CLEAN FUEL FOR NYC!!! Low Carbon Gas in Local Law 97
The Issue
Help us make New York City's climate law, Local Law 97 a positive reality now!
LL97 sets emissions limits for buildings. It doesn't tell anyone to rip out their current systems. It sets the climate goal individually for each building and lets each building choose how to get there. This is a realistic way to meet climate goals. Every building going all electric isn't realistic. So far, fewer than 10 of New York City's roughly 1 million buildings have agreed to go all electric and started the work.
The law says the Buildings Commissioner "shall" set the carbon number for other energy sources (NYC Administrative Code § 28-320.3.1.1(7)). The Department of Buildings has done that for biofuels. It still hasn't done it for low carbon gas: renewable natural gas made from farms, landfills, wastewater plants and food waste, which we call "Cow Gas." Here's how it works: food scraps and manure go into sealed tanks. As they break down, they give off a gas that would normally escape into the air. Instead of polluting the air, that gas becomes fuel. And when we say Cow Gas, we mean People Gas too: New York City's 14 wastewater treatment plants can turn what we flush into clean fuel the same way, and New York already does it in Brooklyn. This "Cow Gas" already flows through the same pipes that heat our homes. Meaning we can use low carbon fuel to meet these climate goals IMMEDIATELY!!!
Update: The City Says Yes to Cow Gas Delivery. In a filing with state regulators, the City of New York urged that locally sourced renewable natural gas be allowed "to the maximum extent possible." We're making progress, but DOB still needs to set the number.
Who pays if DOB gets this wrong?
- Co-ops and condos
- Mitchell-Lama and affordable housing
- Rent-regulated and apartment buildings
- Commercial buildings and businesses
It's not just homes. It's jobs. Rip-and-replace means special assessments, higher rents and higher costs for the businesses that rent space in these buildings. One New York employer we work with has 120 jobs on the line if it's forced down that path. It's far from the only one.
Our ask is simple: set the number. We're asking Commissioner Ahmed Tigani and the Department of Buildings to set the carbon coefficient for low carbon gas, as the law already requires, so buildings can cut emissions with the boilers they already own.
We support Local Law 97 as written. We're asking the City to use all of it.
Live in or manage a building covered by Local Law 97? After you sign, add your building at cowgas.com. Board members, managers and residents carry extra weight with the City.
Full disclosure: this petition was started by Standard Carbon, a New York company that makes low carbon gas. You don't have to buy ours. Reach out to your energy provider and ask about buying low carbon fuel directly through them. Having the choice is what matters.
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The Issue
Help us make New York City's climate law, Local Law 97 a positive reality now!
LL97 sets emissions limits for buildings. It doesn't tell anyone to rip out their current systems. It sets the climate goal individually for each building and lets each building choose how to get there. This is a realistic way to meet climate goals. Every building going all electric isn't realistic. So far, fewer than 10 of New York City's roughly 1 million buildings have agreed to go all electric and started the work.
The law says the Buildings Commissioner "shall" set the carbon number for other energy sources (NYC Administrative Code § 28-320.3.1.1(7)). The Department of Buildings has done that for biofuels. It still hasn't done it for low carbon gas: renewable natural gas made from farms, landfills, wastewater plants and food waste, which we call "Cow Gas." Here's how it works: food scraps and manure go into sealed tanks. As they break down, they give off a gas that would normally escape into the air. Instead of polluting the air, that gas becomes fuel. And when we say Cow Gas, we mean People Gas too: New York City's 14 wastewater treatment plants can turn what we flush into clean fuel the same way, and New York already does it in Brooklyn. This "Cow Gas" already flows through the same pipes that heat our homes. Meaning we can use low carbon fuel to meet these climate goals IMMEDIATELY!!!
Update: The City Says Yes to Cow Gas Delivery. In a filing with state regulators, the City of New York urged that locally sourced renewable natural gas be allowed "to the maximum extent possible." We're making progress, but DOB still needs to set the number.
Who pays if DOB gets this wrong?
- Co-ops and condos
- Mitchell-Lama and affordable housing
- Rent-regulated and apartment buildings
- Commercial buildings and businesses
It's not just homes. It's jobs. Rip-and-replace means special assessments, higher rents and higher costs for the businesses that rent space in these buildings. One New York employer we work with has 120 jobs on the line if it's forced down that path. It's far from the only one.
Our ask is simple: set the number. We're asking Commissioner Ahmed Tigani and the Department of Buildings to set the carbon coefficient for low carbon gas, as the law already requires, so buildings can cut emissions with the boilers they already own.
We support Local Law 97 as written. We're asking the City to use all of it.
Live in or manage a building covered by Local Law 97? After you sign, add your building at cowgas.com. Board members, managers and residents carry extra weight with the City.
Full disclosure: this petition was started by Standard Carbon, a New York company that makes low carbon gas. You don't have to buy ours. Reach out to your energy provider and ask about buying low carbon fuel directly through them. Having the choice is what matters.
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Petition created on November 1, 2026