State
Climate deadlines
Photo: Alvin Khaled · CC BY-SA 4.0
Where do you stand?
Hold
Not sure
Don’t hold
Photo: Alvin Khaled · CC BY-SA 4.0
New York should keep its climate law's current deadlines, with no more delays.
Politician
Stance
KH
Kathy C. Hochul
G
Leaning don’t hold
BB
Bruce A. Blakeman
G
Don’t hold
LJ
Letitia A. James
A
Not on record
SK
Saritha Komatireddy
A
Not on record
TD
Thomas P. DiNapoli
C
Not on record
JH
Joseph Hernandez
C
Not on record
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You
Where do you stand?
Hold
Not sure
Don’t hold
The issue
Whether New York should stick to its climate law's deadlines for cutting pollution, or slow them down.
A court ruled the state missed the law's deadline to write pollution rules. The May 2026 budget moved that deadline to Dec. 31, 2028, five years late, and the debate now is over holding to it or delaying more.
Hold
Firm deadlines cut pollution sooner, protect health, and give businesses a clear plan, while each delay adds to long-term climate costs.
Don’t hold
A state analysis warned the rules could add over $4,100 a year to some upstate energy bills before aid (about $2,500 after), so slowing down protects family budgets.
Good to know
1
The 2019 law originally set goals to cut greenhouse gases 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2050. The 2026 changes replaced the 2030 goal with a 60%-by-2040 target and kept the 2050 limit. Source ↗
2
A February 2026 state energy agency memo estimated costs of more than $4,100 a year by 2031 for some upstate households heating with gas or oil, before aid (about $2,500 after the aid it modelled). Source ↗
3
The 2026 changes also changed how methane is counted, so it weighs about one-third as much in the state's totals. Source ↗
Words to know
CLCPA
The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, New York's 2019 climate law.
Cap-and-invest
A system that caps pollution, makes polluters buy permits, and spends the money on clean energy and bill relief.
Greenhouse gases
Gases like carbon dioxide and methane that trap heat and warm the planet.
Latest
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia Law School
Unpacking New York State's Rollback of its Landmark Climate Law
2026-06-05
↗
City & State New York
Hochul got most of the climate rollbacks she wanted in this year's budget
2026-05-26
↗
City & State New York
Climate law mandates could cost New Yorkers $4,000 in higher energy bills, state analysis shows
2026-02
↗
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia Law School
Unpacking New York State's Rollback of its Landmark Climate Law
2026-06-05
↗
City & State New York
Hochul got most of the climate rollbacks she wanted in this year's budget
2026-05-26
↗
City & State New York
Climate law mandates could cost New Yorkers $4,000 in higher energy bills, state analysis shows
2026-02
↗