Green Session Priorities

Marie J. French for Politico

Originally published in Politico

GREEN SESSION PRIORITIES — POLITICO’s Marie J. French: Last year's passage of a nation-leading climate law will be a tough act for legislators to follow in the 2020 session, but environmental lobbyists see plenty of opportunities. The implementation of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which sets an ambitious mandate for the state to hit net-zero emission in just three decades, will be a major focus for policymakers, legislators, advocates and business interests. Some environmentalists said tweaks to the law should be avoided for now, while others see a need for modifications. Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Nassau), who chairs the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, emphasized the importance of fully enacting a Climate Action Council, which the new law mandated. But, he said, there’s still room for lawmakers to build on last year's measures. “We have to look and see where we can make important improvements now and yes, the Legislature … intends to be proactive on climate and continue the great work we did last session,” Kaminsky said.

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