September 12, 2023

Focus on Compliance With Local Law 97 Will Maximize Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions

Strategy Includes New City Programs to Support Buildings Making Green Upgrades, New Rules With Clear Guidance on Building Owner Obligations

New Analysis Shows Local Law 97 Already Working, Buildings Reducing Harmful Emissions

NEW YORK–New York City Mayor Eric Adams today launched “Getting 97 Done,” a comprehensive plan to cut harmful carbon emissions from the city’s large buildings as part of their obligations under Local Law 97 of 2019. The plan includes four key elements: identifying and targeting city, state, federal, and utility-based financing and funding for upgrades; providing buildings with needed technical advice through the NYC Accelerator; implementing key enforcement mechanisms via a New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) rule package; and decarbonizing central systems in partnership with New York State. Under Local Law 97, New York City’s nation-leading emissions law, large buildings’ greenhouse gas emissions are limited starting in 2024—and those limits are the centerpiece of the administration’s plan to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and meet an aggressive target of carbon neutrality by 2050. The new phase of the Adams administration’s climate efforts builds on a new analysis showing, among other things, that Local Law 97 has already been effective with buildings meeting their emissions reduction targets and coming into compliance.

Read the full Mayoral Press Release.