Hilary Howard

New York

Deputy Editor, Metropolitan Section at The New York Times

NYT Features editor and sometimes writer. Parent. I’m bad at tennis but I love it.

Articles

Two Men's Fight to Protect the Geese at the Central Park Reservoir

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Hilary Howard

Two New York men who bonded over bird-watching at the Central Park Reservoir are united in their efforts to save the nests of its resident Canada geese. Whether goslings live or die at the Central Park Reservoir could be up to two 70-something, nature-loving men who first crossed paths there this winter.
In 15 Years, 80,000 Homes in the New York Area May Be Lost to Flooding

2 months ago | nytimes.com | Mihir Zaveri |Hilary Howard

More than 80,000 homes on Staten Island and in southeast Queens and the suburbs east of New York City could be lost to floods over the next 15 years, according to a new report that serves as a warning of how climate change could make the housing crisis even worse.
As utility bills soar, New Yorkers face the cost of a greener future

2 months ago | sanjuandailystar.com | Hilary Howard

By Hilary HowardWhen New Yorkers get a sky-high energy bill, many turn to social media and vent their frustrations on Instagram, TikTok or Reddit. Recently, their rage has been directed toward a state-run website, too. In January, the Department of Public Service, which regulates utilities, began considering a request for a rate increase by Con Edison, the energy company that serves more than 9 million people in New York City and Westchester County.
As Utility Bills Soar, New Yorkers Face the Cost of a Greener Future

2 months ago | nytimes.com | Hilary Howard

When New Yorkers get a sky-high energy bill, many turn to social media and vent their frustrations on Instagram, TikTok or Reddit. Recently, their rage has been directed toward a state-run website, too. In January, the Department of Public Service, which regulates utilities, began considering a request for a rate increase by Con Edison, the energy company that serves over nine million people in New York City and Westchester County.
Lawsuit Seeks to Block New York's Climate Change Law Targeting Energy Companies

Feb 6, 2025 | nytimes.com | Hilary Howard

Twenty-two states, led by West Virginia, are suing to block a recently approved New York law that requires fossil fuel companies to pay billions of dollars a year for contributing to climate change. Under the law, called the Climate Change Superfund Act, the country's biggest producers of greenhouse gas emissions between the years 2000 and 2024 must pay a combined total of $3 billion annually for the next 25 years.
The South Bronx Has a Pollution Issue. Congestion Pricing May Worsen It.

Feb 2, 2025 | nytimes.com | Hilary Howard

In addition to easing traffic, New York City's new congestion pricing plan is expected to produce environmental benefits, including fewer greenhouse gas emissions and cleaner air. But if motorists avoid the tolls leading into Manhattan via detours, other areas in the metropolitan region could see their air quality deteriorate. The South Bronx, already burdened by a large number of pollution-spewing trucks that contribute to elevated rates of asthma, is of particular concern.
Community Solar Projects Make Renewable Energy More Accessible, and Trump May End Them

Jan 30, 2025 | nytimes.com | Hilary Howard

In a suburb about an hour north of New York City, a former dairy farm is now producing solar energy. Some of the people who will benefit live nearby, while others are dozens of miles away in Yonkers, which borders the Bronx, or in Downtown Brooklyn. The 20-acre farm, in Yorktown, N.Y., is part of a community solar initiative, which allows people without their own solar power installations to opt into systems in other neighborhoods or towns.
Hochul Signs Law That Penalizes Companies for Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Dec 26, 2024 | nytimes.com | Hilary Howard

The idea is to take some of the burden off taxpayers, who now are on the hook for financing much of the cleanup and mitigation efforts after weather disasters. The law takes particular aim at the oil and gas companies that produced more than one billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions globally over the last 24 years. "Nothing could be fairer than making climate polluters pay," said Lee Wasserman, the director of the Rockefeller Family Fund, a nonprofit that pushed for the passage of the law.
How A Princeton Professor’s Home Renovation Project Is Fighting Climate Change

Dec 8, 2024 | msn.com | Hilary Howard

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How A Princeton Professor's Home Renovation Project Is Fighting Climate Change

Dec 8, 2024 | nytimes.com | Hilary Howard

Two years ago, on a tree-lined street in Princeton, N.J., a truck-mounted drill arrived at a modest two-story home. Its goal? To dig a 500-foot hole in the front yard. Although the contraption resembled an oil rig, it would be prospecting for a cleaner energy source: water. Forrest Meggers, an engineering and architecture professor at Princeton University, was installing a geothermal heating and cooling system for his house, which he was also gut-renovating to be a showcase for green living.