Amd §§3-101, 6-102, 6-104 & 6-106, rpld §3-101 sub 7, Energy L
 
Relates to the mitigation of the severity of climate change; requires the state to create a binding plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by eighty-five percent, based on 1990 emissions levels, and meeting one hundred percent of electricity needs from fossil fuel-free resources by 2050.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4527
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 5, 2021
___________
Introduced by Sen. MAY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Telecommuni-
cations
AN ACT to amend the energy law, in relation to the mitigation of the
severity of climate change; and to repeal certain provisions of the
energy law relating thereto
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "freedom
2 from fossil fuels act".
3 § 2. Subdivisions 1, 4 and 5 of section 3-101 of the energy law,
4 subdivision 1 as amended by chapter 253 of the laws of 2013 and subdivi-
5 sion 5 as amended by chapter 396 of the laws of 1978, are amended to
6 read as follows:
7 1. to obtain and maintain an adequate and continuous supply of safe,
8 dependable and economical energy for the people of the state and to
9 accelerate development and use within the state of renewable energy
10 sources, all in order to mitigate the severity of climate change, to
11 promote the state's economic growth, to create employment within the
12 state, to protect [its] the state's environmental values and agricul-
13 tural heritage, to husband its resources for future generations, and to
14 promote the health and welfare of its people;
15 4. to encourage transportation modes and equipment which conserve the
16 use of energy and reduce and/or eliminate emissions of carbon dioxide
17 and co-pollutants;
18 5. to foster, encourage and promote the prudent development and wise
19 use of [all indigenous state] the state's renewable energy resources
20 including, but not limited to, [on-shore oil and natural gas, off-shore
21 oil and natural gas, natural gas from Devonian shale formations,] small
22 head hydro, [wood,] solar, wind, solid waste, energy from biomass, fuel
23 cells, geothermal, offshore wind and cogeneration; and
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09079-01-1
S. 4527 2
1 § 3. Subdivision 7 of section 3-101 of the energy law is REPEALED and
2 a new subdivision 7 is added to read as follows:
3 7. to conduct energy planning in an integrated and comprehensive
4 manner through development of a master plan designed to achieve the
5 goals set forth in the New York state climate leadership and community
6 protection act, which includes but is not limited to, the following:
7 a. By two thousand thirty, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by forty
8 percent, based on 1990 emissions levels, and meeting seventy percent of
9 electricity needs from renewable resources;
10 b. By two thousand fifty, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by eight-
11 y-five percent, based on 1990 emissions levels, and meeting one hundred
12 percent of electricity needs from fossil fuel-free resources.
13 The master plan shall also be designed to meet the clean energy
14 resource and energy efficiency targets set forth in section sixty six-p
15 of the public service law, as added by chapter one hundred six of the
16 laws of two thousand nineteen.
17 § 4. Subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 6-102 of the energy law, as
18 amended by chapter 195 of the laws of 2011, are amended to read as
19 follows:
20 1. There shall be established a state energy planning board, herein-
21 after referred to as the "board", which shall consist of the chair of
22 the public service commission, the commissioner of environmental conser-
23 vation, the commissioner of economic development, the commissioner of
24 transportation, the commissioner of labor, the commissioner of the divi-
25 sion of homeland security and emergency services, the commissioner of
26 agriculture and markets, the commissioner of health, the secretary of
27 state and the president of the New York state energy research and devel-
28 opment authority. The [governor, the] speaker of the assembly and the
29 temporary president of the senate shall each appoint [one] three addi-
30 tional [representative] representatives to serve on the board. The
31 representatives appointed by the speaker of the assembly and the tempo-
32 rary president of the senate shall include at all times individuals with
33 expertise in issues relating to climate change mitigation and/or adapta-
34 tion, such as environmental justice, energy planning, labor, public
35 health and regulated industries. The presiding officer of the federally
36 designated electric bulk system operator (BSO) shall serve as a non-vot-
37 ing member of the board. Any decision or action by the board shall be by
38 majority vote. The president of the New York state energy research and
39 development authority shall serve as chair of the board. Members of the
40 board may designate an executive staff representative to participate on
41 the board on their behalf.
