IRA and BIL programs will help us supercharge the transition to electric vehicles, deliver parkland, reconnect communities torn apart by legacy infrastructure and more.”
New York City Department of Buildings Commissioner Jimmy Oddo said, “The full implementation of LL97 is moving ahead and this welcome funding from the federal government will boost the important work at our Sustainability Bureau. The Adams administration has been committed to a smart, considered rollout of these emission caps, helping building owners achieve their sustainability goals both in the short-term and leading up to 2050.”
By: Chelsea Ramjeawan (Chelsea is the CityLaw intern and a New York Law School student, Class of 2025.)