The New York League of Conservation Voters ranks city councilmembers, whose seats are up for grabs in their year’s elections, based on how they voted on key environmental bills. You can look up their scores here.

When running for office, New York City politicians often promise to pass legislation that will protect the environment. But how can voters be sure they actually followed through once elected?

The environmental group New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV) came up with one way to hold them accountable.

In its annual New York City Council Environmental Scorecard, councilmembers are ranked based on their support of environmental bills and whether those bills passed last year. This year’s edition, which examines bills passed in 2024, was released Wednesday. 

The 12 bills contemplated in the 2024 scorecard were chosen by NYLCV according to what members of New York City’s environmental community considered top priorities for the year.

Lawmakers get a good score if they voted yes for the bills and a negative one if they voted no. Votes missed due to excused absences do not count against them, but points are docked for an unexcused absence and abstentions.

The average citywide score for councilmembers was 88 percent. That’s up from 83 percent the previous year. The new rankings come months before the 2025 primary elections, in which all City Council seats are up for grabs.

“At a time when there’s a lot of anti-climate action at the federal level, and there’s a lot of uncertainty, I think the local, New York City level, is especially important for ensuring that pro-climate, pro-environmental bills are passed,” said Alia Soomro, deputy director for New York City Policy at the NYLCV who led the effort to put together the scorecard.

Of the 51 members of the New York City Council, 24 received a perfect score of 100. 

The worst scores in the bunch belong to two lawmakers who tied at 42. Republican Joseph Borelli, Staten Island’s South Shore representative who is set to resign at the end of the month, voted against six of the scorecard’s environmental bills. And Brooklyn’s Darlene Mealy voted against five and was absent twice during voting.

Borelli and Mealy did not immediately respond to City Limits’ request for comment.

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Click here for the full report.

^{NYLCV’s 2024 scorecard for the NYC Council.}

When it comes to the borough-wide tallies, improvements have been made. Collective scores for Manhattan councilmembers rose to 98 percent in 2024, up from 95 percent the previous year. Brooklyn representatives increased their scores by nine points to 89 percent in 2024, and Queens’ officials saw a 3 point rise, reaching 86 percent.

Bronx councilmembers, however, scored 89.6 percent in 2024, a drop from 93 percent a year earlier.

So what kinds of environmental bills are contemplated in the scorecard? 

To decide what makes the cut, the NYLCV convenes a coalition of the city’s leading environmental, public health, transportation, parks and environmental justice organizations it calls the “Green Group.” They pick legislation that presents solutions to issues like decarbonizing buildings, electrifying vehicles, obtaining Zero Waste in landfills, managing stormwater overflow and making the city more resilient to climate change.

One proposal that made it into this year’s edition was the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity. When it comes to the environment, the contentious zoning plan eliminates, among other things, parking mandates to encourage greener types of transportation and designs communities around mass transit hubs to reduce dependency on cars. After much debate, the City Council passed it during last year’s legislative session.

Other bills on the scorecard that were approved last year include legislation to create composting facilities in parks, and another that requires solar panels to be installed on roofs of city-owned buildings. Legislation to get owners of parking garages and open lots to make electric vehicle charging equipment available on site also made it through. And a tax break that facilitates renovations in buildings in line with the building emissions law, Local Law 97.

Ranking councilmembers on their votes fosters accountability, NYLCV says. In fact, some lawmakers take to social media to boast about their scores, like Councilmember Julie Won, who represents Queens, did on X last year.

“I’m proud to receive 100 percent on the NYLCV’s Environmental Scorecard,” said Won, who got a perfect score again in Wednesday’s assessment. “I look forward to supporting more legislation to prioritize our shared environmental goals for a greener future.” 

And while NYLCV President Julie Tighe commended the Council in a press release for making “meaningful progress” this year, she warns that “we are still far from where we need to be to fully address the climate crisis.”

The real challenge, Soomro explains, is not getting bills passed, but securing funding for them and making sure they actually go into effect.

“We need to ensure that the bills that have become law are timely and equitably implemented. Not just the bills that passed in 2024, but those from the past several years,” Soomro said.

“So ensuring that they’re funded and that we’re holding elected officials and City agencies accountable so that [the bills] are implemented is key.”

To reach the reporter behind this story, contact Mariana@citylimits.org. To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org

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