Today, the New York League of Conservation Voters released its 2019 City Council Environmental Scorecard outlining notable legislation and scoring Council Members based on votes and co-sponsors of pro-environment bills.
“The Trump Administration is undermining climate commitments in the midst of a climate crisis, and New York City must take the lead in establishing effective climate policy and set an example for local governments to remain committed to our environment,” said Julie Tighe, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters. “Our scorecard makes it clear that the New York City Council under the leadership of Speaker Corey Johnson has made climate action and environmental progress a priority.”
In 2019, The NYLCV Scorecard highlights numerous accomplishments and proposed legislation to tackle climate change, including:
- The Commercial Waste Zones bill to transform the way NYC handles commercial waste.
- Buildings Emissions Caps set greenhouse gas emissions limits for buildings, which make up the lion’s share of greenhouse gas emission in the City, to ensure the city meets its target of a 40% reduction in GHGs by 2030 and 80% by 2050.
- The Single-Use Paper Bag Fee opts the City into the fee for retail paper bags authorized by the State Bag Waste Reduction Act.
- The Diesel School Bus Phase Out requires all diesel school buses to be retired after they reach 10 years past the manufacturing date and be replaced by cleaner options – a bill that remains a priority for 2020.
- The Transit Master Plan requests the Department of Transportation to issue and implement a master plan for streets, sidewalks, and pedestrian spaces every five years.
In addition to scoring all of New York City’s Council Members, the report identifies fifteen Council Members who received perfect scores, meaning they consistently supported the environment on each key legislation. Councilmembers with a perfect score include Adrienne Adams, Diana Ayala, Justin Brannan, Margaret Chin, Costa Constantinides, Rafael Espinal*, Mathieu Eugene, Mark Levine, Carlos Menchaca, Antonio Reynoso, Donovan Richards, Carlina Rivera, Ydanis Rodriguez, Ritchie Torres, and Jimmy Van Bramer.
(* Council Member Espinal resigned from the City Council in January 2020)
Read the full NYC Council Environmental Scorecard here.