DCAS tells Council city operations are reducing emissions but flags staffing, funding and project pipeline gaps

The New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) told the City Council’s Committee on Governmental Operations on Tuesday that city operations have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 26% through fiscal year 2023 compared with a 2006 baseline, while outlining remaining work to reach near‑term targets.

“Since fiscal year 2014, we have implemented over 17,500 energy conservation measures across 2,500 city‑owned buildings, achieving a reduction of more than 460,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent,” DCAS Commissioner Luis Molina said in testimony. “We remain on track to exceed a 50% reduction ahead of schedule for 2030.”

Why it matters: buildings and fleet together account for the majority of government operations emissions, and the pace of projects, capital commitments and staffing will determine whether the city meets the 2027 and 2030 milestones embedded in Local Law 97 and subsequent policy commitments. The committee pressed DCAS for details on which projects and what funding are driving the agency’s projections.

Most important details

- DCAS reported roughly 32 megawatts of installed solar citywide and said about 41 megawatts are in the pipeline across roughly 137 projects. The agency described the 150‑megawatt municipal solar target required by Local Law 99 (2024) and called the target “ambitious.”

- The Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE), referred to repeatedly in testimony, is projected to arrive in 2026; DCAS told the committee the transmission project will provide 100% renewable electricity for city facilities and “dramatically” improve emissions outcomes. Commissioner Molina said CHPE is “on time.”

- DCAS said it has 5,735 electric vehicles in service, with about 410 additional units on order, and operates “the largest EV charging network in the state” with 2,356 ports, including 404 fast chargers and 161 solar carports. The agency reported 1,600 medium‑ and heavy‑duty electric trucks in operation or procurement.

- The department described major building retrofits under way, including the 50 Seventh Street sanitation garage, the Brooklyn Museum deep‑energy retrofit and projects at the Office of Chief Medical Examiner, and said its portfolio generated roughly $150 million in annual energy expense reduction.

Questions and limits

Council members repeatedly pressed DCAS on the remaining gap to the FY27 and FY30 targets, budget commitments and staffing. Deputy Commissioner for Energy Management Sana Barakat and Assistant Commissioner Steven Caputo said that decarbonization projects plus CHPE together support the agency’s forecast: DCAS projects it can hit the 40% reduction target by FY27 on current projects even without CHPE; CHPE would further secure progress toward 50% by 2030.

Commissioner Molina said DCAS has a 10‑year capital plan of about $3.4 billion with 77% front‑loaded in the first five years and reported “approximately $1.5 billion” spent since 2021, but committee members pressed for a more granular accounting of capital commitment vs. actual spending on the projects named in the 2021 action plan. DCAS agreed to provide a more detailed breakdown after the hearing.

Staffing and implementation constraints

Committee members asked whether DCAS and agencies have the staffing to deliver projects. DCAS said it has 135 positions in its central energy management appropriation, with about a 33% vacancy rate; the broader set of agency energy personnel (AEPs) shows roughly 47% vacancies. Molina said many projects are resource dependent and DCAS has 93% capital commitment rate in the last fiscal year, but also acknowledged that staffing shortages and budget timing have delayed some work.

Solar and schools

DCAS stated the city has completed roughly 126 school solar installations (varied counts were discussed at the hearing) and that 33 schools are “in progress” under the Leading the Charge school electrification initiative. The agency acknowledged a funding gap for electrifying 100 schools by 2030 and described the projects as more complex and expensive than originally estimated — often requiring structural and life‑safety work that lengthens schedules.

Fleet and fuels

DCAS described a major fleet transition, including a large renewable diesel program (derived mainly from used cooking oil and animal fats) that has replaced fossil diesel in many heavy vehicles and reported 34 million gallons of renewable diesel used to date. The agency said it reduced fleet size 7% since FY2018 and estimated a 67% reduction in fossil fuel use across some operations, equivalent to about 20 million gallons annually.

Wastewater and other major projects

DCAS and committee members identified wastewater facilities as the second‑largest municipal source of emissions. DCAS said the Wards Island digester project and other DEP projects are central to sector reductions, and that methane mitigation and digester work could deliver large avoided emissions. The agency said the North River cogeneration and Spring Creek storage work are among projects supporting reductions.

Operational caveats and transparency

DCAS said much of the underlying property and lease data already exist on the city’s open data platform and expressed support for Intro 1378 (a council bill that would require DCAS to report on vacant city space). Molina told the committee DCAS supports the bill’s intent and will work with council staff to publish useful datasets.

What the committee directed

Council members requested: a detailed project list beyond the top‑10 projects previously shared; line‑item spending since 2021 against the 2021 action plan; updated megawatt and battery storage figures; and a clearer plan and budget for school electrification. DCAS agreed to follow up with the requested data.

Ending

DCAS framed the work as an operational, multi‑agency effort: "One solar panel, one electric vehicle, one retrofit at a time, we are making our city greener," Molina said. Committee members welcomed the progress but pressed repeatedly for transparent, itemized reporting on spending, staffing and pipeline schedules to confirm the agency’s projections.