New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. issued the following statement today regarding Mayor Bloomberg’s Green Buildings initiative:

While the goals of these two pieces of legislation are laudable, it is imperative that we assess their impact on residents and small businesses particularly in the current economic climate.  And, as I recently testified, I am also concerned that the use of stimulus dollars reflects accountability in terms of the number of jobs actually created and a commitment to living wages. 

In my review of the Audits and Retrofits legislation, I am concerned that the associated costs may be passed down to low-income tenants.  However, I believe this could be mitigated through the use of some of the $140 million in Energy Conservation Block Grant dollars available to New York City through President Obama’s stimulus legislation.  If some of this money were set aside for low-income developments in the near term, those developments would already be in compliance – and reaping the benefits of lower cost energy – by the time this law takes effect in 2013, and low-income tenants would be protected from escalating rents and already reaping the benefits of lower cost energy.

While I support a more stringent energy Conservation Code for New York City, I am concerned about a potential negative impact on small and medium sized businesses.  Since many older commercial buildings are not equipped with individual meters, a business seeking to locate or expand here could be discouraged by the additional cost for renovations under the new code, a cost which would not necessarily be off-set by lower energy bills.  As we consider a new code, we should also consider ways to expand energy incentive programs at the State and local levels.

With foresight and creativity, we can pursue the necessary and correct goals of carbon reduction and energy conservation without adding to the hardships working people and small businesses are facing in the current economic downturn.