New York City building owners faced with compliance obligations under New York City Local Law 97 of 2019 (“Local Law 97” or the “Law”)’s strict greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caps are finding little relief from the Law’s alternate compliance options.
One potential relief measure is for the building owner to establish it has made “good faith efforts” to comply, thereby becoming eligible for discretionary penalty mitigation from the Department of Buildings (DOB). This article reviews the current state of play for some of Local Law 97’s built-in alternate compliance methods, then discusses the DOB’s recent rulemaking establishing the “good faith efforts” requirements.