TESTIMONY: Oversight Hearing Testimony on Government Emissions Reduction

NYC Environmental Protection, Resiliency, and Waterfronts
Oversight Hearing Testimony on Government Emissions Reduction
December 12, 2023

Good afternoon, and thank you to Chair Gennaro and the members of the Environmental Protection, Resiliency, and Waterfront Committee. My name is Nina Guidice and I am the Policy Manager at Transportation Alternatives. Thank you for convening this oversight hearing on the City’s progress on reducing government greenhouse emissions.

The climate emergency is the existential threat of our time. The planet is heating up at a rapid pace, and the local effects of the climate crisis are more visible than ever. In just the past year, we’ve seen smoggy skies, dangerous air quality, excessive heat waves, and flash flooding. It’s clear: the planet will exceed the target of 1.5 degree warming in the coming years if we do not treat the emergency with the response it requires.

The City has taken steps to address emissions from buildings, and now is the time to act on transportation emissions. Transportation remains one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in New York City and demands a government response matching the severity and urgency of the problem. Our transportation systems are complex and multifaceted, but represent an enormous opportunity to advance climate justice, clean our air, improve public health, and make New York a livable city for generations to come.

The City has set a goal of reducing emissions by 80% by 2050. Given the nature of the climate crisis, we need a full commitment and robust action to achieve net-zero emissions before it is too late. We cannot achieve our current goals – let alone net-zero emissions – without an urgent shift to a green and sustainable transportation system in New York City. 

According to the City’s own greenhouse gas inventory, we are pleased to see that government emissions in the transportation sector have dropped 15%. It is clear that significant reductions in transportation emissions is possible, but we need to accelerate quickly.

While the City’s internal operations make up 5.4% of the overall transportation emissions, the administration must lead by example and enact policies that will set city agencies as a model for sustainable transportation. That means everything from consolidating the size of the city’s fleet to shifting to greener modes that can navigate our streets with a smaller footprint, like e-cargo bikes or other e-micromobility devices. 

Several bills before the Council can help the City achieve its goals of lowering operations emissions. Intro 0611 would require carbon accounting in the preliminary and executive budgeting processes. How we spend our money is how we solve the climate crisis. Intro 0089 establishes a pilot to study greener street resurfacing materials, and Intro 0983 would mandate solar panels in certain parking lots. Embedding climate solutions into the City’s practices will pay dividends over time.

The City should incentivize its workers to choose greener and more sustainable transportation options, and make it easier to do so. We call on the administration to study the most effective ways to provide and promote green commuter benefits, which includes tracking publicly how the over 300,000 City employees currently get to and from work, and potential methods to reduce the rate of employees driving alone to the office in the most congested parts of the City and where parking is most expensive. 

Finally, the public deserves complete transparency as to what the City is doing to lower greenhouse gasses, especially with its internal operations. Going forward, the Council should set and track specific targets with interim goals by fuel type for the City’s transportation emissions reduction (and reduce the number of vehicle miles traveled), inclusive of the City’s own emissions reduction projects.