New York State lawmakers in Albany are considering a new measure requiring new buildings statewide to be all-electric by 2024.
The same measure would prohibit an all-electric building from converting to using fossil fuels by 2023.
The bill was introduced this past May by Manhattan Democratic State Senator Brian Kavanagh and Brooklyn Democratic Assembly Member Emily Gallagher, but subsequently amended late last month to accelerate the timelines.
“We cannot allow any new fossil fuel infrastructure and still reduce emissions enough to avert climate catastrophe,” Gallagher said Monday at a rally near City Hall.
If the measure passes, it would make New York the first state in America to mandate all-electric buildings.
Real estate leaders say, however, the bill’s requirements would raise expectations of ‘too much, too soon,’ pointing out that such buildings would still rely largely on energy generated by plants powered by fossil fuel.