BILL NUMBER: S8669
SPONSOR: ASHBY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to the
thriving reliable inexpensive versatile energy council which will
prepare and approve recommendations for achieving affordable and attain-
able statewide greenhouse gas reductions; to amend the environmental
conservation law, the administrative code of the city of New York, the
energy law, the public authorities law, the public service law, the
public health law, the town law, the general municipal law, and the
labor law, in relation to making technical corrections thereto; to
repeal article 75 of the environmental conservation law relating to
climate change; to repeal section 66-p of the public service law relat-
ing to the establishment of a renewable energy program; to repeal
section 99-qq of the state finance law, relating to the New York climate
action fund; and to repeal certain provisions of the public authorities
law, relating to the New York state energy research and development
authority
 
PURPOSE:
To replace the climate leadership and community protection act, CLCPA,
with a more measured and workable council of industry experts.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends the environmental conservation law by repealing the
CLCPA and replacing it with a new council known as THRIVE, an acronym
which stands for Thriving Reliable Inexpensive Versatile Energy.
THRIVE shall consist of 19 members, appointed as followed: 7 members
shall be the commissioners of Economic Development; Environmental
Conservation; chair of Public Service Commission; presidents of NYSERDA;
New York Power Authority; Long Island Power authority and the New York
Independent System Operator, or their designated substitute. 3 shall be
appointed by the temporary president of Senate. 3 shall be appointed by
speaker of Assembly. 3 shall be appointed by minority leader of Senate.
3 shall be appointed by minority leader of Assembly.
The council shall convene advisory panels requiring special expertise
and, at a minimum, shall establish advisory panels on energy affordabil-
ity, transportation, energy intensive and trade- exposed industries,
land-use and local government, energy efficiency and construction costs,
power generation, energy grid reliability and agriculture. Where appli-
cable, advisory panels may provide recommendations for upstate versus
downstate and provide cost-benefit analysis to support each regional
policy distinction. The purpose of the advisory panels shall be to
provide recommendations to the council on specific topics, in the prepa-
ration of the scoping plan, and interim updates to the scoping plan, and
in fulfilling the council's ongoing duties.
The council shall, within two years of the effective date of this arti-
cle, prepare and approve a scoping plan that outlines recommendations
for achieving affordable and attainable statewide greenhouse gas
reductions. The plan shall include proposed legislative and regulatory
actions and must incorporate a detailed cost-benefit analysis that
includes a breakout of state, utility and consumer projected costs.
The scoping plan shall include recommendations extending through at
least the year 2040. The council shall hold at least 1 public comment
hearing on the draft scoping plan in each of the 10 empire state devel-
opment regions, and shall allow at least 120 days for the submission of
public comment.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
The recently-adopted 2025 New York State Energy Plan contrasts with the
state's comprehensive 2019 climate and energy law, the CLCPA, in funda-
mental and intractable ways. It would be wise for the state to codify a
more measured and workable approach like the one detailed in the energy
plan. By allowing a bipartisan group of legislative leaders and the
administration to make expert appointments to join the leaders of the
New York Independent System Operator, NYSERDA, DEC, NYPA, LIPA, PSC and
the regional economic development zones on a truly balanced council, New
York State can become affordable and economically competitive while we
continue the important work of reducing emissions.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.

Statutes affected:
S8669: 66-p public service law, 4-207.1 administrative code of the city of New York as added by local law, 4-207.1(c) administrative code of the city of New York as added by local law, 16-102 energy law, 16-102(18-a) energy law, 8-0105 environmental conservation law, 8-0105(9) environmental conservation law, 1005 public authorities law, 1005(27-a) public authorities law, 1005(27-b) public authorities law, seventy-four public service law, seventy-four(one) public service law, 99-qq state finance law, 25-120 administrative code of the city of New York as added by local law, 25-120(a) administrative code of the city of New York as added by local law, 16-106 energy law, 16-106(1) energy law, 207 public health law, 207(1) public health law, 64-e town law, 64-e(1) town law, 854 general municipal law, 854(21) general municipal law, 66-r public service law, 66-r(1) public service law, 137 public service law, 137(4) public service law