De Blasio touts city’s new climate bills: ‘This will make New York City safer, stronger’

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) praised the passing of two new city bills focused on climate change, saying they will help the city to be “safer, stronger, and better prepared for extreme weather.”

“New York City has experienced the devastating consequences of climate change first hand. We need bold and innovative solutions like Intro 2092 to fight back. This will make New York City safer, stronger, and better prepared for extreme weather,” de Blasio tweeted Thursday evening.

The bills, Int 2092 and Int 2170, will require the city’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability to create climate resiliency design guidelines and allow for energy efficiency improvements to be made to the city’s buildings and land.

The passing of these bills follows a recent petition filed by multiple state attorneys general, including New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), which challenges a rollback of energy efficiency standards made during the Trump administration’s final week.

The provision that the attorneys general are calling to review allows for inefficient residential furnaces and commercial water heaters.

“Restoring the energy efficiency regulations is one of the most effective ways to fight climate change, save consumers money, and create jobs,” James said in a statement. “However, in its deregulatory fever, the Trump administration sought to dismantle our nation’s highly successful energy conservation program.”