New York City Pressured to Prove Clean Building Laws Can Work

New York City officials say they have to nail the rollout of their landmark law limiting greenhouse gases from buildings to show that municipalities in the U.S. and abroad can play a significant role in fighting climate change.

But they’re facing real estate agents and developers already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, who claim the law—among the most ambitious in the world—could cost a midsized apartment complex nearly $1 million a year.

“We are the largest city in the country. We have over a million buildings in New York City,” said Mark Chambers, director of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s (D) ...