On Monday, the state’s Climate Action Council approved a scoping plan that will serve as a blueprint for the Empire State to reach its ambitious climate goals.

Ken Pokalsky, vice president at The Business Council of New York State, told Capital Tonight that there are a lot of unknowns when its comes to the cost for businesses and as more businesses learn about the changes needed, there will be some “shock and alarm.”

The Climate Action Council was set up after the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act was organized in 2019. The law sets out ambitious goals for the state to reach on climate, including reaching 70% renewable energy by 2030, 100% zero-emissions electricity by 2040, and the state must hit net zero emissions by 2050.

Pokalsky argues one of the major concerns for businesses is upfront costs of the transition, including the cost of energy. While advocates of the plan say there are long-term savings for businesses and individuals, Pokalsky said there is an unknown on how much it will cost businesses upfront. Pokalsky warns that the cost of this transition “is way beyond anything the state has done to date,” and that there will be a lot of competing demands for state resources.

Another concern that Pokalsky has is one of job and business “leakage," where the cost of doing business in New York becomes too high and businesses and jobs leave to other states and countries with less regulation on carbon emissions.