“Congestion pricing is just one of many tools that will help tame some of the city street chaos a generation of car-centric planning left us with. And one of the primary benefactors of congestion pricing will be automobile drivers themselves.”
Government
After Criticism, City Staffs Up Local Law 97 Enforcement
Mariana Simões |
At a City Council hearing this week, the Department of Buildings said it has nearly doubled the number of staff members dedicated to implementing the city’s landmark law to lower building emissions.
Economy
Updated Tax Credit Would Help Low-Income Homeowners Afford Solar Panels, Environmentalists Say
Mariana Simões |
Installing residential solar panels requires a hefty upfront investment. In 2023, it cost on average over $36,000 per property before incentives, according to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
Brooklyn
From the Archives: Fighting to Fix the Red Hook Houses, 1994
Jeanmarie Evelly |
“We have 10,000 residents and no decent park here,” Judith Dailey, a tenant association leader for the public housing complex, told a City Limits’ reporter in February 1994. “There was no one there to represent that interest.”
Government
Chemical Industry Amps Up Lobbying to Block New York’s Waste Reduction Bill
Mariana Simões |
As a bill that aims to drastically cut the use of plastic packaging gains momentum in Albany, the chemical industry has increased spending to stop it, pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into the effort.
CITY VIEWS: OPINIONS and ANALYSIS
Opinion: Restoring our Children’s Future Through Ecosystems of Support
Wesner Pierre |
“While Community Schools—New York’s exemplary model for engaging children in school and guiding them to maturity—were spared in January from millions in anticipated city budget cuts, come July, they will still lose critical COVID-related funding that supports the youth and families who need it most.”
Health and Environment
NYC Housing Calendar, March 4-11
Jeanmarie Evelly |
City Limits rounds up the latest housing and land use-related events, public hearings and upcoming affordable housing lotteries that are ending soon.
Brooklyn
Opinion: BQGreen Plan Shows Why New York Must Adopt the People’s Climate Justice Budget
Maritza Davila and Rami Dinnawi |
Decking the BQE trench in the Southside of Williamsburg is not just about turning concrete into greenery; it’s about mitigating the impacts of infrastructure that has long plagued our community.
CITY VIEWS: OPINIONS and ANALYSIS
Opinion: The UnitedHealthcare-Mount Sinai Contract Dispute Must be Resolved
Michael Osso |
“Patients should never be the forgotten piece in a contract negotiation between healthcare entities. They should be the central focus.”
Government
Local Law 97’s ‘Mediated Resolution’ Clause Gives Too Much Leeway for Exemptions, Lawyers Say
Mariana Simões |
The Dept. of Buildings has the power to offer a mediated resolution to landlords who don’t comply with the city’s building emissions law, bypassing fines if they promise to get back on track. But lawyers fear the provision leaves the door open for DOB to evoke it too freely, and question whether the agency has the staff capacity to monitor such deals.
CITY VIEWS: OPINIONS and ANALYSIS
Opinion: NYC Comptroller Should Fight Climate Change, Not Finance It
Margaret Perkins and Pete Sikora |
“Blue cities and states have much more pension fund money than red states. As the saying goes, money talks. It’s time for Comptroller Lander to put money that he manages where his mouth is. New Yorkers need him to fight for our interests at least as hard as red state politicians fight for the oil and gas corporations.”