No. 2 and 4 oil will have to be 5% biodiesel by October 1, 2017 under legislation passed by the City Council, last week. No. 2 oil would have increasing percentages beginning in 2025.
The Council also passed legislation conforming the City Energy Code to changes in the State Code.
Also, the City Council is moving closer to passing legislation to give poor tenants legal assistance in housing court. Apparently, politicians believe paying millions for motion practice instead of rent somehow preserves affordable housing.
The NAHB is leading national business groups in a legal challenge to the new overtime law, hoping to delay implementation of the rule in December and at the same time get legislation phasing in the requirements to give workers earning over about $24,000 overtime, over time.
The White House issued a Housing Development Toolkit for municipalities last week, emphasizing the need for both high density as-of-right zoning and, somewhat contradictorily, inclusionary zoning.
Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito has been accused of asking the City Housing Authority to replace a black manager with an Hispanic one.
The De Blasio administration is considering putting income caps on purchasers of 30,000 HDFC co-ops to keep them affordable.