New York fiscal budget phases out fossil fuel use in new buildings News
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New York fiscal budget phases out fossil fuel use in new buildings

The New York State Assembly Tuesday enacted the State Fiscal Year 2023-24 Budget which will phase out the use of fossil fuels in buildings beginning in 2025.

The budget also mandates that new buildings exclusively use electric heating and cooking. This provision will take effect for buildings shorter than seven stories in 2026 and taller buildings in 2029.

The State Assembly says that new hospitals, critical infrastructure and commercial food establishments will be exempt from these requirements, and existing buildings will not be affected by the provisions.

In response to the budget, New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated:

With this Budget, we are delivering on our promise to make the Empire State a more affordable, more livable, safer place for all New Yorkers. These bold investments will lift up New Yorkers of today — and tomorrow — while maintaining a solid fiscal footing, and I thank my partners in the Legislature for their collaboration throughout this process.

The use of gas stoves became the subject of political controversy at the beginning of 2023, revealing a tension between consumer choice and freedom from pollution. Republican politicians decried comments from US Product Safety Commission Chair Richard Trumpka, Jr. which indicated that gas stoves may eventually be banned, although the Biden administration does not support such a ban. Trumka’s comments came after a study found that 12.7 percent of childhood asthma cases are attributable to gas stoves.

Last month, the Biden administration proposed two initiatives aimed at decreasing passenger and heavy-duty vehicle emissions.