New York State’s Climate Law at Fulcrum of Several Legal Disputes

New York State is being challenged in the courts and criticized by advocacy groups for failing to live up to its own climate law, raising questions about how the landmark legislation should be applied.

New York Lawyers for the Public Interest and NY Renews issued a report in early August finding that nearly every state agency had failed to follow the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), making 26,454 significant decisions without conducting the required climate and equity screens.

For example, state agencies have spent almost $2 billion on clean energy projects without making sure at least 35% ...