New York State Assembly

 
•  Summary 
 
•  Actions 
 
•  Committee Votes 
 
•  Floor Votes 
 
•  Memo 
 
•  Text 
 
•  LFIN 
 
•  Chamber Video/Transcript 

A06890 Summary:

A06890 Actions:

A06890 Committee Votes:

Committee:ENERGY   Chair:Cusick      
DATE:05/25/2021AYE/NAY:16/0  Action: Favorable refer to committee Rules        
Cusick
Aye
Palmesano
Aye
Englebright
Aye
Blankenbush
Aye
Santabarbara
Aye
Smith
Aye
Barron
Aye
Walczyk
Aye
Dilan
Aye
Hunter
Aye
Stern
Aye
Carroll
Aye
Anderson
Aye
Rivera
Aye
Mamdani
Aye
Conrad
Aye

Committee:RULES   Chair:Heastie      
DATE:06/02/2021AYE/NAY:30/0  Action: Favorable         
Heastie
Aye
Barclay
Aye
Gottfried
Aye
Hawley
Aye
Nolan
Excused
Giglio
Aye
Weinstein
Aye
Blankenbush
Aye
Pretlow
Aye
Norris
Aye
Cook
Aye
Montesano
Aye
Glick
Aye
Ra
Aye
Aubry
Aye
Brabenec
Aye
Englebright
Aye
Dinowitz
Aye
Colton
Aye
Magnarelli
Aye
Perry
Aye
Paulin
Aye
Peoples-Stokes
Aye
Benedetto
Aye
Lavine
Aye
Lupardo
Aye
Zebrowski
Aye
Thiele
Aye
Braunstein
Aye
Dickens
Aye
Davila
Aye

A06890 Floor Votes:

A06890 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
 submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)



 
BILL NUMBER: A6890      REVISED 04/14/2021
 
SPONSOR: Thiele

 
TITLE OF BILL:
 
An act to amend the public service law and the public authorities law,
in relation to authorizing the formation of Community Choice Aggregation
programs in the Long Island Power Authority service territory
 
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
 
The goal of this legislation is to facilitate the development of Commu-
nity Choice Aggregation programs on Long Island.
 
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
 
Section one of the bill outlines legislative findings and intent.

Section two of the bill amends the Public Service Law by adding a new §
74-b to authorize the formation of Community Choice Aggregation programs
on Long Island. The bill establishes definitions and reporting require-
ments for such programs, sets a date by which these programs must be
established by the Public Service Commission, and specifies components
to be included by the Public Service Commission in the formation of such
programs.
 
Section three of the bill amends § 1020-s of the Public Authorities Law
to clarify that the new Community Choice Aggregation program authori-
zation applies to the Long Island Power Authority.
 
Section four of the bill sets the effective date.
 
 
JUSTIFICATION:
 
Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) programs are important to our energy
sector since they empower local communities to have a say in their
source of energy and their energy mix. CCA's do this by allowing local
municipalities and their residents to pool their resources together to
purchase electricity from an alternative provider, allowing for easier
access to green - and often cheaper - energy options. As of March 1,
2020, more than 60 New York State municipalities and more than 200,000
customers are actively participating in a CCA program, of which more
than half are powered by 100% New York State renewable electricity
supply.
 
However, the initial order by the Public Service Commission authorizing
the CCA program did not fully take into account the complexities of
LIPA's service territory and rate structure. While the Commission is now
in the process of exploring how this program could actually work for
Long Islanders, there are still concerns around the current proposal -
specifically LIPA's rule changes - which are causing delay and wariness
around the process. It is also significant to, note that on Long Island,
the Towns of Southampton, Brookhaven, and Hempstead have led the way by
passing the local law necessary to authorize a CCA program within their
municipalities. These municipalities should be allowed to proceed.
 
Achievement of the State's emissions reduction targets and climate goals
plays a key role in the continuing vitality and well-being of all New
Yorkers, and decisions made by Long Islanders regarding their energy
usage have the potential to significantly impact the ability of the
State to achieve its climate goals.
 
Authorizing Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) programs in the Long
Island Power Authority service territory can educate, encourage, and
empower Long Islanders to take control of their energy future. This is
why it is important for Long Island CCA. programs for electricity to be
finally created, approved, and made available to Long Islanders through-
out the service territory of LIPA.
 
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
 
None.
 
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
 
None.
 
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
90 days after enactment.