42 2. Regional planning councils shall be established. [Two] Nine regions
43 shall be established as follows:
44 (a) [Downstate region - New York City and Dutchess, Nassau, Orange,
45 Putnam, Rockland,] Region one: Nassau and Suffolk[, Ulster and Westches-
46 ter] counties;
47 (b) [Upstate region - Albany, Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga,
48 Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware,
49 Erie, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer,
50 Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Montgomery, Niagara,
51 Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Orleans, Oswego, Otsego, Rensselaer, Sarato-
52 ga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Schuyler, Seneca, St. Lawrence, Steuben,
53 Sullivan, Tioga, Tompkins, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates
54 counties.] Region two: Kings, Bronx, New York, Queens, and Richmond
55 counties;
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1 (c) Region three: Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan,
2 Ulster, and Westchester counties;
3 (d) Region four: Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Montgomery, Otsego, Rens-
4 selaer, Schenectady, and Schoharie counties;
5 (e) Region five: Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Saratoga,
6 Warren, and Washington counties;
7 (f) Region six: Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, and St. Lawrence
8 counties;
9 (g) Region seven: Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Madison, Ononda-
10 ga, Oswego, Tioga, and Tompkins counties;
11 (h) Region eight: Chemung, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orle-
12 ans, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, and Yates counties; and
13 (i) Region nine: Allegany, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Erie, Niagara, and
14 Wyoming counties.
15 The governor, temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the
16 assembly shall each appoint [three] two regional planning council
17 members per region. Regional planning council members shall serve with-
18 out compensation, and shall have their principal residence within the
19 region for which they are appointed. Such regional council members may
20 solicit input from stakeholder interests within their region, including
21 but not limited to local governments, municipal utilities, rural elec-
22 tric cooperatives, utilities, labor unions, ratepayers, businesses,
23 trade associations, generators, social justice organizations, and commu-
24 nity organizations with a focus on, including but not limited to,
25 climate change mitigation, the environment, environmental justice,
26 and/or public health. Each regional planning council shall transmit to
27 the board a report containing any recommendations specific to its region
28 on a schedule determined by the board to be appropriate for consider-
29 ation of such report in the development of the draft energy plan.
30 § 5. Subdivision 2 and paragraph (b) of subdivision 5 of section 6-104
31 of the energy law, as added by chapter 433 of the laws of 2009, para-
32 graph (a) of subdivision 2 as amended by chapter 195 of the laws of
33 2011, are amended and two new subdivisions 2-a and 6 are added to read
34 as follows:
35 2. The state energy plan shall include: (a) forecasts for a minimum
36 period of ten years, and for such other periods as the board may deter-
37 mine, of: (i) demand for electricity[, natural gas, coal, petroleum
38 products, including heating and transportation fuels] and other fuel
39 sources for heating, transportation and industrial processes, and alter-
40 nate fuels, including ethanol and other biofuels, to the extent possi-
41 ble, taking into account energy conservation, load management and other
42 demand-reducing measures including, but not limited to, carbon pricing,
43 which can be achieved in a cost-effective manner, including the basis
44 for such projection, including an examination of possible alternate
45 levels of demand and discussion of the forecasting methodologies and
46 input variables used in making the forecasts;
47 (ii) energy supply requirements needed to satisfy demand for electric-
48 ity, [natural gas, coal, petroleum products, including heating and
49 transportation fuels] and other fuel sources for heating, transporta-
50 tion, industrial processes, and alternate energy sources and fuels, for
51 each region of the state, and for the state as a whole, including with
52 respect to electricity, the amount of capacity needed to provide
53 adequate reserve margins and capacity needed to ensure reliability and
54 competitive markets in the various regions of the state and to ensure
55 electric capacity for beneficial electrification of additional sectors
S. 4527 4
1 including, but not limited to heating, transportation and industrial
2 processes;
3 (iii) an assessment of the ability of the existing energy supply
4 sources and the existing transmission or fuel transportation systems, to
5 satisfy, together with those sources or systems reasonably certain to be
6 available, such energy supply requirements, indicating planned addi-
7 tions, retirements, deratings, substantial planned outages, and any
8 other expected changes in levels of generating and production capacity;
9 (iv) additional electric capacity and/or transmission or fuel trans-
10 portation systems needed to meet such energy supply requirements that
11 will not be met by existing sources of supply and those reasonably
12 certain to be available, where such analysis should identify system
13 constraints and possible alternatives available, both supply-side and
14 demand-side alternatives, including but not limited to distributed
15 generation, energy efficiency and conservation measures, to redress such
16 constraint; and
17 (v) projected greenhouse emissions assessed using a life-cycle method
18 of analysis for each fuel type.
