Who we are
New Yorkers for Affordable Reliable Energy (New Yorkers ARE) is an entirely grassroots organization started by New York residents who are concerned about radically increasing energy and housing costs. Its mission is to educate and advocate for reasonable climate policies, particularly regarding New York State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and New York City’s Local Law 97.
Our goal is to use our collective voice to effect change with local politicians. New York residents are facing several challenges over the next few election cycles. We must work together to advocate for our future.
New York state’s
“Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act”
On July 18, 2019, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act) was signed into law. New York State’s Climate Act is among the most ambitious climate laws in the nation and requires New York to reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and no less than 85 percent by 2050 from 1990 levels.
What this means:
Replacing our existing fossil fuel-based electric grid with emission-free technologies.
Why this matters:
The costs to build all-new electric grid infrastructure have not been properly evaluated or made clear to ratepayers.
The technologies to build an emission-free grid have never been demonstrated to work without fossil-fuel backup.
In addition to replacing our existing electric capacity, a new emission-free grid would need to be able to scale quickly to meet increasing electricity demand.
It is irresponsible for politicians to mandate electric cars, stoves, and buildings while at the same time transitioning the electric grid to untested technology. We must have a grid that is guaranteed to be reliable, affordable, and scalable to meet increasing electricity demand.
New York City’s Local Law 97
Under this groundbreaking law, most buildings over 25,000 square feet will be required to meet new energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions limits by 2024, with stricter limits coming into effect in 2030. The goal is to reduce the emissions produced by the city’s largest buildings 40 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050.
What this means:
Over the next decade, all buildings over 25,000 square feet will be required to fully electrify their infrastructure.
All systems that might currently run on natural gas or oil, including heat, hot water, and cooking, will need to be retrofitted to an electric system via heat pumps and electric stoves in order to avoid exacting annual penalties.
Why this matters:
The cost to fully retrofit a building to electric infrastructure is enormous, totaling several million dollars per building.
All of the money for these renovations would have to be levied as assessments or maintenance increases on tenants, shareholders, and homeowners.
These mandates will require doubling or tripling demand on New York City’s existing electric grid, which already suffers from reliability issues when energy demand peaks during the hottest days of the year.
The expenses are unaffordable and the potential for catastrophic grid failure is high.
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This is our original policy paper detailing the adverse consequences of electrifying buildings while transitioning the electric grid.
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A 5 page review of the issues as presented by New York Independent Systems Operator (NY ISO), Con Edison, and Urban Green.
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Blackouts in Spain and Portugal, caused by over-reliance on renewable energy, create major — dangerous — disruptions to every day life.
Learn about The Issues
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