Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
Q&A
Staffing and regulatory decisions for Local Law 97 implementation
2:04:07
ยท
105 sec
Council Member Restler inquires about the adequacy of staffing and the quality of regulatory decisions made for Local Law 97 implementation. Commissioner Aggarwala strongly affirms the administration's commitment to proper implementation.
- Commissioner Aggarwala asserts that staffing needs have been appropriately supported
- He defends the regulatory decisions made, stating they aim to achieve the goal of reducing emissions rather than simply imposing fines
- The administration, including the mayor and deputy mayors, has shown consistent support for environmental initiatives
Lincoln Restler
2:04:07
I appreciate that answer.
2:04:10
I just would like to ask rather plainly, from your perspective, do you feel like and and I I I will say I I echo your sentiments about deputy commissioner Popa and commissioner Otto and the work that they've been doing.
2:04:25
But I just wanna ask rather plainly, as the chief climate officer driving and guiding this work for the administration, there's been a lot of anxiety, I think, from advocates that nefarious interests would impact how the regulations of local law 97 would be developed in an Adams administration.
2:04:48
Do you feel that the staffing needs have been appropriately supported and that the right regulatory decisions have been made kind of along the way to robustly implement this law?
Rohit Aggarwala
2:05:02
100%.
2:05:03
Great.
2:05:03
You know, and if I could, I will say I have found some of the attacks from some of the advocates to be absolutely outrageous and really insulting.
2:05:17
I think we have done, and I do, I I need to give the mayor credit for this and and others in the administration and deputy mayor Joshi and and first deputy mayor Torres Springer, you know, constant support to do the right thing by the environment and the decisions we made.
2:05:35
Honest people can have honest disagreements but they were done because this is a difficult law for New York City buildings to comply with and we are trying to do everything we can to achieve that goal of reducing emissions as opposed to the near term what might feel good about whacking people with fines.
2:05:52
That's not the goal.