Clean Energy Transmission Battle Pits Speed Against Worker, Farm Protections
The Assembly and Senate want to beef up labor standards and farmland protections for clean energy projects. Developers say that would slow down the energy transition.
![Transmission lines running through the North Country.](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/XoCYMnHzwii-Jn_G9c_xz4lQxmv1bCBlkXtJMRBBx0I/w:820/h:546/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy81Mjk3NzM1NzU5OF9hNzdhOGUxZmUzX28uanBn.jpg)
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/GbEZKL3YpM8zXhG4VVbvz9etNC0UyIV4qjojrP__Snk/w:820/h:185/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9EU0MwNTU3NC1wb3dlci1saW5lcy1wYW5vLkpQRw.jpg)
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/mVIFpyOhPksfIoUyOeHULtcePo8UvJAV5dKfDyhN7w8/w:820/h:448/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9CZWNrZXItRmFybXMtdHJhY3Rvcl8yMDI0LTA0LTA1LTE2MDYxMl9waGtlLnBuZw.png)
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/G5bs5OcQns7UWk3rEuzFny4wnf6qwKIUatWESycfMCI/w:135/h:190/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9Db2xpbi1LaW5uaWJ1cmdoXzIwMjMtMDQtMjEtMDU0OTI5X3hxbHcuanBn.jpg)
No state pursues workers for overpaid unemployment benefits as aggressively as New York. A proposed reform is colliding with New York’s own repayment problem.
A quarter of lawmakers in Albany are landlords. Almost none of them are covered by the most significant tenant protection law in years.
It’s the first step New York has taken to address its housing shortage in years — but tenant groups are fuming and real estate wants more.
As the state has backpedaled on congestion pricing, it has made no progress on nearly half of its other transit-related climate goals.
The state is blowing past key milestones on the way to its big emissions targets.
The constant gridlock is a major drag on Manhattan’s businesses, and source of frustration for commuters. And it’s never been so bad.