Just In! (from NY-GEO)

1. Cuomo State of the State: Green Economy – Governor Cuomo gave his annual State of State address in several episodes this past week. On Thursday, January 13^th he focused on renewable energy and advocated it becoming a means to power the state’s recovery from COVID-19. See the Governor’s full 322 page Reimagine, Rebuild, Renew document here.  The Building the Green Economy section includes a “Raise the Green Roof” proposal for electrification, solar and energy efficiency retrofits for 5,000 affordable housing units.  City&State NY covered the speech here. PV Magazine here.

2. Baker vetoes MA Climate Bill – Cites Impact on New Home Construction Industry – January 14, 2021 -Matt Murphy, State House News Service Article on WBUR website here – “Scuttling what looked to be a major session-ending accomplishment for the Legislature, Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday said he would veto ambitious climate legislation over his concerns that key pieces of the bill could stymie housing construction. Baker said he supports much in the bill, but believes key components fly in the face of another legislative victory — the passage of his “housing choice” proposal — that he is poised to sign before the end of the week. The veto sets up an early confrontation in the new year between the governor and the Legislature, where Democratic leaders have signaled a lack of willingness to budge on a bill that was negotiated over the past five months and overwhelmingly approved by the last Legislature.  Related article from the website: 8 Ways The New Climate Bill Affects You, Your Washing Machine And Our Climate Goals. Rocky Mountain Institute has recently released a pdf on the economics of electrifying buildings” for new construction in Boston. Governor’s veto letter here.