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. 

Gov. Hochul under pressure from climate activists and environmentalist, signed the Climate Change Superfund Act on December 26. Photo Marc A. Hermann / MTA licensed under CC BY 2.0 DEED.

Industry Groups May Challenge Law

State officials still have to work out the details of how the program will be structured and how the funds will be disbursed. But Hochul and other Democrats called it a “landmark” law, citing how it would make some of the biggest polluters bankroll climate adaptation efforts.

“By creating a Climate Change Adaptation Cost Recovery Program, this law ensures that these companies contribute to the funding of critical infrastructure investments, such as coastal protection and flood mitigation systems, to enhance the climate resilience of communities across the state,” Hochul said in a statement.

Still, industry groups have signaled they might challenge the law in court, which could hold up any implementation.

“This type of legislation represents nothing more than a punitive new fee on American energy, and we are evaluating our options moving forward,” a spokesperson for the American Petroleum Institute said in a statement on Thursday.

The Business Council of New York State and over 30 business groups earlier this month called on Hochul to veto the bill, arguing that it “targets sellers of fossil fuels while ignoring users as a contributor to emissions.”

“If signed, the law would certainly face a long and costly legal challenge,” the council said in a release on December 5.

The bill was sponsored by State Sen. Liz Krueger and Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz, who both represent parts of New York City. The state Legislature passed the measure in the spring.

In a memo accompanying her approval of the legislation, Hochul wrote that the law would allow New York to “recoup” funds from companies “responsible for more than 1 billion metric tons of covered greenhouse gas emissions.” She added that the enacted measure will give the state Department of Environmental Conservation more time and authority to set up the superfund and will “ensure sufficient public involvement and transparency” around projects developed through the program.

According to estimates from Krueger’s office, addressing extreme weather will cost more than a half-trillion dollars statewide by 2050. Dinowitz’s office said infrastructure that would qualify for the program includes coastal wetlands restoration, stormwater system upgrades, and efficient cooling systems in public buildings.

Next TCCPI Meeting

Friday, January 31, 2025

9 to 11 am

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

Original Ban Only Addressed Water-Based Methods

Assemblymember Anna Kelles introduced the legislation, which was passed by the legislature in March. It prohibits drilling and fracking for natural gas and oil using supercritical CO2, a pressurized form of the gas. Advocates and lawmakers argued that CO2 fracking poses risks similar to those of water-based

fracking, which New York banned in 2014, while introducing additional environmental and health hazards.

Kelles said the original law only addressed water-based methods, leaving the door open to alternative technologies like CO2 fracking.

"We must stay ahead of the fossil fuel industry's attempts to exploit loopholes in our laws," she said. "This bill ensures that CO2 fracking—a method fraught with risks—is never allowed to take hold in New York." Kelles added, "This was a time-sensitive issue since a company was already pursuing leases to begin CO2 fracking in New York. By passing this bill, we've prevented a disaster before it could start." 

Kelles highlighted numerous dangers associated with the practice, including the risk of pipeline explosions and chemical leaks. 

A 2020 pipeline explosion in Satartia, Mississippi, resulted in mass CO2 poisoning and sent 45 people to the hospital. In addition, underground CO2 injection can destabilize rock formations, increase earthquake risk, corrode well casings, and acidify groundwater.

The ban aligns with New York's broader climate goals under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), which mandates a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This includes methane emissions, which have increased in New York since 2019 as the state has increased its reliance on natural gas piped in from fracking plants in Pennsylvania.

According to a United Nations report, methane is around 80 times more effective at trapping heat than CO2 over a 20-year period.

Despite the expanded ban, some fracking methods remain unaddressed by New York's laws. These include oil-based and foam-based fracking methods, which are typically used in formations with specific geological conditions.

"While these other methods are less common and not currently in use in New York, we must remain vigilant," said Kelles. "The fossil fuel industry is resourceful, and we need to continue refining our policies to protect public health and the environment."

An artist’s rendering of Meinig Fieldhouse. Construction was scheduled to begin in Fall 2024, with opening planned for 2026. Photo credit: Sasaki Associates.

With the Trump administration taking office on January 20, it's become clear that efforts to stave off runaway climate change will have to focus on state and local policy.

Trump has promised to halt federal support for clean energy technology and electric vehicles, and he has pledged to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accord, reverse a key regulation aimed at reducing emissions from power plants, and roll back other rules aimed at curbing climate change and air and water pollution.

Offshore wind is a crucial component of New York's attempt to achieve 70 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030. Photo by David Dixon/Walney Offshore Windfarm licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Clean Energy's Rapid Growth Continues

One bright light, though, is the fact that Trump can slow down progress, but he can’t stop the transformation of the domestic and global economies sparked by the clean energy revolution.

More than 40 percent of all global power in 2023 came from renewable sources, and investments in renewable energy are accelerating because prices have dropped dramatically. In fact, more than 80 percent of new electricity capacity around the world comes from carbon-free sources.

NY's Leadership Role

Nonetheless, action at the state and local levels will be imperative going forward. With Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signing of the Climate Change Superfund Act, New York has taken on a leadership role that will give the state an opportunity to defy the president-elect’s attempt to reverse climate action. This new law, as explained above, will require the biggest oil and gas companies to contribute to a fund that will be used for infrastructure projects meant to protect New York residents from increasingly dangerous climate disasters like storms and sea level rise.

Another major step in the state’s climate fight took place when Hochul, at the same time, signed into law a prohibition on using carbon dioxide for fracking, closing a loophole in New York’s existing hydraulic fracturing ban (also reported above). This legislation, introduced by Assemblymember Anna Kelles in March, signals a determination to keep the fracking industry out of the state.

These two steps forward should be applauded, while at the same time recognizing the importance of continuing the push on climate action and clean energy in Albany when the state legislature opens its new session on January 8. Efforts to ensure that New York obtains 70 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030, as called for by the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) are especially critical.

Expanding offshore wind, implementing congestion pricing in New York City, eliminating subsidies for new gas hookups as well as the Public Service Commission’s obligation to provide gas service, reducing state tax breaks provided to the fossil fuel industry, putting in place a true cap-and-invest program with guardrails to keep it from devolving into cap-and-trade, increasing the kinds of containers covered by the state’s bottle law, and addressing the issue of plastic packaging are just some of the ways New York can continue to strengthen its leadership role on the climate and clean energy fronts.

At the local level, we've seen a disappointing step backward with the continued attempt by Cornell University to install synthetic turf fields on campus. Given the recent finding that 2024 is set to become the hottest year on record, the massive rollout of plastic undertaken by Cornell at its athletic facilities is a bad look, to say the least.

Equally dismaying is the apparently superficial investigation by the city planning board as part of the approval process. The board’s negative declaration of environmental significance, precluding the need for the kind of thorough environmental impact statement (EIS) called for by Zero Waste Ithaca, is hard to fathom in light of existing scientific research outlining the harmful public health and environmental effects of synthetic turf. We can only hope that the lawsuit launched by this activist organization will result in greater transparency regarding the risks involved.

Peter Bardaglio

TCCPI Coordinator