ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A dozen New York lawmakers have introduced legislation to codify Gov. Andrew Cuomo's goal of eliminating human-produced greenhouse gas emissions statewide by 2050, replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy.
The bill would direct the Department of Environmental Conservation within a year to issue regulations requiring reporting of annual emissions from major sources and establish a registry and reporting system measured in tons of carbon dioxide equivalents.
The department would determine the 1990s emissions levels, then require statewide reductions to that same level by 2020, followed by deeper periodic reductions over the next 30 years.
Sponsors say the harm from global warming includes rising seas, more extreme weather, and spreading infectious diseases.
