{"id":367857,"date":"2025-02-27T08:17:53","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T07:17:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=367857"},"modified":"2025-02-27T08:17:55","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T07:17:55","slug":"amicus-brief-filed-in-glen-oaks-village-owners-v-city-of-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=367857","title":{"rendered":"Amicus Brief Filed in Glen Oaks Village Owners v. City Of New York"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Manhattan Contrarian<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Francis Menton<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back at the beginning of the year, I had a post titled \u201cNew York On The March To Climate Utopia.\u201d<\/a> The post took note that everything about New York State\u2019s vision for a zero-emissions economy and for \u201cclimate leadership\u201d was in the process of falling apart. Its contracts for vast offshore wind farms to replace fossil fuel generation had either been completely canceled (the majority) or rebid at much higher and uneconomic prices (the minority). Its two contracted facilities to produce \u201cgreen\u201d hydrogen to back up the intermittent wind and solar had run into financial difficulties and were likely to fail. It’s one big contracted high-capacity transmission line to bring the imaginary upstate wind and solar electricity to downstate markets had also been canceled, without stated reason but almost certainly because of unworkable economics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I illustrated the piece with this picture of Wile E. Coyote in the role of New York State, having run off the cliff and about to fall to the bottom of the canyon:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the few short weeks since that post, you would think that it would be almost impossible for the situation of New York\u2019s utopian climate plans to have gotten any worse. But in fact the situation has<\/em> gotten worse \u2014 much, much worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On January 20, President Trump was inaugurated, and he immediately went to work dismantling federal support and subsidies for \u201cgreen\u201d energy. By this January 20 Executive Order<\/a>, Trump \u201ctemporarily\u201d withdrew all of the Outer Continental Shelf from leasing for wind power projects. That appears to nix most, although perhaps not all, of New York\u2019s offshore wind plans. (Although the pause in leasing is said to be \u201ctemporary,\u201d there is no commitment that the leasing will ever resume.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also on January 20, Trump signed another Executive Order titled \u201cUnleashing American Energy.\u201d<\/a> That one, in Section 7, ordered an immediate halt to all disbursements of subsidies to \u201cgreen\u201d energy projects under the Inflation Reduction Act or Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All agencies shall immediately pause the disbursement of funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-169) or the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117-58), . . . and shall review their processes, policies, and programs for issuing grants, loans, contracts, or any other financial disbursements of such appropriated funds for consistency with the law and the policy outlined in section 2 of this order.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is highly likely that New York was relying on receiving many billions of dollars under these Acts to prop up its wind, solar, transmission and green hydrogen schemes. Again, the pause from this EO is only \u201ctemporary,\u201d but in all likelihood these funds will never come back during the Trump presidency, and probably ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, New York State\u2019s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019 (Climate Act) remains on the books. That statute commands the complete restructuring of New York\u2019s energy economy to reach \u201cnet zero\u201d greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, with a most immediate first deadline of 70% of electricity generation from \u201crenewables\u201d by 2030. They never had a credible plan to achieve that, but they pretended they were going to do most of it with the big offshore wind buildout. Now that that is dead, they don\u2019t even have a fake plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And also meanwhile, New York City\u2019s statute known as Local Law 97 also remains on the books. That\u2019s the statute that mandates that all residential buildings in excess of 25,000 square feet convert to electric heat by 2030 \u2014 the same year that the State\u2019s Climate Act mandates 70% of electricity generation from \u201crenewables,\u201d of which the large majority can only come from non-existent wind and solar. Thus, we have the city mandating a huge increase in electricity demand by 2030 at the same time that the State is mandating dismantling our existing reliable electricity generation with no credible plan to replace it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back in 2022, a group of co-op owners and boards in Queens brought a case in the New York State courts seeking to get the City\u2019s Local Law 97 declared invalid as \u201cpre-empted\u201d by the State\u2019s Climate Act. The case goes by the name Glen Oaks Village Owners, Inc. v. City of New York<\/em>. Since it started, the case has been tied up in motions and appeals. Initially, the trial court (in New York we call that the Supreme Court) dismissed the case, finding no pre-emption. However, the Appellate Division, First Department, reversed and ordered the trial court to consider whether there was pre-emption. Rather than going back to the trial court, the