New York's 2030 emissions mandate won't be reached until 2036, state analysis shows

And cybersecurity incidents at water systems are being targeted by the state.

Good afternoon — it’s Thursday and Work From Home Day.

In today’s CapCon:

• New York is not expected to meet its 2030 emissions mandate due to several factors that have delayed progress, a state analysis shows.

• Now that Cuomo has lost the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, advocates want the state to stop paying his legal bills.

• Hochul called 28 bills to her desk Thursday. Here’s what stands out.

• New York is proposing rules to help prevent hackers from carrying out cyberattacks on municipal water systems.

• A bill approved by lawmakers would allow close friends to decide if you’ll make an “anatomical gift” when you die.

Names in today’s CapCon: Kathy Hochul, Andrew Cuomo, Erica Vladimer, Charlotte Bennett, Rich Azzopardi, Tom DiNapoli, George Borrello, Amy Paulin, Gustavo Rivera

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(Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

🔥 New York’s 2030 ‘climate goal’ won’t be reached until 2036, state analysis shows

New York is supposed to achieve a 40% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 under the state’s landmark Climate Law.

It was a lofty goal when it became law but Democrats were confident the state could reach it. That was in 2019, before the pandemic, record inflation and recent federal spending and policy changes drove that plan off course.

Those are the factors that, according to an analysis from staff at New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, will contribute to the state not meeting its 2030 emissions goal.

The most recent reporting, according to that analysis, shows that New York has achieved a 9.4% reduction in emissions.

“We see the value of New York policies and helping to accelerate further emission declines — things like renewables deployment, more aggressive building and transportation electrification and improved building codes,” said Nick Patane, assistant director of policy analysis at the agency.

Patane was presenting the analysis at a meeting of the state’s Energy Planning Board, where designees of top officials from state agencies discussed how the state should move forward with its transition.

It’s no secret that New York is lagging behind its energy goals, which range from emissions mandates to a steady timeline for switching the main source of energy from fossil fuels to sources like wind and solar.

But there hasn’t been a clear picture of what that means. Patane presented a handful of different scenarios for the state’s energy future, including the continuation of current policies, ramping up action and pushing harder on electrification. No dice.

“We do see here as we look at the 40% reduction target that no case is achieving a 40% reduction in 2030,” Patane said.