Backers of the Public Power NY coalition hailed the final measures the first state-level “Green New Deal” and are offering it as a roadmap for other states.
The program will charge companies for carbon pollution and introduce a novel rebate initiative that promises to distribute $1 billion to New Yorkers. But environmentalists say its success will rest on how exactly the state designs the program, to ensure it doesn’t allow companies to essentially pay to pollute without meaningfully lowering emissions.