City decided to try to appeal to the Court of Appeals, our highest court, to get the dismissal re-instated. The case has just concluded briefing in that court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Friday, my co-counsel Cam Macdonald and I filed an amicus brief in this case on behalf of a group of parties including some co-op owners and a not-for-profit called New Yorkers for Affordable Reliable Energy. The amicus brief argues that the Climate Act and Local Law 97 are in irreconcilable conflict because the State via the Climate Act has no plan or ability to provide the electricity that would be needed to enable compliance with the City\u2019s Local Law 97. Here is a quote from our Summary of Argument:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The irreconcilability [of the two laws] arises from the simultaneous mandates in Local Law 97 and the Climate Act. First, Local Law 97 mandates that large residential buildings in New York City convert to electric heat by 2030. Meanwhile, the Climate Act requires 70 percent of the state\u2019s electricity come from \u201crenewables,\u201d also by 2030.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latter mandate requires replacing always-available fossil fuel electrical generation capacity with intermittent wind and solar electricity generation, Wind and solar cannot provide continuous electricity supply. Intermittency threatens buildings that have converted to electric heat with losing heat for extended periods in the dead of winter.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Climate Act, and a \u201cScoping Plan\u201d developed under it, contain no credible plan to provide the additional reliable electricity needed to heat all large New York City buildings, as Local Law 97 mandates.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t yet have a link for this amicus brief, but I will plan to update this post when a link becomes available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Court of Appeals has a chance here to save New York City and its residents from their own folly. It may or may not take advantage of the opportunity. If it takes a pass, and reinstates the dismissal of the case, Local Law 97 will still fail within a few years at most. It\u2019s just that, in that scenario, a lot of people stand to get hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Back at the beginning of the year, I had a post titled \u201cNew York On The March To Climate Utopia.\u201d The post took note that everything about New York State\u2019s vision for a zero-emissions economy and for \u201cclimate leadership\u201d was in the process of falling apart.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":367861,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818154,691818836,691819094,691833567,691818299,691833566],"class_list":{"0":"post-367857","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-net-zero","9":"tag-new-york-state","10":"tag-renewable-green-energy","11":"tag-states-climate-act","12":"tag-subsidies","13":"tag-unworkable-economics","15":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/0DTNnhubX0AUHGrN.jpeg?fit=2048%2C1463&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1xHb","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":297073,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=297073","url_meta":{"origin":367857,"position":0},"title":"Status Report From Another Would Be “Climate Leader,” The UK","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"19\/01\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"At any given moment in the course of human events, not everyone can be the leader. And thus can the world only have a small number of \u201cclimate leaders\u201d to light us the way to the Great Green Energy Nirvana of the future.","rel":"","context":"In \"climate leaders\"","block_context":{"text":"climate leaders","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-leaders"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-316.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-316.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-316.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-316.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-316.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":411725,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=411725","url_meta":{"origin":367857,"position":1},"title":"NY Politicians Face Climate Act Consequences","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"05\/11\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"There has been a new development for New York\u2019s Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act (Climate Act) net-zero plan. On Oct. 24, 2025, the New York Supreme Court issued a decision and order in a case pitting environmental organizations against the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate change\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate change","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-change"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQPUqJ2BPYmaGqwSShpVng-Y6DsMzqHe9L0-Uud2RerLLnhuZ0QhmbpJKcCrRXURNvMZWK107l8FRCtqa5eZuki6Nc637dOEVxsxdYbJwwFHDm2fpAvvPPne6QnD0Uw-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C597&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQPUqJ2BPYmaGqwSShpVng-Y6DsMzqHe9L0-Uud2RerLLnhuZ0QhmbpJKcCrRXURNvMZWK107l8FRCtqa5eZuki6Nc637dOEVxsxdYbJwwFHDm2fpAvvPPne6QnD0Uw-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C597&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQPUqJ2BPYmaGqwSShpVng-Y6DsMzqHe9L0-Uud2RerLLnhuZ0QhmbpJKcCrRXURNvMZWK107l8FRCtqa5eZuki6Nc637dOEVxsxdYbJwwFHDm2fpAvvPPne6QnD0Uw-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C597&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQPUqJ2BPYmaGqwSShpVng-Y6DsMzqHe9L0-Uud2RerLLnhuZ0QhmbpJKcCrRXURNvMZWK107l8FRCtqa5eZuki6Nc637dOEVxsxdYbJwwFHDm2fpAvvPPne6QnD0Uw-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C597&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQPUqJ2BPYmaGqwSShpVng-Y6DsMzqHe9L0-Uud2RerLLnhuZ0QhmbpJKcCrRXURNvMZWK107l8FRCtqa5eZuki6Nc637dOEVxsxdYbJwwFHDm2fpAvvPPne6QnD0Uw-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C597&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":438375,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=438375","url_meta":{"origin":367857,"position":2},"title":"New