Topics Climate and Environment
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Kathy Hochul stands in front of the blurred out text of a bill draft.
Hochul Administration Stalls on All-Electric Building Code

The state has yet to publish a building code update, promised in December, which should include requirements to phase out fossil fuel appliances in new homes.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   February 24, 2025
A screenshot of a zoom meeting between local social services officials and OTDA officials.
Local Reps Blast New York Over Heating Assistance Lapse

“I really felt like the carpet was ripped out from underneath us,” said one county official. The state still hasn’t fully explained why it put HEAP on hold so suddenly.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   February 7, 2025
Photo collage: blurred images of the application for New York state's Home Energy Assistance Program, foregrounded by an alarm clock set to 5pm, dollar bills floating away, and a yellow question mark.
New York Won’t Say Why it Froze Heating Assistance in the Middle of Winter

The HEAP program abruptly closed to applications in January, months ahead of schedule. It has since reopened, but key questions remain about why it shut down so suddenly in the first place.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   February 5, 2025
Photo triptych of three images: Governor Kathy Hochul at a Buffalo Bills game, frozen water pipes, and the Court of Appeals.
Reporters’ Notebook: Bills Receipt, Clean Water Funding, and Court of Appeals

A $1,700 Bills suite tab was paid with campaign funds, bipartisan support for clean water funding, and New York’s top court upheld a man’s conviction despite his negligent lawyer.

Chris Bragg, Sam Mellins and Colin Kinniburgh   ·   January 31, 2025
Photo collage of a desk with a notepad and voice recorder in a newsroom.
Reporters’ Notebook: Green Funding Feint, Foundation Aid Update, and Lobbying Fines

Hochul proposes school funding updates and a climate funding alternative. A prominent lobbying firm racks up fines.

Bianca Fortis, Colin Kinniburgh and Chris Bragg   ·   January 24, 2025
Photo collage of President Donald Trump standing in front of several windmills. Faded in the background, the text of the executive order reading, "Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects."
Trump Throws Wrench Into Offshore Wind, Putting New York’s Clean Energy Plans In Doubt

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to halt all new approvals for offshore wind, which New York is counting on to meet climate law targets.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   January 23, 2025
Climate Deadline Stripped from Hochul’s State of the State Agenda at Last Minute

The change was among a handful of eleventh-hour tweaks to Hochul’s policy briefing book.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   January 17, 2025
Photo collage of Governor Kathy Hochul in front of a yellow gas pipe on a residential street.
Hochul’s ‘Bait and Switch’ on Climate: State of the State 2025

It looked like 2025 could be a tipping point for climate action in New York. Instead, the governor is backtracking on key parts of her agenda.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   January 15, 2025
Photo collage of a desk with a notepad and voice recorder in a newsroom.
Reporters’ Notebook: Covering Governor Hochul’s 2025 State of the State

Our team will be descending upon Albany on Tuesday. Here’s what they’ll be watching.

New York Focus   ·   January 13, 2025
The image shows a collage with Kathy Hochul in the foreground and grey smokestacks in the background, with dollar signs among the smokestacks.
What is ‘Cap and Invest’?

New York’s plan to put a price on carbon could arrive in 2025. Here’s how it would work.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   January 10, 2025
Photo collage of a desk with a notepad and voice recorder in a newsroom.
Reporters’ Notebook: Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Cannabis Connections, and Prison Abuse

Updates about an increase in emissions, violence within New York’s prison system, and a breakup of two nonprofits over cannabis in NYC.

Sam Mellins, Chris Gelardi and Colin Kinniburgh   ·   January 9, 2025
Photo collage of Governor Kathy Hochul signing papers in front of the Capitol Building in Albany.
Here’s Every Bill That Kathy Hochul Vetoed in 2024

One hundred and twenty-four laws that almost were.

New York Focus   ·   January 3, 2025
Photograph of Julia Rock in front of a photo of a power plant.
Climate Change, Child Poverty, and a Whirlwind Tour of New York Policymaking: 2024 in Review

New York Focus reporter Julia Rock reflects on her varied coverage of state policy in an end-of-year wrapup.

Julia Rock   ·   December 28, 2024
New York’s Climate Law, Traffic Congestion, and a Second Trump Term: 2024 in Review

New York Focus climate reporter Colin Kinniburgh reflects on his environmental coverage over the past year and what’s coming on the beat in 2025.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   December 27, 2024
Black and white photo of three smokestacks overlaid with a diagonal yellow dotted line corresponding to modeled data of emissions decreases in New York State.
New York May Finally Put a Price on Pollution in 2025

The state is due to unveil a “cap and invest” program — its biggest effort yet to fund climate initiatives. But fears about hiking prices may limit its scope.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   December 23, 2024
A row of electric Lion school buses charge at a row of charging stations.
‘In a Bind’: Some New Yorkers Reject Transition to Electric School Buses, Despite Mandate

New York’s push for electric school buses by 2027 has districts across the state struggling with voter approval and funding.

Bianca Fortis   ·   December 18, 2024
Workers walk inside of a New York City water tunnel.
Leaky Pipes Are Costing New York Billions of Gallons of Water per Year

Most utilities barely track how much water they lose to leaks, but one thing is clear: Aging infrastructure is costing customers.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   November 27, 2024
A photo collage, photo of smoke billowing above trees in Jennings Creek layered over an photo of brush on fire.
New York Isn’t Ready to Fight More Wildfires

New York could see more frequent and destructive blazes, but the state doesn’t have enough forest rangers and firefighters to respond to the growing threat.

Nathan Porceng   ·   November 26, 2024
A collage with the background image of three wind turbines in the ocean. Overlayed is an image of President-elect Donald Trump with his fist in the air.
Donald Trump Could Blow a Big Hole in New York’s Climate Plan

Offshore wind is crucial to the state’s plans for cleaning up its electric grid, and construction is already behind schedule. The incoming president could slow it down a whole lot more.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   November 19, 2024
In Brief: Has New York Built Its Last Fossil Fuel Plant?

Some want New York to rethink its climate mandates. Could new gas plants be on the table?

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   November 5, 2024
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