Read the NYC Green Codes Task Force Report.

In late March, the offices of Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn reconvened the Industry Advisory Committee of the NYC Green Codes Task Force to review each proposal of the report. In parallel, the Mayor’s Office initiated detailed discussions on the relevant recommendations with all affected city agencies.  This afternoon, nine bills were introduced at the City Council, representing the first fruits of this review and analysis. The Committee on Housing & Building will hold a first hearing on the bills on June 22.

As with all bills, those introduced today will undergo further amendment during the legislative process as additional stakeholders suggest changes.  It should be noted that these bills have been vetted by representatives of real estate, affordable housing, environmental organizations, and others, and already incorporate tremendous feedback.

As we readily acknowledged in February, completing the Task Force report was a major milestone but it was also just a first step in the long road towards legislation and rulemaking.  We knew the proposals would require refinement and further input from stakeholders.  That is true of the 9 bills introduced today, which are the first group reviewed by the offices of the Speaker and Mayor during this post-release process.  They primarily concern water efficiency and lighting energy efficiency.

With minor exception, we strongly support all changes that have been made to the proposals and incorporated into the bills.  The core goals of the proposals remain intact and the feedback received over the last months was constructive and nuanced, leading to stronger policies.  We are particularly pleased to see OC 1: Add Environmental Protection as a Fundamental Principal of Construction Codes in this first group as it represents the philosophical underpinning of the entire Codes Task Force effort.  Click here for an overview of the nine bills from this week and one bill from March and how they compare with the Task Force proposal on which they were based.

Other lighting and water efficiency proposals not included in this group require further study and refinement. We anticipate bills on some of the other proposals will be introduced later this year.  It is worth emphasizing for those not familiar with the legislative process that the 5-month turn around time from release of the Task Force report to the introduction of vetted bills is impressively fast.  We couldn’t be more pleased with the progress thus far.

I hope our members will closely follow the progress of these and other Task Force-related bills, contact your Council Members to express your support, and attend hearings on those of particular interest to you.