York’s Climate Activists Not Backing Off","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"09\/04\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"In New York State, the annual budget is due by April 1. Here we are on April 7, and no budget has yet emerged. Word is that the Governor and legislative leaders are hidden away behind closed doors hammering out the details. Word also is that somewhere in this \u201cbudget\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE)\"","block_context":{"text":"Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=alliance-for-a-green-economy-agree"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0-New-Yorks-Climate-Activists-Not-Backing-Off.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0-New-Yorks-Climate-Activists-Not-Backing-Off.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0-New-Yorks-Climate-Activists-Not-Backing-Off.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0-New-Yorks-Climate-Activists-Not-Backing-Off.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0-New-Yorks-Climate-Activists-Not-Backing-Off.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":236024,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=236024","url_meta":{"origin":367857,"position":3},"title":"New York Climate Act Scoping Plan Approved","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"24\/12\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Needless to say, I strongly endorse the statements of the three members who voted against the Scoping\u00a0Plan.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-780.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-780.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-780.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-780.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-780.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":416486,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=416486","url_meta":{"origin":367857,"position":4},"title":"Even “Progressives” Are Now Allowed to Notice That New York’s Climate Plans Are Crumbling","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"07\/12\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Today I spent the day with my excellent collaborator Richard Ellenbogen cross-examining witnesses at the New York Public Service Commission\u2019s hearing on whether the pending rate increase request of our utility Con Edison should be approved. We had a lot of fun. Although the hearing was theoretically open to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"\u201cclimate\u201d regime\"","block_context":{"text":"\u201cclimate\u201d regime","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-regime"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQMqMmQokZhSf57SBrGq5qSj2FQwPYb2-n_Ng4m6m67EzBc7AXMfJGrcc4s2UNxzgaOT4IuGptXkJts-82fhSxEL_iJvzs_0V-VRho-zcQ5OAucO6ES3HVVgAM9QTKg3CwpmPaq2KHkhYtfGenKKTbW7dfMvcg.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQMqMmQokZhSf57SBrGq5qSj2FQwPYb2-n_Ng4m6m67EzBc7AXMfJGrcc4s2UNxzgaOT4IuGptXkJts-82fhSxEL_iJvzs_0V-VRho-zcQ5OAucO6ES3HVVgAM9QTKg3CwpmPaq2KHkhYtfGenKKTbW7dfMvcg.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQMqMmQokZhSf57SBrGq5qSj2FQwPYb2-n_Ng4m6m67EzBc7AXMfJGrcc4s2UNxzgaOT4IuGptXkJts-82fhSxEL_iJvzs_0V-VRho-zcQ5OAucO6ES3HVVgAM9QTKg3CwpmPaq2KHkhYtfGenKKTbW7dfMvcg.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQMqMmQokZhSf57SBrGq5qSj2FQwPYb2-n_Ng4m6m67EzBc7AXMfJGrcc4s2UNxzgaOT4IuGptXkJts-82fhSxEL_iJvzs_0V-VRho-zcQ5OAucO6ES3HVVgAM9QTKg3CwpmPaq2KHkhYtfGenKKTbW7dfMvcg.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQMqMmQokZhSf57SBrGq5qSj2FQwPYb2-n_Ng4m6m67EzBc7AXMfJGrcc4s2UNxzgaOT4IuGptXkJts-82fhSxEL_iJvzs_0V-VRho-zcQ5OAucO6ES3HVVgAM9QTKg3CwpmPaq2KHkhYtfGenKKTbW7dfMvcg.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":202123,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=202123","url_meta":{"origin":367857,"position":5},"title":"New York Legislative Race to the Bottom","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"30\/05\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Roger Caiazza In a couple of weeks, the comment period closes for the Draft Scoping Plan that outlines how New York is to achieve its\u00a0Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act\u00a0net zero ambitions.\u00a0 Despite the fact that any rational observer can only conclude that there is no\u00a0real plan\u00a0for a reliable electric\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/image-67.png?fit=1024%2C512&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/image-67.png?fit=1024%2C512&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/image-67.png?fit=1024%2C512&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/image-67.png?fit=1024%2C512&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=367857"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367857\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":367862,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367857\/revisions\/367862"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/367861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=367857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=367857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=367857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}