19 (b) Identification and assessment of the costs, risks, benefits,
20 uncertainties and market potential of all energy supply source alterna-
21 tives[, including demand-reducing measures, renewable energy resources
22 of electric generation, distributed generation technologies, cogenera-
23 tion technologies, biofuels and other methods and technologies reason-
24 ably available for satisfying energy supply requirements which are not
25 reasonably certain to be met by the energy supply sources identified in
26 paragraph (a) of this subdivision, provided that such analysis shall
27 include the factors identified in paragraph (d) of this subdivision];
28 (c) Identification and analysis of emerging trends related to energy
29 supply, price and demand, including trends related to the transportation
30 sector;
31 (d) An assessment of current energy policies and programs, and their
32 contributions to achieving long-range energy planning objectives includ-
33 ing, but not limited to, the least cost integration of energy supply
34 sources, energy transportation and distribution system and demand-reduc-
35 ing measures for satisfying energy supply requirements, giving due
36 regard to such factors as required capital investments, cost, ratepayer
37 and climate impacts, security and diversity of fuel supplies and gener-
38 ating modes, protection of public health and safety, adverse and benefi-
39 cial environmental impacts, conservation of energy and energy resources,
40 the ability of the state to compete economically, and any other policy
41 objectives deemed appropriate;
42 (e) In order to assist the board in such evaluation, the power author-
43 ity of the state of New York and the Long Island power authority shall
44 individually submit to the planning board: (i) a strategic plan specify-
45 ing the mission and goals of the authority, the policies and programs
46 utilized to fulfill such mission and goals, and an explanation of how
47 such policies and programs relate to the state energy plan, (ii) an
48 annual five-year operating plan, and (iii) a ten-year projected capital
49 budget for their respective operations. Such plans shall include major
50 new capital and programmatic initiatives, as well as descriptions and
51 achievements of existing programs, including program objectives and the
52 numbers of clients and/or customers served for each service or program;
53 (f) An analysis of security issues, considering both natural and human
54 threats to the state's energy systems;
55 (g) An environmental justice analysis including an analysis of the
56 barriers to, and opportunities for, community ownership of renewable
S. 4527 5
1 generation and energy efficiency services in low-income and environ-
2 mental justice communities;
3 (h) An assessment of [the ability of urban planning alternative] land
4 use planning, including but not limited to smart growth [and], mass
5 transportation improvements to reduce energy and transportation fuel
6 demand, and building code changes which will reduce the use of energy,
7 carbon emissions, and other co-pollutants;
8 (i) An inventory of greenhouse gas emissions, and strategies for
9 facilitating and accelerating the use of zero or low carbon energy
10 sources and/or carbon mitigation measures;
11 (j) Recommendations, as appropriate and desirable, for administrative
12 and legislative actions to implement such policies, objectives and stra-
13 tegies;
14 (k) Assessment of the impacts of implementation of the plan upon
15 economic development, health, safety and welfare, environmental quality,
16 and energy costs for consumers, specifically low-income consumers; [and]
17 (l) A statewide plan for the conversion to zero-emission vehicles
18 including, but not limited to, the necessary infrastructure to reduce
19 range anxiety, the conversion of the state fleet to zero-emission vehi-
20 cles, and the overall electrification of the transportation sector;
21 (m) A statewide plan for development of non-fossil fuels for heating,
22 cooling and industrial processes; and
23 (n) Such additional information as the board deems appropriate, such
24 as but not limited to, information developed from consultation with the
25 BSO.
26 2-a. The state energy plan shall not include any provisions for new
27 construction or implementation of: (a) any infrastructure used to trans-
28 fer fossil fuels or fuel gasses; or
29 (b) electricity generation or storage electricity which utilize fossil
30 fuels gases.