A06890 Text:

 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          6890
 
                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                     April 13, 2021
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced by M. of A. THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Energy
 
        AN  ACT  to amend the public service law and the public authorities law,
          in relation to authorizing the formation of  Community  Choice  Aggre-
          gation programs in the Long Island Power Authority service territory

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. Legislative findings and  intent.  The  legislature  hereby
     2  finds and determines that achievement of the State's emissions reduction
     3  targets  and  climate  goals plays a key role in the continuing vitality
     4  and well-being of all New Yorkers,  and  that  decisions  made  by  Long
     5  Islanders  regarding  their  energy  usage have the potential to signif-
     6  icantly impact the ability of the State to achieve  its  climate  goals.
     7  The legislature further finds and determines that well-designed Communi-
     8  ty  Choice Aggregation (CCA) programs in the Long Island Power Authority
     9  service territory can educate, encourage, and empower Long Islanders  to
    10  take  control  of  their  energy future through engagement with opportu-
    11  nities presented by Reforming the Energy Vision  and  the  Clean  Energy
    12  Fund,  as  well  as  new  Distributed  Energy  Resource and clean energy
    13  programs. As such, Long Island CCA programs should be developed and made
    14  available to Long Islanders throughout the service territory of the Long
    15  Island Power Authority.
    16    § 2. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 74-b to
    17  read as follows:
    18    § 74-b. Long Island community choice aggregation programs. 1. For  the
    19  purposes of this section:
    20    (a)  a  "Long  Island  community  choice aggregation program" or "CCA"
    21  means a program serving the interests of its residents and appropriately
    22  protecting consumer data, in which an eligible municipality either alone
    23  or jointly, after a public hearing held following public  notice,  exer-
    24  cises  its  municipal  home  rule  law authority by enacting a local law
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09471-04-1
        A. 6890                             2
 
     1  giving itself the requisite legal authority to enter  into  competitive-
     2  ly-procured contracts with one or more energy service companies in order
     3  to  act as an aggregator and broker for the sale of electric supply, gas
     4  supply,  or  both, to residents of that municipality wherein all custom-
     5  ers, including residential and non-residential, are eligible to  partic-
     6  ipate  in  the  program  and shall have the option to opt-out of either,
     7  individually. CCA programs may aggregate or otherwise  integrate  energy
     8  efficiency and distributed energy resources into their programs.
     9    (b)  "Eligible municipality" means a city, town, or village within the
    10  service territory of the Long Island power authority.
    11    (c) "Service provider" means the entity under contract with  the  Long
    12  Island  power  authority  to  provide  management and operation services
    13  associated with the authority's electric transmission  and  distribution
    14  system  and  any  subsidiary  of such entity that provides such services
    15  under contract.
    16    2. No later than January first two thousand twenty-two, the commission
    17  shall, in consultation with the  New  York  State  energy  research  and
    18  development  authority and the Long Island power authority, establish by
    19  order, rules, and regulations a Long Island community choice aggregation
    20  program that includes the following:
    21    (a) the extent to which eligible municipalities may collaborate in the
    22  operation of joint CCA programs and any geographic or service area limi-
    23  tations that may exist;
    24    (b) the ability of eligible municipalities to seek the assistance of a
    25  non-profit, to work with a  consultant,  or  to  otherwise  designate  a
    26  third-party as an administrator of a CCA program;
    27    (c)  the  development  of  a  data security agreement to be adopted by
    28  participating eligible municipalities,  energy  service  companies,  the
    29  Long  Island  power  authority,  and Long Island power authority service
    30  providers;
    31    (d)  an  enrollment  process  for  eligible  customers  with   opt-out
    32  provisions for those customers who do not wish to participate;
    33    (e)  requirements  by which participating eligible municipalities will
    34  report on the status of their CCA  program  to  the  Long  Island  power
    35  authority; and
    36    (f) such other issues deemed appropriate by the commission.
    37    3.  Annual  reports  on the status of the Long Island community choice
    38  aggregation program shall be prepared by the Long Island power authority
    39  and shall be submitted to the governor, the temporary president  of  the
    40  senate, and the speaker of the assembly by March thirty-one of each year
    41  and  must cover the previous calendar year. Annual reports will include,
    42  at a minimum: number of customers served; number of customers cancelling
    43  during the year; number of complaints received  by  CCA  administrators;
    44  commodity  prices  paid;  value-added services provided during the year;
    45  and administrative costs collected, if any.
    46    § 3. Subdivision 1 of section 1020-s of the public authorities law, as
    47  amended by chapter 415 of the laws  of  2017,  is  amended  to  read  as
    48  follows:
    49    1.  The  rates,  services  and  practices  relating to the electricity
    50  generated by facilities owned or operated by the authority shall not  be
    51  subject to the provisions of the public service law or to regulation by,
    52  or  the  jurisdiction  of,  the public service commission, except to the
    53  extent (a) article seven of the public service law applies to the siting
    54  and operation of a major utility transmission facility as defined there-
    55  in, (b) article ten of such law applies to the siting  of  a  generating
    56  facility as defined therein, (c) section eighteen-a of such law provides
        A. 6890                             3
 
     1  for  assessment  for  certain  costs, property or operations, (d) to the
     2  extent that the department of public service reviews and makes recommen-
     3  dations with respect to the operations and provision of services of, and
     4  rates  and  budgets  established  by,  the authority pursuant to section
     5  three-b of such law, [and] (e) that section seventy-four of  the  public
     6  service  law  applies  to  qualified  energy  storage systems within the
     7  authority's jurisdiction, and (f) that  section  seventy-four-b  of  the
     8  public  service  law applies to Long Island community choice aggregation
     9  programs.
    10    § 4. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
    11  have become a law.

A06890 LFIN:

 
NO LFIN

A06890 Chamber Video/Transcript: