TCCPI is a multisector collaboration seeking to leverage the climate action commitments made by Cornell University, Ithaca College, Tompkins Cortland Community College, Tompkins County, the City of Ithaca, and the Town of Ithaca to mobilize a countywide energy efficiency effort and accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy. Launched in June 2008 and generously supported by the Park Foundation, TCCPI is a project of the Sustainable Markets Foundation.

We are committed to helping Tompkins County achieve a dynamic economy, healthy environment, and resilient community through a focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy. 

This apartment building at EcoVillage at Ithaca is a outstanding example of an all-electric building. Photo courtesy of Cornell Cooperative Extension.

First State to Ban Fossil Fuels in New Construction

The vote came after the code council went missing in action for more than two months, leaving some advocates nervous that the state might be wavering on the gas ban. With the rules now entering the final stage of the approval process, New York remains on track to be the first state to enact such a ban.

The new draft code also tightens a slew of other standards in a bid to make buildings more energy efficient and save residents money over the long term. But it leaves out several key provisions recommended in the state’s climate plan, possibly running afoul of a 2022 law.

Specifically, the draft energy code leaves out requirements that new homes include on-site energy storage and be wired such that owners can easily add electric vehicle chargers (when the property includes parking space) and solar panels. The state’s 2022 climate plan listed these three provisions as “key strategies” to achieve New York’s legally binding emissions targets. On-site energy storage also makes homes more resilient when disasters strike, the plan noted, providing backup power in the event of a blackout.

A separate 2022 law required the state to take those recommendations into account when updating its building code.

“Updating the infrastructure for those things is a key part of what this transition is,” said Michael Hernandez, New York policy director at the pro-electrification group Rewiring America.

The Department of State, which oversees New York’s code development process, did not respond to a request for comment.

Buildings are New York’s largest source of emissions, according to the state’s accounting, amounting to nearly one-third of all climate pollution. New York’s buildings burn more fossil fuels for heat and hot water than any other state’s, according to the clean energy group RMI. That contributes not only to global warming but also to local air pollution, with deadly consequences: A 2021 study by Harvard researchers found that pollution from New York’s buildings causes nearly 2,000 premature deaths a year.

Cutting that pollution will require major upgrades to the state’s aging housing stock, an enormous challenge. But climate hawks stress that the first and easiest step is to stop digging the hole deeper, by making new buildings as climate-friendly as possible. Making them all electric is a key part of that. But other, subtler changes can also play an important role.

The fossil fuel industry, for its part, is taking those changes seriously. Gas trade groups led a major fight to keep provisions such as the EV-ready requirement out of the national building code that provides a model for states including New York. After nearly five years of wrangling, the International Code Council —actually a national nonprofit—that oversees the process voted not to include the provisions as requirements, siding with the gas groups over the advice of its own experts.

Among the parties who stood up for the stricter energy code: a New York state code official, who joined advocates like Hernandez one year ago in urging the International Code Council to keep the requirements in. Yet the state is now following the national group’s lead and relegating the solar, electric vehicle, and battery standards to the appendices of its draft code. That means they can still serve as templates for localities that want to adopt the tougher standards, but they’re not required.

Fossil fuel interests and some Republican lawmakers have argued that including such mandates would only drive up the cost of new homes at a time when housing is already deeply unaffordable. But climate advocates point out that it’s far cheaper to install electrical infrastructure up front than add it in later on—as much as six times cheaper in the case of an EV charger, for example.

That’s in keeping with many of the green rules that New York did include in its new draft code. Chris Corcoran, a code expert at the state energy authority NYSERDA, told the code council on Friday that adopting the full suite of proposed energy rules will add about $2 per square foot to the up-front cost of new homes, but save residents more than three times that over 30 years.

It’s not entirely clear who in New York has pushed to leave the storage, solar, and EV provisions out. Only eight groups disclosed that they lobbied on the building and energy codes last year, and it’s not obvious that any of them had a specific interest in opposing those rules.