31 (b) Any energy-related action or decision of a state agency, board,
32 commission or authority shall be [reasonably] consistent with the fore-
33 casts and the policies and long-range energy planning objectives and
34 strategies contained in the plan, including its most recent update[;
35 provided, however, that any such action or decision which is not reason-
36 ably consistent with the plan shall be deemed in compliance with this
37 section, provided that such action or decision includes a finding that
38 the relevant provisions of the plan are no longer reasonable or probable
39 based on a material and substantial change in fact or circumstance, and
40 a statement explaining the basis for this finding]. No state agency,
41 board, commission, or authority shall act inconsistently with the
42 provisions of this section.
43 6. Any person may bring an action in his or her own name to enforce
44 the provisions of this article through a private right of action.
45 § 6. Paragraph (c) of subdivision 2 and subdivision 3 of section 6-106
46 of the energy law, subdivision 3 as added by chapter 433 of the laws of
47 2009, paragraph (c) of subdivision 2, the opening paragraph, subpara-
48 graphs (i) and (ii) of paragraph (a), subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of
49 paragraph (b), and paragraphs (c) and (d) as amended and paragraph (e)
50 of subdivision 3 as added by chapter 195 of the laws of 2011, are
51 amended to read as follows:
52 (c) Public comment hearings, with at least [three] one in each region
53 described in subdivision two of section 6-102 of this article and
54 provide an opportunity to submit written comments, subsequent to the
55 issuance of a draft plan, to obtain views and comments of interested
56 persons on any aspect of, or issue addressed in, such draft plan;
S. 4527 6
1 3. As determined by the board in each instance to be appropriate with
2 respect to the particular entity or entities from which information, if
3 any, shall be required, the information to be provided to the board by
4 energy transmission [and], distribution and generation companies, elec-
5 tric, gas, or steam corporations, major energy suppliers including
6 owners or operators of electric generation facilities, commodity and/or
7 end-use energy service providers, state agencies or authorities, includ-
8 ing the power authority of the state of New York and the Long Island
9 power authority, and/or others, shall include the following:
10 (a) Comprehensive long-range plans for future operations:
11 (i) a forecast of electricity demands over a period as the board may
12 determine appropriate, including annual in-state electric energy sales
13 and summer and winter peak loads by utility service area where applica-
14 ble, and total any annual in-state electric energy sales and coincident
15 peak load, specifically identifying the extent to which energy conserva-
16 tion, load management and other demand-reducing measures, and electric
17 energy generated by cogeneration, small hydro and [alternate energy
18 production facilities] distributed generation, energy generated by
19 fossil fuels and fuel gases, including renewable energy technologies and
20 fuel cells, consumed on site, have been incorporated within such fore-
21 cast;
22 (ii) a forecast of electricity supply requirements over a period as
23 the board may determine appropriate, by utility service area where
24 applicable, specifically identifying the reserve margins required for
25 reliable electric service, the transmission and distribution losses
26 assumed, and the amount of out-of-state sales commitments;
27 (iii) an assessment of the ability of existing electricity supply
28 sources, and those reasonably certain to be available, to satisfy elec-
29 tricity supply requirements, including electric generating facilities
30 which can be retained in service beyond their original design life
31 through routine maintenance and repairs and anticipatory estimates of
32 beneficial electrification for new sectors including, but not limited
33 to, heating, cooling, cooking, transportation, and industrial processes;
34 (iv) an inventory of: (A) all existing electric generating and trans-
35 mission facilities including those owned or operated by the power
36 authority of the state of New York and the Long Island power authority;
37 (B) electric generating and transmission facilities planned or under
38 construction including the power authority of the state of New York and
39 the Long Island power authority, including the dates for completion and
40 operation; (C) the anticipated retirement dates for any electric gener-
41 ating facilities currently operated including those owned or operated by
42 the power authority of the state of New York and the Long Island power
43 authority; (D) land owned or leased including that owned or leased by
44 the power authority of the state of New York and the Long Island power
45 authority and held for future use as sites for major electric generating
46 facilities; and (E) electric generating, transmission, and related
47 facilities operated, or planned to be operated, by others, to the extent
48 information concerning the same is known;
49 (v) recommended supply additions and demand reducing measures for
50 satisfying the electricity supply requirements, not reasonably certain
51 to be met by electricity supply sources identified in subparagraph (iii)
52 of this paragraph, including the life extension of existing electric
53 generating facilities, and reasons therefor;
54 (vi) a statement of research and development plans, including objec-
55 tives and programs in the areas of energy conservation, climate change
56 mitigation, beneficial electrification, load management, electric gener-
S. 4527 7
1 ation and transmission, new energy technologies and pollution abatement
2 and control, which are not funded through regulatory required programs,
3 recent results of such programs undertaken or funded to date, and an
4 assessment of the potential impacts of such results;
5 (vii) a projection of estimated electricity prices to consumers over
6 the forecast period, and a sensitivity analysis of that forecast relat-
7 ing to a number of factors including fuel prices and the levels of
8 available capacity and demand in the regions of the state;
9 (viii) a description of the load forecasting methodology and the
10 assumptions and data used in the preparation of the forecasts, specif-
11 ically including projections of demographic and economic activity and
12 such other factors, statewide and by service area, which may influence
13 electricity demand, and the bases for such projections;
14 (ix) proposed policies, objectives and strategies for meeting the
15 state's future electricity needs; and
16 (x) such additional information as the board may, by regulation,
17 require to carry out the purposes of this article.
