Remote control: City energy plan depends on Albany

David Giambusso

The most striking thing about Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to make New York City more energy efficient may be how little of it the city can implement on its own.

While de Blasio won plaudits for his goal of retrofitting all of the city’s building stock to be more energy efficient, many of the energy-related initiatives outlined in his OneNYC plan are either beyond his authority or already being undertaken by the state. This, at a time when his administration’s relationship with Albany—and with Governor Andrew Cuomo in particular—has never been more strained.

The OneNYC plan, the legally mandated, four-year update to PlaNYC, has seven energy-related initiatives as part of an overall goal to reduce city emissions. Of those, four are either state initiatives already underway or beyond the city’s purview.

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/city-hall/2015/06/8568958/remote-control-city-energy-plan-depends-albany