Read the new law here.

This is a big one. The Council is establishing an office at the DOB to deal specifically with energy and emissions. According to the new law, the office will have several responsibilities, including:

• Overseeing implementation of building energy and emissions performance laws and policies for existing buildings, new construction, and major renovations
• Establishing or administering protocols for assessing annual energy use in buildings
• Monitoring buildings’ energy use and emissions, and reviewing building emissions assessment methodologies
• Creating an online portal for the submission of annual emission assessments from building owners
• Auditing said submissions, as necessary
• Determining recommended penalties for noncompliant buildings (buildings that emit higher greenhouse gases than mandated, or buildings that fail to submit reports)
• Overseeing cross-departmental (DEP, HPD) participation and cooperation

This is the office that would be overseeing annual emission assessments submitted by building owners, including enforcement for failure to submit assessments or for exceeding set emission levels.

The law goes into detail on timelines for establishing rules, exactly which buildings will be required to comply with policies handled by this office (specifically, covered buildings that match LL 84 requirements, with some exceptions), and required future filings this office will oversee.

There are several individual deadlines in the law, starting in 2023 and continuing through the 2050 plan. That said, the office itself and director in charge don’t exist yet. The DOB will likely release more information on this office, along with some details on individual reporting and submission requirements, later this year.