New York Governor Issues Executive Order to Advance Sustainability Operations

New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Sept. 20 signed an executive order to expedite attempts to make state operations more sustainable. Moreover, the Governor also declared that state organisations and government departments, accounting for an anticipated $50 billion in funds, have pledged to attain net zero emissions in their investment portfolios by 2040. The announcement makes certain that the state’s monetary supplies are in sync with its clean energy requirements as authorised in the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

By way of the executive order, the GreenNY Council will make certain that state organisations stick to best procedures in green purchasing and in their processes by releasing new green procurement plans and operating directives. The Executive Order will be overseen by the GreenNY Council, a multi-group working company co-chaired by a number of institutions. As part of the order, annual reporting is mandatory from agencies and organisations to guarantee that the aims of the order are attained.

The order encompasses many objectives and goals including; all power used in the state’s processes will originate from renewable energy by 2030 and all light-duty non-emergency vehicle fleets will be Zero Emission Vehicles by 2035. The order further states that 11 trillion British thermal units of energy savings shall be attained by 2025 through the BuildSmart 2025 schedule.

Moreover, the order limits new state amenities that enter design and allows starting in 2024 from using infrastructure that can be employed for the combustion of fossil fuels. In addition, climate resiliency at state amenities will be increased.

The Executive Order takes action to certify that state actions do not have an uneven load on deprived communities by directing the GreenNY Council to establish what state facilities are situated within deprived areas and act accordingly.