“If the national Green New Deal is the dashing young hare in the race to enact sweeping climate law, then New York’s Climate and Community Protection Act is the persistent tortoise who, as of Sunday night, seems poised to cross the finish line. The Empire state’s long-suffering piece of climate legislation has been called a precursor to the national Green New Deal and, if passed on Wednesday as expected, will be one of the most ambitious attempts to tackle both climate change and environmental injustice.”
“Here’s what made it in the Climate and Community Protection Act: the bill sets the state on track to cut out 85 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 while allowing the remaining 15 percent of planet-heating gases to be captured or offset. It also mandates that at least 35 percent of the state’s clean energy funds are spent in “disadvantaged” communities throughout the state. While these goals surpass any other state’s environmental justice commitments — they also represent a compromise for grassroots groups, who initially pushed for eliminating 100 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the state.”