18 (b) All providers of natural gas transmission, distribution and/or
19 marketing services to customers shall individually prepare and submit a
20 comprehensive long-range plan for future operations, which shall
21 include, as appropriate:
22 (i) a forecast over a period as the board may determine appropriate,
23 by utility service area, of estimated annual in-state gas sales, winter
24 season sales and peak day sales by appropriate end-use classifications,
25 specifically identifying the extent to which energy conservation meas-
26 ures and the sale of gas owned by persons other than natural gas trans-
27 mission and distribution utilities have been incorporated within such
28 forecast;
29 (ii) a forecast of gas supply requirements over a period as the board
30 may determine appropriate, by utility service area, specifically identi-
31 fying the amounts of gas needed to meet severe weather conditions, lost
32 and unaccounted for gas, out-of-state sales commitments and internal
33 use;
34 (iii) an assessment of the ability of existing gas supply sources, and
35 those reasonably certain to be available, to satisfy gas supply require-
36 ments;
37 (iv) an inventory of: (A) all existing supply sources, storage facili-
38 ties, and transmission facilities which are used in providing service
39 within the state, (B) the transmission and storage facilities under
40 construction which would be used in providing service within the state,
41 their projected costs and capacities, including peaking capacity, (C)
42 transmission facility additions proposed to be constructed by natural
43 gas transmission and distribution utilities, (D) transmission facilities
44 operated, or planned to be operated, by others, to the extent informa-
45 tion concerning the same is known;
46 (v) [recommended supply additions and demand-reducing measures for
47 satisfying the gas supply requirements, not reasonably certain to be met
48 by gas supply sources identified in subparagraph (iii) of this paragraph
49 and the reasons therefor;
50 (vi)] a projection of estimated gas prices to consumers over the fore-
51 cast period, and a sensitivity analysis of that forecast relating to a
52 number of factors including the levels of commodity supply availability,
53 of available pipeline and storage capacity, and of demand in the regions
54 of the state;
55 [(vii)] (vi) a description of the load forecasting methodology and the
56 assumptions and data used in the preparation of the forecasts, specif-
S. 4527 8
1 ically including projections of demographic and economic activity and
2 such other factors, statewide and by service area where applicable,
3 which may influence demand for natural gas, and the bases for such
4 projections;
5 [(viii)] (vii) a statement of research and development plans, includ-
6 ing objectives and programs in the areas of energy conservation and new
7 energy technologies, recent results of such programs undertaken or fund-
8 ed to date, and an assessment of the potential impacts of such results;
9 [(ix)] (viii) proposed policies, objectives and strategies for meeting
10 the state's future gas needs; and
11 [(x)] (ix) such additional information as the board may, by regu-
12 lation, require to carry out the purposes of this article.
13 (c) Such information from major petroleum suppliers and major coal
14 suppliers as the board may require to carry out the purposes of this
15 article.
16 (d) Such other information from owners and operators of electric
17 generating power plants as the board may require to carry out the
18 purposes of this article.
19 [(e) A single comprehensive submission from industry groups, trade
20 associations, or combinations of such groups and associations in place
21 of submissions by individual member companies.]
22 § 7. No agency, commission, or authority shall approve or permit the
23 construction of any fossil fuel or fuel gas generation facility or
24 infrastructure until the completion of an energy plan developed in
25 accordance with the provisions of this act.
26 § 8. This act shall take effect immediately.