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On January 25, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order withdrawing all federal permits for wind-generated projects, effectively derailing New York’s planned electric grid conversion to renewable sources. This federal action confirms what has already been acknowledged at the state level—the grid will not be ready to support the mandated shift to cleaner energy in time to meet Local Law 97’s strict emissions caps.
LINK TO EXECUTIVE ORDER:
Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government's Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects – The White House
As previously reported, reports from the New York State Comptroller’s Office and Governor Kathy Hochul herself have publicly confirmed that the NYS electric grid lacks the necessary infrastructure to transition away from fossil fuels in accordance with Local Law 97’s timeline. Things have gone from bad to worse for the readiness of the NYC electric grid to renewable sources in light of this Executive Order. Despite this, the law still imposes crippling financial penalties on cooperative and condominium homeowners, who are being forced to comply with an unrealistic and unattainable mandate.
Local Law 97 still forces co-ops and condos to either comply or face crushing financial penalties—when the means to comply simply do not exist. With offshore wind now indefinitely stalled, buildings cannot switch to clean electricity because it does not exist at scale. New York City’s hardworking cooperative and condominium homeowners will be hit with massive fines for carbon emissions they have no ability to reduce, creating economic uncertainty and financial hardship. With fewer renewable energy sources, buildings will be forced to purchase dirtier electricity at higher costs, while still being fined for their emissions. This is an absurd and unsustainable outcome.
It is simply unacceptable for the City of New York to force co-op and condo owners into financial ruin over an energy transition that the government itself has failed to implement properly. Local Law 97 penalties must be delayed, or else thousands of homeowners will face unjust and devastating financial penalties through no fault of their own.
We will keep you posted on any developments in this matter.
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