By Anna Buell
With New York State having passed its FY26 budget, NYLCV turns its attention to key legislation to help ensure the continued reduction of greenhouse gas emissions across the state.
“The state needs to push forward on a full complement of projects if we are going to meet our climate goals,” said NYLCV Policy Director Pat McClellan. “During the remainder of the legislative session we will continue to work with the governor and state legislature to address critical measures that were left on the table during budget negotiations, including the NY HEAT Act, a Clean Fuel Standard for transportation, and Advanced Automatic Voter Registration, to name just a few.”
Here’s more about our top priorities:
A Clean Fuel Standard: A Clean Fuel Standard legislation (S.B. 1292), would be a significant step towards cutting carbon pollution in New York by requiring the deployment of low-carbon fuels for vehicles currently on our roads. The State Senate passed this climate-friendly measure in each of the past two years but the Assembly failed to bring it to a vote. We need the full legislature to pass, and for the governor to sign, Clean Fuel Standard legislation in 2024. Once signed into law, we urge the state to immediately fund its implementation.
The NY HEAT Act: The NY HEAT Act is necessary in order to enable gas utilities to comply with New York’s Climate Act and it will help customers switch to affordable and reliable zero-emissions heating and cooling. The bill will ensure energy affordability by capping costs for low-income customers, and by avoiding billions of dollars in costly and unnecessary new investments in fossil fuel infrastructure.
Our clean energy goals are not arbitrary. We need to hit those targets in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, but in order to do that we need the framework for gas utilities to transition to this new reality while saving ratepayers money in the process.
Passing Waste Reduction Bill: The average New Yorker produces an astonishing five pounds of trash per day, accumulating to a total of 15 million tons of waste statewide per year. Too much of that is from unnecessary packaging, a problem that will only get worse as the delivery economy continues to grow. While New York has made progress in waste reduction in recent years, much more needs to be done, which is where the Waste Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (SB 4246) comes in. The measure, which is meant to shift the responsibility for reducing packaging waste from the consumer to the producer, would place the onus on manufacturers of paper and packaging, requiring them to fund existing municipal recycling or create and fund new recycling programs. We urge the State Legislature to pass this bill, for the Governor to sign it, and for the state to then fund its implementation.
Rechargeable Battery Recycling Law: Another top NYLCV priority is the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Law (S. 643-D/A and. 7339-B), which would maximize the removal of unwanted rechargeable batteries from the solid waste stream. The proposed law would amend the current battery recycling law to include the specific types of lithium-ion rechargeable batteries used in e-bikes and e-scooters. The bill will also amend New York State’s Environmental Conservation Law to allow the City of New York to enforce provisions of the rechargeable battery law. This is particularly important due to the proliferation of e-bike and e-scooter use throughout New York City, where many substandard or improperly refurbished batteries that are prone to fires are sold to delivery workers who rely on e-bikes to make a living.
Just Energy Transition Act: The Just Energy Transition Act is an essential opportunity to simultaneously address environmental concerns and environmental justice. This comprehensive plan for replacing and redeveloping New York State’s fossil fuel facilities and their sites by 2030 places a strong emphasis on equity and fairness. By placing a focus on historically disadvantaged communities, the bill will maximize health benefits and ensure those who have been disproportionately impacted by fossil fuel power plants are prioritized. Moreover, this measure would achieve a cost-effective phasing-out of such facilities while providing a just transition for the existing workforce.
PFAS in Menstrual Care Products: A study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology concluded that chemicals known to cause a wide range of health problems, from asthma, endocrine disruption, reproductive and child development harm to cancer, were found in menstrual care products (in addition to a host of other consumer items). NYLCV urges state leaders to take this public health threat seriously and ban toxic chemicals, including all PFAS substances, in menstrual care products.
Enhanced Automatic Voter Registration: “Our democracy is stronger when access to voting is more accessible, and our elections are free from undue interference,” said Deputy Senate Leader Mike Gianaris, sponsor of the Enhanced Automatic Voter Registration bill. “There should not be roadblocks to the ballot box, whether from obstacles to registration or the inappropriate influence of big money.”NYLCV couldn’t agree more. After all, the health of our environment and our democracy are inextricably linked, which is why NYLCV is calling on the Assembly to pass the Enhanced Automatic Voter Registration Act and send it on to the governor for her signature.
[At the national level, NYLCV has joined with the national arm of the League of Conservation Voters, in Washington, in support of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.]
Increased Solar Goals: The state reached its initial CLCPA goal of 6 gigawatts (GW) of distributed solar ahead of schedule and raised the target to 10 GW by 2030 – that’s enough to power 1.5 million homes. Now it’s time to build on that momentum, which is why NYLCV is advocating for the passage of the Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power (“ASAP”) Act; legislation that will raise the state’s rooftop and community solar goal to 20 GW by 2035 and drive down costs through interconnection reforms.
Automatic Online Solar Permitting: NYLCV strongly supports the Automatic Online Solar Permitting bill (A. 6270-A/S. 5781), which would require municipalities with a population of 5,000 or more to implement automatic online permitting for code-compliant permits for residential solar systems and residential energy storage systems paired with solar systems by January 1, 2026.
Currently, permits for residential solar and energy storage systems can be subject to long timelines and byzantine permitting procedures, which present a significant barrier to more widespread solar adoption. To meet our renewable energy goals and realize their benefits in the form of cleaner air and lower power bills, the State must make it easier for New Yorkers to install solar systems on their residential properties.
Increased Offshore Wind Goals: Our ability to mitigate climate change is largely dependent on ambitious action to decarbonize New York’s energy grid within the next decade. New York’s ability to achieve 70% renewable electricity by 2030 and 100% clean energy by 2040 will require the timely procurement, responsible siting, permitting, and transmission of 9 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035 – and we urge the state to increase our 2050 offshore wind goal to 20 gigawatts.
[For our comprehensive list of our priorities, see our 2025 State Policy Agenda here.]
Climate change is getting worse and will undoubtedly have a more dangerous and destructive impact in years to come. To lessen the impact and hopefully reverse this trend, collective action must be taken. We encourage New Yorkers to reach out to their state legislators in support of the above legislation.
Anna Buell, an undergraduate intern at the New York League of Conservation Voters since January 2025, is a third-year student at New York University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies.