QUESTION
Is the mayor committed to decarbonizing public sector buildings despite budget cuts?
0:24:47
·
4 min
Despite recent budget cuts, there is an ongoing commitment to decarbonizing public sector buildings, with continued funding for energy conservation work and hiring of chief decarbonization officers.
- An affirmative response from both Sana Barakat and Dawn M. Pinnock indicates a continued commitment, despite budget constraints.
- There are ongoing efforts to hire agency chief decarbonization officers to ensure a cultural shift and intensive energy conservation work.
- Education initiatives and allocations for existing projects continue, although new projects might be affected by budget cuts.
- Council Member Lincoln Restler expresses concern about the significant impact of these cuts on future decarbonization projects and standards in the public sector.
Lincoln Restler
0:24:47
Do you think that the mayor is continues to be committed to this approach?
Sana Barakat
0:24:51
Yes.
0:24:52
I think now that the budget is balanced and we're hoping that the debt ceiling will be lifted and the funds will be restored back.
Dawn M. Pinnock
0:24:59
No.
0:25:00
I can yeah.
0:25:00
I'm sorry.
0:25:01
And if I can just add to what SADA mentioned.
0:25:04
In terms of the overall structure around providing a pot of money to DEM for use of agencies, that is absolutely still happening.
0:25:12
So the premise around funding the positions that really drive energy conservation work at the agency level.
0:25:17
That is still happening.
0:25:19
In fact, we're working with agencies to hire agency chief decarbonization officers to really drive the work home and to make sure there's that cultural shift that needs to happen at the agency level.
0:25:29
In addition to that, we've continued to provide education.
0:25:32
That, you know, we also pay for the Emergency Management Institute, as well as allocating money for projects that are in the pipeline.
0:25:40
Based on the cut that we just mentioned, yes, it does potentially impact our ability to advance new projects.
0:25:47
But for those projects that are currently on our schedule, it is not making that near term impact.
Lincoln Restler
0:25:54
I hear you, but I also hear you tell us that $295,000,000 in projects that were supposed to be happening in the next 5 years no longer happening.
0:26:01
And so that's an impact.
0:26:03
I mean, that I and we can break down, and we have a list of the projects, and we're going through them, and We're following up with each of the my colleagues and the council so that they understand what projects are not being funded in their district that would have advanced decarbonization goals in their neighborhoods and improved their air quality and resiliency of their communities, but there is a huge impact to this cut.
0:26:24
It is one that we're really concerned about.
0:26:26
And I do have to say that listening to director GEHA's testimony yesterday He said that with Governor Hochol's proposal to extend that capacity expand that capacity in the executive budget, if that is, in fact, adopted later this month, it would allow for the funding for the BQE and for expanded funding for the jails.
0:26:46
He did not make any commitments about gestorations to the $5,880,000,000 that were cut to the capital plan citywide.
0:26:53
He did not make any commitments about the $1,000,000,000 in cut to the decast capital plan and the huge impact that it has on our decarbonization goals.
0:27:01
And, you know, colleagues at this table and colleagues and and all of my colleagues in the council are receiving heat from coops and condos in their buildings about the high standards that are rightly being imposed on them via local law 90 7 to decarbonize.
0:27:16
And yet, the public sector, which I had thought was really leading the way, I think is being hindered by the mayor shortsighted and ill informed budget cuts that are limiting Decast's ability to advance decarbonization projects.
0:27:30
I imagine you're not gonna tell me which agencies have been the least cooperative and least responsive in advancing these goals.
0:27:37
But maybe you could highlight a few of the agencies that have been the most cooperative so that we have an understanding of who have been the best partners?
Dawn M. Pinnock
0:27:44
So we have been working, and and, Sanna, you can certainly add if I, you know, miss one of the agencies.
0:27:50
We've been focusing on really our top agencies that have the highest carbon emissions.
0:27:54
So we've been working with SCA, DOE, our cultural institutions, DSNY, DEP Parks DOT.
0:28:02
And in terms of resetting relationships, because Sana is fairly new.
0:28:06
She's now been here for 6 months.
Lincoln Restler
0:28:07
Welcome.
Dawn M. Pinnock
0:28:07
This is our 3rd hearing.
0:28:08
So listen.
0:28:09
We're bringing our we're bringing our along very well.
0:28:12
But we have been working with each agency, and part of that was establishing what we're calling compliance meetings.
0:28:18
We wanted to find out where they were struggling with their projects.
0:28:20
In some cases, we learned that they've had some staffing shortfalls, we're just coming out of a hiring freeze.
0:28:26
In other cases, we needed to brainstorm with them about how to get certain projects that had stalled.
0:28:31
Back on track.
0:28:32
So overall, they have been very cooperative, but those are the agencies where we place most focus because of their carbon footprint.
Lincoln Restler
0:28:39
I think we, as a counsel, wanna bring greater accountability, especially the agencies that have not been as cooperative partners, and so we hope to be to gather better insight so we can see which which agencies maybe don't have as many projects moving forward where we might be able to help encourage them to to to work better with with Decast and the administration as a whole.
0:28:56
I'm just gonna do one more topic and then kick it over to colleagues.
0:29:01
V, and I wanna just thank Council member Carr, Brooklyn's newest council member for joining us today.
0:29:08
The he was redistributed to have a little slice of Brooklyn, and we're proud to have him in the delegation.
0:29:14
In FY 23, the annual estimated reduction in greenhouse gas emissions was 32,737.
0:29:20
Only 82% of the goal of 40,000 metric tons.
0:29:24
Over the past 3 fiscal years, the city is cumulatively over 10,000 metric tons behind our goal.
0:29:30
Last year, Decast testified that it would not be able to meet our 2025 decarbonization goals.