Big Year-End Wins: Two State & Two City Bills Are Now Laws
We’re happy to report that we closed out this year with a roar! In our Thanksgiving edition, we talked about some of our key achievements for the year – including two New York State bills the Governor had yet to sign. It came down to the wire, but she finally signed them!
Banning PFAS and Other Toxic Chemicals from Menstrual Products
As part of the JustGreen Partnership, we helped pass the Ban on PFAS and Toxic Chemicals Bill, which will regulate the sale and distribution in New York State of menstrual products that contain restricted substances or unsafe chemicals, including PFAS “forever chemicals.” Following days of intense negotiations, and with just about 15 minutes to spare before the midnight deadline on December 19th, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul signed this bill into law. We thank New York State Senator Nathalia Fernandez and New York State Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal for their strong leadership in sponsoring this legislation, along with our fellow advocates in the JustGreen Partnership and beyond – including many of you – for helping advance it, and Governor Hochul for signing it into law. Read Our Statement
Saving $200 Million Annually on Energy Bills by Repealing the 100-Foot Rule
As part of the Renewable Heat Now coalition, we helped pass legislation that eliminates the 100-foot rule, which will save ratepayers across the state $200 million per year. The Governor also waited until December 19th before signing this as well. While repealing the 100-foot rule is the only one of the three components of the NY HEAT Act to become law, it’s a huge win for energy affordability in our state. We thank New York State Senator Liz Kruger and New York State Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon for their leadership in sponsoring this legislation, our fellow advocates in the Renewable Heat Now coalition and beyond – including many of you – for helping advance it, and Governor Hochul for signing it into law. Read Our Statement
Establishing a Maximum Indoor Air Temperature
Landlords in New York City are already required to maintain a minimum indoor air temperature in the winter, so it made sense to establish a maximum indoor air temperature in the summer - given that extreme heat is the deadliest impact of climate change. As part of the Extreme Heat Coalition, we had been strongly advocating for this legislation, along with codifying the City’s Cooling Center program and the formation of a Cool Pavement pilot program in heat-vulnerable communities – both of which already passed into law earlier this year. On December 18th, the New York City Council passed Intro 994, which requires landlords to maintain an indoor temperature no higher than 78°F – with 50-percent relative humidity – in occupied apartments when the outdoor temperature is 82°F or higher between June 15th and September 15th. We thank New York City Council Member Lincoln Restler for his leadership in sponsoring this legislation along with our fellow advocates in the Extreme Heat Coalition and beyond – including many of you – for helping advance it. Read Our Statement
Protecting & Expanding Affordable Housing by Bringing Power to the People
We worked with a number of coalitions to advocate for the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA), which will help protect and expand the supply of affordable housing in New York City. It does so by creating a process for community land trusts and other nonprofit entities to make competitive bids to landlords looking to sell before they can list a multifamily residential building with four or more units on the open market. These entities will have 60 days to notify the building owner and the New York City Department of Housing and Urban Development of their intent to purchase and 120 days to make a competitive offer. On December 19th, the New York City Council passed this legislation, Intro 196, into law. This makes it a lot easier for tenants to purchase their buildings and will also help combat gentrification. We thank New York City Council Member Carlina Rivera for her leadership in sponsoring this legislation along with all of our fellow advocates – including many of you – for helping advance it. Read Our Statement