Officials speaking at Friday’s meeting did not explain why they left out the requirements. One lawyer who helped draft the updated energy rules, Ben Kosinski, left the Department of State just this month to work as chief counsel for the Senate Republicans, for whom he also worked before joining the code office, according to his LinkedIn profile. The GOP caucus has voted almost unanimously against the laws driving the pro-electrification updates to the code. (Kosinski did not immediately reply to a request for comment.)

Although the council voted unanimously on Friday to advance the all-electric rules, not all members supported the move. William Tuyn, a builders’ representative from the Buffalo area, noted that the state adds roughly 40,000 homes a year, a tiny fraction of the roughly 7 million that already exist.

“We don’t even make a dent in the issue of climate change by focusing there,” he said, in the final minutes of the meeting. “The legislature did what they did. That ship has sailed… [but] we really need to concentrate on renewables or improving the grid if we’re really going to be able to do something and we’re not just going to simply crash the economy of the state of New York.”

Several lawmakers urged the council on Friday to include the full suite of climate provisions in the final rules.

“These provisions are not trivial add-ons. They are the backbone of a truly effective energy code,” said Neil Jimenez, legislative director for Assemblymember Yudelka Tapia. “Their exclusion weakens the very foundation upon the policies we’ve fought so hard to put into place here in Albany.”

Next TCCPI Meeting

Friday, March 28, 2025

9 to 11 am

TCCPI meetings have moved online. Contact Peter Bardaglio, the TCCPI coordinator, for further details at pbardaglio@gmail.com.

Leverages Buying Power

“This is the Costco of energy,” Evans said. “It gives us the buying power that we wouldn’t ordinarily have if, say, each individual resident were to go to the energy market and try to negotiate a better price for renewable energy on their own.”

The program allows the city and town of Ithaca to compile most eligible energy accounts into a single purchasing pool. This enables competitive bidding from energy suppliers to secure rates that aim to “meet or beat” default rates set by NYSEG, the region’s primary utility.

According to Evans, “these types of programs typically aim at achieving 10-15% savings.” She added, “we won’t launch the program if the prices are going to be higher than what the default price from NYSEG is.”

Evans clarified the limitations of the program regarding energy costs, saying that while it could help mitigate increases in supply rates due to the development of community owned renewable energy sources, delivery rate increases would still apply because NYSEG infrastructure wouldn’t be replaced.

“This program would provide us some protection from an increase in price on supply based on how the energy is generated,” Evans said. “What it will not protect you against are delivery rate increases because all the infrastructure it takes to actually get the energy to you is still owned by NYSEG.”

The program will provide both electricity and natural gas options, with an eventual goal of phasing out natural gas in line with Ithaca’s Green New Deal (IGND) goals. According to Evans, “The goals for the IGND mean we will come off of gas eventually, but for now, we will purchase both.”

The program operates as an opt-out system, meaning eligible customers will automatically be enrolled unless they actively choose not to participate. However, large energy users such as Cornell University and Ithaca College, as well as residents receiving energy assistance, will be excluded.

Evans said that residents receiving assistance will be excluded to protect them from potential cost increases. “If they were to opt into CCA, it’s more than likely that they would lose their assistance [so] it’s not in their best interest [and] they should stay with NYSEG.”

Evans noted that large energy users like Cornell University and Ithaca College won’t be automatically included in the program due to utility classification rules. “It has to do with the type of user they are,” she said. “Utilities have different customer categories, and major users typically fall into one of those weirder categories, so they’re not automatically enrolled.”

She said that the city plans to engage with these institutions to encourage their participation. “We’ll be reaching out to them to try to get them on board,” she said. “One way we’re doing this is by connecting TGEN to our Net Zero Energy Code, which takes effect in 2026.” Evans added, “they can meet the requirements of that code by purchasing renewable energy through TGEN instead of installing solar on their rooftops.”

Evans emphasized that public transparency is a cornerstone of TGEN. “We have a really big outreach plan,” she said. “We’ll be using direct mail, radio, TV, and in-person events to ensure residents are informed about their options.”

