By Anna Buell
The Senate wrapped up its 2025 legislative session by passing several NYLCV’s priorities, including The Customer Savings and Reliability Act, a Clean Fuel Standard, and the Waste Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act, among others. The Assembly is back this week to finish their session and we strongly urge them to pass the following legislation. For a full listing of our priority bills and where they stand, please visit our 2025 Bill Tracker here.
The Customer Savings and Reliability Act: Passed the Senate; in the Assembly Corporations Committee
The New York League of Conservation Voters, the Building Decarbonization Coalition, the Alliance for a Green Economy, New Yorkers for Clean Power, WE ACT for Environmental Justice Rewiring America and Earthjustice support S.8421 (Krueger)/A.8889 (Simon), which would reduce costs for ratepayers, advance region-specific utility planning to decarbonize buildings at a neighborhood-scale, and provide responsible, cost-effective alternatives for heating, cooling and hot water. The bill would also mandate extensive consumer outreach, education, and engagement as part of the transition.
Passage of the Customer Savings and Reliability Act would: 1) eliminate the 100 foot rule requiring the costs of connecting new gas users to be borne across all ratepayers; and, 2) require utilities to develop “Regional Savings and Reliability Programs:”
Tell the Assembly to pass the Customer Savings and Reliability Act!
A Clean Fuel Standard: Passed the Senate; with the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee.
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.
Tell your state representatives to pass a Clean Fuel Standard.
Packaging Waste Reduction Bill: Passed the Senate and is with the Assembly Ways and Means Committee.
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.
Urge your Assemblymember to pass the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act.
Appraisal of Renewables: Passed the Senate; on the Assembly floor calendar
The New York League of Conservation Voters supports A. 8332/S. 8012 (Lasher/Harckham), which would clarify in law how solar and wind energy systems should be valued and appraised for taxation purposes. Renewable energy developers need clarity and predictability in how their systems will be taxed by local governments in order to make investments in New York State that will advance our climate goals, improve public health, and bring down electricity costs.
Unfortunately, a recent case in the Albany County Supreme Court (Airey, et. al. v. State of New York) threw out existing rules on how solar and wind projects should be appraised for purposes of local property taxes and has created chaos in the renewable energy industry, putting new clean energy investment in New York at risk. A. 8332/S. 8012 would resolve this chaotic situation by creating a consistent appraisal method for solar and wind energy projects in Section 575-B of the Real Property Tax Law, creating regulatory certainty for both renewable energy developers and municipal officials across the state.
This is a necessary and urgent action to ensure that New York is well-positioned to grow our renewable energy industry and get back on track to achieve the goals of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.
The Beauty and Justice Act: Passed the Senate; with the Assembly Ways and Means Committee.
Thousands of chemical ingredients are used in personal care products and cosmetics that have been shown to have a negative impact on human health and the environment. This proves a danger to public health as the constant exposure to harmful chemicals starts early in infancy with personal care products such as baby powder and continues through the use of other personal care and beauty products.
The Beauty Justice Act would not only ensure the safety of New Yorkers but would also encourage the production of safer alternatives. Additionally, New York is not the only state to seek greater transparency and stricter regulations on personal care products and cosmetics; California was the first state to ban 24 toxic ingredients with the Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act, and Maryland restricted the use of certain ingredients in personal care and cosmetic products with the passage of the Maryland House Bill 643 (HB 643).
Multi-sector PFAS Ban: Passed the Senate; with the Assembly Rules Committee
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are long-standing chemicals that are associated with chronic and lifelong health risks, including cancers, birth defects, hormone deficiencies, and fertility challenges. PFAS are also associated with detrimental environmental impacts because of their longevity, including water and soil contamination and bioaccumulation in the environment. Despite these negative impacts, PFAS are found in items and products New Yorkers use daily.
This bill would not only ensure the safety of New Yorkers by curbing exposure to PFAS, but also strengthen the market for safer alternatives and encourage economic change. Additionally, by prohibiting the sale of products that contain PFAS, the amount of PFAS that enters the environment would be significantly diminished. S. 187-A/A. 7738 requires manufacturers of products containing PFAS to provide notice of such fact to persons that offer the products for sale or distribution and provides penalties for violations. F
Rechargeable Battery Recycling Law: Passed the Senate; on the Assembly Floor Calendar.
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.
Enhanced Automatic Voter Registration: Passed the Senate and is with the Assembly Election Law Committee.
“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.
Stand up for Automatic Voter Registration.
[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.]
[For our comprehensive list of our priorities, see our 2025 State Policy Agenda here.]
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.