NY Renews on Ruling that NY Must Uphold Climate Law and Release Regulations to Limit Greenhouse Gas Emissions
For Immediate Release: October 25, 2025
Contact: Marie Scarles, marie@nyrenews.org, (646) 389-8429
Web: www.nyrenews.org | Instagram | Twitter | Bluesky | Facebook
New York — After the New York State Supreme Court ruled that Governor Hochul’s administration must issue regulations that comply with the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets by February 2026, NY Renews Executive Director Stephan Edel released the following statement on behalf of the coalition:
“Today’s ruling is a massive win for climate and environmental justice in New York: Gov. Hochul’s administration must release regulations to lower the amount of toxic, planet-warming greenhouse gases and pollution that poison our communities by February of next year.
This ruling is a powerful message that the Climate Act is the law and must be enforced. The Governor cannot continue to ignore the law and jeopardize New Yorkers’ lives and future.
For Black, Brown, Indigenous, and low-income people living near polluting facilities and infrastructure, taking bold steps to cap pollution and invest in NY communities is the difference between life and death, sickness and health.
By capping pollution and making corporate polluters pay for their emissions while lowering the pollution cap over time, NY could raise upwards of six billion dollars a year to invest in building green and healthy homes powered by clean energy, creating tens of thousands of union jobs, and lowering energy bills — all things New Yorkers desperately need as we face the triple threats of the climate crisis, the rise of authoritarianism, and rising cost of living.
Thank you to Citizen Action of New York, PUSH Buffalo, Sierra Club, and WE ACT for bringing this suit and defending our right to a livable future.
Our coalition's member organizations and communities celebrate this landmark step in our fight to build a thriving, healthy, and just NY for all.”
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NY Renews is a coalition of nearly 400 climate, labor, youth, and community groups, and the force behind the nation’s most progressive climate law. We fight for clean energy, good jobs, and a healthier, more affordable New York.