Fix the leaks: A call for a greener NYC
Methane leaks are responsible for almost a quarter of emissions from buildings in NYC. Fixing them has an immediate impact on climate, air quality, and health.
Join us in strengthening New York’s leadership by bringing methane mitigation into LL97.
Reduce Building emissions by 25%
New York City is a world leader in urban sustainability, with legislation like Local Law 97 setting ambitious new standards for building emissions.
However, existing policies overlook a crucial element of NYC’s carbon footprint: fugitive methane.
FAQs
How much methane comes from buildings?
According to the most recent data from NYSERDA, fugitive methane accounts for almost a quarter of building emissions in New York. There is no way to achieve our climate goals without eliminating these leaks. While electrification is the ultimate solution, we can take action on faulty infrastructure today.
Why Do We Care About methane?
Methane has 80 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide, making it a far more potent greenhouse gas in the short term. As global warming accelerates, it is more important than ever to take immediate action.
Why aren’t we tracking this today?
Methane is only now coming into the spotlight as one of the largest contributing factors for emissions. Carbon dioxide causes the majority of warming, but methane is a close second. Tracking methane is difficult because it comes from leaks, not intentional use.
What can we do about it?
Power plants use continuous emissions monitoring (CEM) systems to ensure that they aren’t polluting the atmosphere and destroying local air quality—this is old technology, required by the EPA as part of The Clean Air Act of 1970.
This technology is trusted and widespread in energy and manufacturing, but still relatively new to the building industry. Installing it encourages not just methane mitigation, but also the detection and remediation of harmful pollutants like ozone, volatile organic compounds, and small particulate matter that affect human health.
How hard is it to fix?
In buildings, many methane leaks come from uncombusted fuel. This is wasted energy. Not only is it bad for the climate, it’s not even being applied to anything useful. Luckily, these issues are often easy to fix through simple tuning or cleaning—but only if it’s measured.
How can LL97 help?
Right now, there’s no way to get credit for tracking and fixing leaks under LL97. In fact, there’s no incentive to measure actual asset performance at all. LL97 is the most important building emissions law in the country. Giving buildings the option to report on and get credit for fixing leaks is the first step towards making a major, immediate impact on methane leaks in NYC.