In addition to cost savings, TGEN is expected to deliver significant environmental benefits by immediately reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% to 30% of the city’s total emissions. The program also offers increased transparency around renewable energy credits, addressing common concerns about the legitimacy of “green” energy portfolios.

Evans said that “the program eliminates scope two emissions—47,600 metric tons of CO2 equivalents—which means we’re eliminating the emissions associated with electricity use.”

The program’s development began in 2022, but progress was stalled for nearly 19 months as the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) reviewed and updated its regulations for CCA administrators. Approval for Ithaca’s administrator, Local Power, finally came through on Christmas Eve, 2024.

Evans described the delay as frustrating but said that new state regulations have simplified the process and increased oversight to prevent fraud.

“There were a lot of bad actors within New York State that lacked transparency, especially in the renewable energy market,” she said. “Our administrator is currently the only one approved to do business in New York, which is great because we really like them.”

The program is expected to launch in phases throughout 2025. A 120-day public outreach and education period will begin this spring, during which residents will receive detailed information, including price comparisons between NYSEG and TGEN rates. Enrollment is anticipated by November 2025.

Adaptation and flexibility key to continued success of Finger Lakes wineries. Photo by Anthony G. Reyes licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.

Last year saw a string of costly extreme weather events fueled by climate change across New York, including record rainfall, flash flooding, and tornadoes in upstate communities. This past August Tropical Storm Debby's remnants caused flash flooding and widespread damage in the Finger Lakes.

These events altogether caused over $1 billion in damages in New York in 2024. In the face of escalating costs, by implementing a good cap-and-invest system, the state has an important opportunity to bring in much-needed funds to pay for climate damage going forward, while also reducing emissions from major polluters.

New York Air Guard Airmen help clear debris in Rome, NY following tornado in July 2024. The state National Guard activated 60 soldiers and airmen to help clear debris in the city. Courtesy photo by Major Ryan Marquette.

A Strong Cap-and Invest Program Needed

A strong cap-and-invest program will impose limits on the amount of emissions allowed by polluters and charge them to do so. With those funds, New York can more seriously invest in upgrades to homes to make them more energy efficient and run on clean, renewable energy while also boosting our local economy.

These measures will be especially important as residents absorb the costly increases in energy charged by NYSEG and other state utilities.

The Time for Delay is Over

Cap-and-invest is critical to meeting the targets of the state's Climate Law. It also ensures New York can provide the level of investment necessary to make energy affordable while also boosting our economy.

Done the right way, Gov. Kathy Hochul, the DEC, and NYSERDA can lead New York into a new year that makes corporate polluters pay. At the same time, cap-and-invest could unlock billions of dollars for investments that drive sustainable economic development, increase energy efficiency, improve public health, and direct funds into neighborhoods to support community-led clean energy transitions.

Unfortunately, while draft regulations were originally due to be issued by now, with revenue beginning to flow by later in the year, Gov. Hochul recently announced that draft regulations won’t be issued until the end of 2025, and even then it appears these will only be partial.

Gov. Hochul's delay in rolling out the program's regulations ignores the urgency of the moment: the climate emergency has arrived and we must deal with it immediately. By continuing to stall, the governor increases the burden on disadvantaged communities, worsens harmful emissions, and allows polluters to go unchecked.

The governor first promised the cap-and-invest program over two years ago as the foundation of New York’s climate strategy. Now it appears that instead of promised regulations, we will see at least another year of delays. This move is part and parcel of a growing legacy of inaction and broken commitments on the most urgent crisis of our time.

We need leaders in Albany who are willing to take bold, decisive action to cut air pollution and lower greenhouse gas emissions. It is time to push for faster action from Gov. Hochul. Especially with a new administration in Washington actively hostile to climate policy, and with the state’s utility rates skyrocketing, it is critical that the cap-and-invest program be implemented as soon as possible.

In doing so, we can protect the residents of Ithaca and Tompkins County, as well as future generations, from the most harmful effects of the climate crisis.

Peter Bardaglio

TCCPI Coordinator