New York lawmakers have introduced a bill that would make Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s climate and clean energy goals law, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions from anthropogenic sources by 100 percent, compared with 1990 levels, by 2050. It also sets an incremental GHG reduction target of at least 50 percent by 2030.
The legislation would require utilities to source 27 percent of their power from renewables in 2017, 30 percent from renewables by 2020, 40 percent by 2025 and 50 percent by 2030.
The state Assembly could vote on the bill as early as today, Public News Service reports. Supporters are meeting with state senators in hopes that the Senate will introduce the climate bill as well.
While the bill does not specifically require utilities to use 100 percent renewable energy sources by 2050, some environmental advocates say the emissions targets are a de facto clean energy mandate, Utility Dive reports.
“The bill establishes that 100 percent of New York’s energy will come from clean, renewable sources by 2050, and it provides annualized benchmarks to ensure we don’t just hope to meet them, but must meet them,” Peter Iwanowicz, executive director of Environmental Advocates of New York said in a statement.
In his January State of the State address, Gov. Cuomo pledged that New York will eliminate its use of coal power by 2020.
Don’t miss our Environmental Leader 2016 Conference in June.
