New York Releases Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan

On June 25, 2015, the 2015 New York State Energy Plan was released, outlining a 40 percent reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) from 1990 to 2030 and an 80 percent reduction by 2050. The aggressive plan would achieve the reduction in GHG emissions through changes to power, transportation, buildings, and industry with the goal of at least half of the state's electricity coming from renewable sources, including biomass, wind, and solar, by 2030. Energy consumption in buildings will also be reduced by 23 percent from 2012 levels by 2030. This decrease in energy consumption of buildings is the most cost effective way to reduce energy use due to the large number of inefficient buildings that can be upgraded at relatively low expense.