Back on May 26, 2026, the New York State Legislature dramatically changed their 2019 climate law, which had originally been labeled “landmark” in the green press. These recent changes have been widely reported, but I have yet to see a summary of just how big these changes are, so here is my take.
When it comes to the law’s draconian emission reductions, the landmark is gone. The law has been gutted.
Ironically the Greens tend to call any softening of a reckless environmental law or regulation a gutting, but in this case, I have not seen that term used even though it is certainly called for. Perhaps it is because the Greens did it themselves. The New York governor and legislative leaders certainly qualify as Green leaders, and they did the gutting.
By way of background, back in February, CFACT published my report on the calamitous emission reduction provisions of the climate law that were about to kick in. It was sent to key members of the Legislature. It is here.
The full report title is:
“Severe Climate Act Impacts Threaten New York State
Massive price hikes and fuel shortages will hit unless the law is changed”
Here is a telling excerpt from the executive summary:
“The threat is stark. The Climate Act requires the administration to promulgate regulations that ‘ensure’ that the 2030 emissions reduction target is met. Governor Hochul has said her administration does not want to do so because the regulations are infeasible and ruinously expensive for New Yorkers. The court has ruled that either the law must be changed or the regulations must be issued.
“Clearly, the legislature must act on this threat. Our brief report outlines some of the most pressing issues lawmakers should consider. First and foremost is the fact that the regulatory mechanism includes rationing fuel use for transportation and heating. Such rationing is likely to create unacceptable shortages, including the possibility of homes running out of heat during winter months.
“The so-called ‘cap and invest’ regulations also include taxing the rations. In practice, this means raising the cost of fuel so high that its use is sharply curtailed. This severe cost impact is also unacceptable.”
So, in May, the legislature changed the target date from 2030 to 2040. In fact, they increased the target emission reductions, but they also gutted the target thus rendering the increase moot. The 2030 target was an absolute mandate, while the 2040 target is merely a carefully qualified aspiration.
The original statutory requirement for a 40% statewide GHG reduction by 2030 is replaced by a vague mandate to achieve a 60% reduction by 2040 “to the maximum extent feasible and cost effective,” using 1990 as the baseline.
Since a 60% reduction is neither feasible nor cost effective, the new target is completely undefined.
Likewise for the required regulations, now due in December 2028. The amended Climate Act directs the state regulators to consider several limiting parameters for an economy wide cap and invest program, including impacts on affordability, economic development and energy costs, and the feasibility for residents, businesses, and other entities.
These relatively specific considerations are even more constraining than the vague target language. If taken seriously, they could make the cap-and-invest program relatively harmless.
There are other big back-off-from-alarmism changes as well that I will not go into.
There is no way to tell whether the CFACT Report played a role here, but the surprisingly great magnitude of the legislative changes clearly allows for that. In any case, this is certainly a time for celebration.
At the state level, New York leads the league in gutting alarmism. Let other states follow their lead.
Greenies getting mugged again by the realities of modern living essentials.
Gawd they’re slow learners.
It’s a lot like socialism. This time it’s going to work.
I am quite surprised that the downstate socialist-communists who control New York City and who have a strong presence in the New York state legislature allowed the gutting of the CLCPA to happen, at least as it concerns the law’s very ambitious emission reduction targets.
But what about state support for the expansion of wind, solar, and battery farms in New York state? Will state funding and support for that expansion continue at the expense of upgrading the existing gas-fired, nuclear-powered, and hydro-powered components of the New York power grid?
Take a look at Roger Caiazza’s latest article:
June 29 – July 4 2026 Heat Wave Weather Impacts to the New York Grid
Roger notes in his latest article that this year’s New York state budget bill revised the Climate Act, but the core power‑sector mandate —-70 percent renewable electricity by 2030 and 100 percent zero‑emissions electricity by 2040 — remains intact.
The CLCPA’s power sector mandate is impossible to achieve. But we should have no doubts that the downstate socialist-communists who control New York City and the surrounding area will be putting strong pressure on the Hochul Administration to continue and expand state funding for wind and solar farms backed by batteries. To the detriment of pursuing the upgrades needed for the gas-fired, the nuclear, and the hydro generation components of the New York power grid.
The difference is there is no regulatory requirement to meet the renewables target and no penalty for not doing so. Emission reductions were the killer so they left renewables alone.
That’s an important point. It means that if the New York downstaters want faster adoption of the renewables, they cannot force an acceleration in the state’s procurement of wind and solar based solely on the CLCPA’s current text.
Unless they modify the CLCPA to include a power sector enforcement mechanism for adoption of the renewables, they can accelerate wind and solar procurement only through a process of state budget negotiation.
Let’s see if Roger holds a similar opinion.
Perhaps somebody realized that the “Warmth of Collectivism” won’t keep people from dying from the cold on the street and soon in their own houses.
Do the mandates still only cover electricity generated instate?
If so, the result will that before too long, NY will importing almost all of the electricity they use. At great expense of course.
Like Massachusetts which imports about 60% of its juice.
From the article: “is certainly a time for celebration.”
It certainly is. Congratulations, and New York should thank you for your work.
It’s hard to believe that New York Democrats are waking up to reality. But we’ll take it!
Some brave state should step up and decapitate RGGI. How about it, New Hampshire? You know, Live Free or Die?
