Is NYC Local Law 97 Here to Stay?

Audio Transcription

Click to go to the LL97 Audio Series Page - Episodes 1-5 

Jennifer Kearney (00:01):
It's incredibly unpopular for a political candidate to talk about softening this law or rolling it back in any way. Because to do so, basically, practically, establishes that you're a climate denier.

Announcer (00:22):
Is New York City's Local Law 97 here to stay, or will the City or State roll back the greenhouse gas emissions legislation that will affect commercial real estate in buildings throughout New York City? In this episode of utiliVisor's In Conversation, Richard Angerame, president of utiliVisor, and special guest, Jennifer Kearney, partner and energy procurement consultant at New York City's Gotham 360, discuss the role of New York City and the state of the legislation known as Local Law 97.

Richard Angerame (00:56):
And again, from policies, obviously, is that you see we have a change in mayors taking place. This is something that this law is not going away. Is that true?

Jennifer Kearney (01:07):
Absolutely. Absolutely true. So I think that this mayoral race, the issues that are rising to the top are all about crime, homelessness, quality of life issues. I haven't heard a single candidate speak to this law specifically, although most candidates have made very general statements about climate change. But it's incredibly unpopular for a political candidate to talk about softening this law or rolling it back in any way, because to do so, basically, practically establishes that you're a climate denier. I mean, this was an incredibly ambitious, first of its kind in the country piece of legislation. There are a lot of folks in city government who completely stand behind it, are very proud of it, and will fight for it. And there's not a single candidate out there who has stepped forward and said, "We need to do something to support building owners here."

Richard Angerame (02:18):
What happens if the renewables, or the energy, or the RECs don't come from Zone J? You can't be used as a credit against it. Do you think that Cuomo is going to change that in the upcoming year?

Jennifer Kearney (02:31):
Well, I think Cuomo took a try at changing it by expanding the eligibility from just Zone J to include the tier two RECs from New York State. And it didn't see the light day out of the state legislature. I think that we will see it come around again. Whether or not he has the political capital to push it through when he's being opposed by all of the big environmental groups from Riverkeepers to NRDC, it's really hard to say.

Announcer (03:10):
You've been listening to utiliVisor's In Conversation, where we discuss topics such as submetering, energy efficiency, and energy plant optimization. Your host is Richard Angerame, president of utiliVisor, with special guest, Jennifer Kearney, partner and energy procurement consultant at Gotham 360. This program is a production of utiliVisor, a leader in submetering and energy plant optimization.

Announcer (03:37):
To contact us with comments or questions, email marketing@utiliVisor.com. Our music is "Moments Like This" from Telestream's ScreenFlow library. Thanks for listening. Please note that this program should not be considered professional advice. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented here are for general information only. The opinions and views expressed in this episode are solely those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of an agency, organization, or company. This program was recorded in 2021, copyright utiliVisor.