Local Law 97 Should be on NYC Building Managers’ Radars. Here’s Why.

Passed in 2019 and part of New York City’s Climate legislation as well as Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Green New Deal, Local Law 97 (LL97) aims to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from tall buildings in Manhattan and the outer boroughs.

The law requires 40% citywide emissions reductions by 2030 from a 2005-established baseline. The ultimate goal of the law is to reduce carbon emissions in the city’s building stock by 80% by 2050.  

While there are many details still in the works concerning LL97 and most of the law’s intricacies won’t be known until 2023, here are a few points we know today that NYC facility managers and energy planners should note: 

• Compliance for LL97 begins in 2024. 
• The law establishes emissions regulations on buildings over 25,000 square feet that are subject to benchmarking. 
• LL97 sets increasingly stringent carbon emission limits per square foot in 2024 and 2030. 
• Covered buildings are expected to cut combined carbon emissions by roughly 5.3 million metric tons, which is in-line with San Francisco’s citywide emissions. 

Roughly 50,000 buildings in New York City stand to be affected by LL97. Many of those in the commercial sector are currently above the law’s emission limits and may require comprehensive retrofits and/or alternate compliance. 

Next up for Local Law 97’s development is for the Climate Advisory Board, established under section 28-320.2 of the law, to provide recommendations to the Commissioner and Mayor’s Office on how best to effectively reduce GHG emissions from buildings to achieve compliance.

The results of the Advisory Board’s efforts will be documented in reports to the Mayor and the Speaker of the City Council and submitted no later than January 1, 2023. 

The 2024 compliance deadline may sound like it is far enough into the future not to warrant attention, but when it comes to implementing energy management strategies at NYC properties (or a family of them), it’s right around the corner. 

The time to evaluate potential upgrades and explore sound energy management strategies to further comply with LL97 is now.

We will be monitoring Local Law 97 and other regulatory developments in New York City. Feel free to contact CPower’s New York team with any questions about Local Law 97 and what it might mean to your organization.