The RGGI is an organization that is in violation of Article 1 Section 10 Clause 3 of the US Constition which states:
No state, without the consent of the Congress, keep troops or ships of war in peace time, enter into any agreement or compact with another state or foreign power or engage in war except when the state is actually invaded or facing imminent danger that cannot wait for federal action.
The important phrase is: …enter into any agreement or compact with another state or foreign power… . This is called the “Compact Clause”. You should contact your local state legislature person who could introduce a bill to have the state withdraw from the RGGI. You should also contact a lawyer and ask if he can assist in the process of with drawing from the RGGI.
There is one caveat: Did the member states of the RGGI ask the Congress for permission to form this organization? I doubt it.
> In May, the legislature changed the target date from 2030 to 2040.
IBGYBG. I’ll Be Gone, You’ll Be Gone.
True victory and cause for celebration would be repeal.
True but politics is the art of compromise so I will settle for gutting.
I’m glad NY made the recent changes, but I don’t think “wisely” is the word for it. 🙂
Here is a facebook post shared by a group supporting Bruce Blakeman for governor, about a NY DEC requirement to plug a successful but idle gas well. The post was written by Robin Nistock. The first part is pasted below.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/748177491296181/posts/1013094618137799/
“Please read if you live in NY.
Here is the embodiment of NY’s failed energy policy. The gas company is plugging and abandoning the gas well drilled on our property in 2005. It is NOT out of natural gas. There was 1900 psi of gas at the wellhead when they started the process this spring. It is NOT leaking or causing any issues. Why are they doing it? According to the well tender, NY DEC is pressuring them to plug and abandon wells that aren’t currently producing. This is going to be a complicated, difficult and expensive endeavor and they have been working here since April.
The history: This well was the first one permitted and drilled in what was to be a 7-9 well field spanning a few townships in our part of Steuben county. The technology enabled them to drill down and then sideways to maximize the amount of gas bearing rock that would be exposed to the drilled hole. It also gave many landowners royalties, not just us. It began producing perfectly in 2007 and the other planned wells were then in the process of being permitted. Gov. Cuomo put out a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in 2008. THIS WELL WAS NOT FRACKED. Nor would the others have been since the company was tapping into a dolomite formation of rock. Dolomite is like a sponge with holes whereas shale is formed in plates that can be forced apart (fractured). Nonetheless, permits ceased being issued by the state. This well produced by itself for 5 years generating $600,000 for the local landowners, town and county. Imagine how that would have helped this part of rural NY if the other wells had been created, not to mention other wells all across the southern tier. Because this well alone could not produce the volume that was needed to support the large compressor station, and it was clear they couldn’t drill more any time soon, the company closed the valve in 2012 and let the well sit idle. The company has been monitoring it for 14 years with no problems, waiting and hoping (as we were) that conditions in the state would change and they could resume extracting natural gas.”
So the NY legislature and the governor did what they had to do in advance of the 2026 election, but this coerced plugging of a perfectly good gas well is nuts.
That is all for now.
When I was a kid in upstate NY, a major US brewing company opened a bottle manufacturing facility nearby in order to take advantage of cheap natural gas from shallow (pre-fracking era) wells. I presume it’s all gone by now for myriad reasons in addition to those you mention.
There is no time to celebrate.
“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty”
Winning a battle is not winning a war.
The war is far from over.
I celebrate winning a big battle. The war is likely never ending, certainly not in my brief life left. My birthdays are counting down not up.
You have already won, David…
No-one has been able to counter your excellent analysis of the tiny immeasurable effect of incremental CO2 in the atmosphere.
The Americans celebrated the victory at Midway, even though everybody knew that there was still several years worth of fighting ahead.
Similar to what’s happening in Russia’s SMO.
You can only get away with lying for so long before it will bite you in the butt. Yes this goes for crappy government too. The lying must stop it is not okay to lie.
Leftists (i.e. liberals) are nothing but virtue signalers. Yes, they are apparently gutting their “Landmark” climate law, but they always planned to do just that. You see, for several years they had their virtuousness of “doing the right thing”, while knowing that it was just that – virtue signaling. But they have learned that when the righteous conservatives finally hold them to account, forcing them to admit wrong, they don’t like the cognitive dissonance and the walk of shame; so now they are being preemptive – only pressing their lie as far as they think they can before repenting of their evil, anti God-fearing American ways.
I have not seen any report of this abandonment of lunacy in the Guardian or on the BBC yet?
Maybe it will take a while for Monbiot and who ever is heading up the BBC climate alarmist department to catch up with matters?
This New York return to planet Earth amendment, is an example of when ideology runs into reality, reality always comes out the winner. Those passengers on the ideology train crashing into their fate have only themselves to blame for being hoodwinked into getting on board.
Let us hope the California dreamers have a timely awakening too.
“At the state level, New York leads the league in gutting alarmism. Let other states follow their lead.”
Wokeachusetts will be the last state to wake up- like the way the UK will be the last nation to do so.
If California elects Hilton this November you may be correct. If Becera gets in, California will continue on Newsom’s idiotic path of destruction.
Is there a number to show how much money has been wasted so far on the push to green energy in New York State.
It would have been more educational, for everybody, if nothing were done and the state just ambled off into economic oblivion. Even the crazies who voted for Mamdani would have to fact the facts. Now, they can talk the talk but do nothing. And, still keep in place the bureaucrats who drive this madness.
One question: Did they blame Trump for this?