We have some exciting news and a call to action from our partners at AIANY COTE. The AIANY COTE Policy Subcommittee has been working with the Carbon Leadership Forum to develop and advocate for three New York State bills to reduce embodied carbon. The below information has been shared by AIANY COTE to help allies support this critical effort.
CALL TO ACTION: Anyone who lives in NY State, especially those in Upstate districts – please take 10 minutes to call your Assemblymember and Senator and express your support for the bill (script below). The 2025 legislative sessions ends June 12th so now is the time to make your voice heard. Make an impact by asking your legislators to support the bills and sign on as a co-sponsor!
Contact information:
Bill Summary:
- A6566 (Carroll) / S7648 (Kavanagh) – Financial Tools
- Sponsors: Assemblymember Robert Carroll and Senator Brian Kavanagh
- Incentivizes the use of low-carbon construction materials and products by providing financial support for concrete manufacturers to develop environmental product declarations (EPDs) and unlocking a sales tax exemption to benefit customers of low-carbon materials.
- A8202 (Epstein) / S8000 (Comrie) – Requirements
- Sponsors: Assemblymember Harvey Epstein and Senator Leroy Comrie
- Codifies a portion of Executive Order 22 on embodied carbon procurement requirements for state projects.
- A8456 (Kelles) / S7998 (Kavanagh) – Codes
- Sponsors: Assemblymember Anna Kelles and Senator Brian Kavanagh
- Establishes a long-term strategy for reducing embodied carbon by outlining three pathways for compliance with global warming potential limits in the building code: (1) reuse a substantial portion of the existing building, (2) use low carbon materials, (3) conduct a whole building life cycle assessment.
- Modeled from California’s Green Building Code (CALGreen).
Mock Script:
- “Hi, I am a constituent of [Senator/Assemblymember] [NAME], and I am calling to express my support for comprehensive embodied carbon policy. As a [design professional, contractor, real estate developer, etc.], I have a unique understanding of the implications of embodied carbon on our environment and the need to take action to use more low-carbon materials. A6566/S7648, A8202/S8000, and A8456/S7998 will help New York take action to reduce embodied carbon emissions, which account for 17% of global greenhouse gas emissions. I urge [Senator/Assemblymember] [NAME] to add their name as a co-sponsor and work with their colleagues to pass these bills before the end of session.” *Be prepared to say your home address*
For questions, please reach out to:
- AIANY Director of Government Affairs: Bria Donohue, bdonohue@aiany.org
- You can also reach out to NYPH Policy Working Group Co-chair, Louis Koehl, lkoehl@handelarchitects.com, who can help direct your question to the right person.
