State Climate Policy

Governors and state lawmakers in several U.S. states, particularly in the Northeast and California, have in recent months begun scaling back or delay­ing previously ambitious climate targets as household energy costs rise and political pressure mounts. The shift is most visible in New York, where emissions have fallen only 9% below 1990 levels — roughly 23% of the way to the state’s legally mandated 40% reduction by 2030 — and where a state analysis warned that meeting all of the law’s mandates could leave some New Yorkers with up to $4,000 in higher energy bills. At the same time, California recorded a notable 3% drop in greenhouse gas emissions in 2023, one of its largest year‑over‑year declines, even as residential electricity prices have climbed markedly.