Apr. 2, 2024 By Iryna Shkurhan Beech Hills co-op owners in Douglaston gathered on Monday morning to hear how northeast Queens lawmakers are working to shield them from bearing the brunt of the cost of the city’s ambitious climate law. Local Law 97 went into effect in 2019 with the goal of net zero carbon…
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Apr. 1, 2024 By Mark Laster and Denise Patel We have all seen it – apartments with windows open in the middle of winter because they are overheated by radiators. Sometimes, we can see steam and black smoke coming out of the exhaust pipes because the building is burning dirty oil. Those same windows are…
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Jan. 31, 2024 Op-ed by: Tom Suozzi In my congressional race to replace George Santos on Feb. 13, I have emphasized the need to move beyond partisan finger-pointing and address the real problems people face. At the national level, that means bipartisan solutions on immigration, the cost of living, climate, Israel, Ukraine, and so much…
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Dec. 7, 2023 By Former U.S. Congressman Tom Suozzi Climate change is real and we must take aggressive proactive steps to address it, but we can’t bankrupt working and middle class co-op and condo homeowners in our efforts to make change. New York City Local Law 97, with its unforgiving timelines and heavy fines, endanger the housing security of working and middle-class families who have invested their life savings into their co-ops and condos all over Queens, from Whitestone to Bay Terrace. Residents are concerned about the financial squeeze placed on them by the strict emissions caps and steep penalties…
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Oct. 27, 2023 By Iryna Shkurhan Council Members Vickie Paladino and Linda Lee both introduced bills against Local Law 97 in its current form and are now calling on their constituents to take action against the effort to curb building pollution. A town hall held in Bayside’s Bay Terrace Shopping Center on Thursday, Oct. 26,…
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Oct. 24, 2023 By John Schilling The Western Queens Co-Op Coalition (WQCC) hosted a town hall in the Queen of Angels auditorium on 44-04 Skillman Ave. in Sunnyside on Monday, Oct. 23, to inform residents of the nearby co-ops and condominiums about the proposed 1197 amendment to Local Law 97. Local Law 97, also known… Read more »
Sep. 29, 2023 By Ben Brachfeld A new bill introduced in the City Council Thursday would relieve thousands of condo and co-op owners of penalties associated with Local Law 97, the landmark building emissions statute, for an additional decade if it becomes law. The legislation, Intro 1197, sponsored by Queens Democratic Council Members Linda Lee…
Sep. 22, 2023 By Iryna Shkurhan Queens’ first ever Climate Expo, sponsored by Borough President Donovan Richards, launched on Wednesday, Sept. 20, at Queens Borough Hall as one of the many events scheduled for Climate Week NYC. Over a dozen environmental organizations set up tables across the Helen Marshall Cultural Center’s atrium in Kew Gardens to share resources, spread environmental surveys and promote climate-related job opportunities – all with the goal of taking action to address the effects of climate change. The expo was centered around an expert-led panel on Local Law 97, a law passed in 2019 with the…
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Aug. 16, 2023 By Ben Brachfeld and Christian Murray The city’s landmark building emissions law, Local Law 97, is set to go into effect next year, and the complex rule-making process has set off a frenzy of lobbying activity aimed at influencing and potentially weakening the statute aiming to help combat climate change. Local…
Aug. 1, 2023 By Michael Dorgan More than 150 concerned western Queens residents attended a town hall event in Sunnyside on Wednesday, July 26, to learn about a new climate law that is likely to impose hefty costs on the owners of older co-op and condo buildings — and how to rally against its…