Update: The NYC Department of Buildings published the final version of these rules in December 2022. You can read the final rules here.
Published November 1, 2022
The NYC Department of Buildings has released the much-anticipated Proposed Rules for Local Law 97. The comprehensive package refines many of the law’s details on carbon accounting and compliance requirements through 2050. Once finalized, these rules will shape the law for the decades ahead.
On November 1, we hosted a special webinar with the Department of Buildings to sift through the details and unpack the technical guidance, including:
- New property types and GHG limits;
- 2030 carbon coefficients for all fuel types, including electricity;
- Limitation on deductions for renewable energy credits to electricity use;
- Many other technical details like calculations for solar, storage, cogen, campus properties and time-of-use electricity; and
- How to submit comments on the Proposed Rules.
These proposed rules are the result of significant work from DOB’s newly-created Bureau of Sustainability, along with partner agencies, the Local Law 97 Advisory Board and Working Groups.
And make sure to read our blog on the five things to know about the proposed rules.
Speakers
Laura Popa
Deputy Commissioner for Sustainability, NYC Department of Buildings
Laura joined the DOB after more than 22 years of public service as a legal and policy advisor at the New York City Council and the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. During her career in public service, she oversaw the development of legislation and policy at the City Council and directed the Council’s efforts to enact landmark legislation that supports citywide greenhouse gas emissions limits, the institutionalization of long-term sustainability and resiliency planning, and the expansion of clean and renewable energy. She also served on numerous advisory boards and task forces related to sustainability and was a member of the Mayor’s Commission on Gender Equity.
Gina Bocra, RA, LEED AP BD+C/ID+C
Chief Sustainability Officer, NYC Department of Buildings
With 19 years of sustainability experience, Gina leads a DOB team of specialists charged with enforcing the Energy Code. Gina supports the implementation of laws addressing benchmarking, audits and retro-commissioning, and lighting and sub-metering, while also contributing to new legislation to increase energy efficiency in New York City’s building stock. She assists with the continued development of the New York City Construction Codes and the NYC Energy Code to accommodate advances in sustainability.
Ian Graham
Deputy Director, Building Emissions, NYC Department of Buildings
Ian has taken an active leadership role in the LL97 team’s efforts to develop the requirements around compliance and enforcement. Most recently he has been instrumental in managing the effort to develop the technical details for the rules related to LL97. He joined the DOB in 2020 after 26 years in the private sector providing Sustainable Design consulting. He is a recognized leader in the energy efficiency and sustainable design industry with detailed experience in sustainable design, energy modeling, energy audits, commissioning, environmental awareness, and regulatory development for energy codes and green buildings.
Ross MacWhinney
Senior Advisor, NYC Mayor's Office of Climate and Environmental Justice
Ross MacWhinney is a Senior Advisor in the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice where he develops and implements policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings. Ross has over 16 years of experience in climate change mitigation and was a key architect of NYC’s Local Law 97. He has expertise in climate action planning and policy development, data science, building energy efficiency, greenhouse gas accounting, carbon offset verification, and carbon markets. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social and Decision Sciences from Carnegie Mellon University, a Master of Policy Administration in Environmental Policy and Science from Columbia University, and a Master of Science in Urban Informatics from the NYU Tandon School of Engineering.
Moderator
Christopher Halfnight
Senior Director, Research & Policy
Chris leads Urban Green’s policy initiatives, working with stakeholders and policymakers to advance energy efficiency and green building in New York City and State. He was Vice Chair of and managed the 80×50 Buildings Partnership, a collaboration of more than 40 leading stakeholders to shape an energy performance policy for NYC’s large buildings. Prior to Urban Green, Chris was an attorney at Shearman & Sterling LLP and worked on energy policy at the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the Natural Resources Defense Council. He holds a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws, and Bachelor of Civil Law from McGill University, as well as a Master’s in Environmental Management with a specialization in energy from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.