Kingston, NY – The Assembly unanimously passed AM Shrestha’s Public Renewables Transparency Act (S2462A/A7686) on Friday, which passed the Senate earlier in the week. The bill adds transparency and accountability measures to the New York Power Authority’s implementation of 2023’s Build Public Renewables Act, which authorized NYPA to build publicly-owned renewable energy and infuse the state’s wholesale energy market with clean, affordable, and local energy, the sale of which helps to lower supply costs and funds automatic bill discounts for low-income households in disadvantaged communities.

Specifically, the Public Renewables Transparency Act requires NYPA to:

• Create a public online dashboard tracking the progress of public renewables projects
• Hold hearings in locations accessible by public transit
• Join the state’s energy planning board to coordinate with other agencies

“Public authorities are powerful vehicles through which the government can deliver transformative results for its people,” said Shrestha, “It’s what the New York Power Authority did when Franklin D. Roosevelt created it in 1931 to act as a counterweight to the power of private utilities like ConEd, and it’s what the Build Public Renewables Act sought to do in 2023 when it authorized NYPA to lead the state’s renewable buildout. However, we have seen since the enactment of this law that what’s often missing are the transparency and accountability measures the public deserves in return for the unique power such authorities are granted. If authorities like NYPA are to be the people’s corporations, public participation needs to be a serious priority, and this bill takes some immediate steps in that direction.

This is why we’ve also included strong good governance requirements in our bill to replace Central Hudson with a publicly-owned utility, the Hudson Valley Power Authority Act. The Hudson Valley Power Authority, like NYPA, would be a state public benefit corporation, but it’s not enough for it to be publicly-owned, it also needs to be transparent and accountable to the public it serves. For example, our HVPA bill requires its board to hold monthly public meetings to discuss the authority's business, such as proposed rates and resource plans. Right now, the only time the public can gain this insight and provide input is when Central Hudson requests rate increases. We also require HVPA’s accounts to be subject to the supervision of the comptroller and for an annual audit to be performed by an independent certified public accountant and shared with the public. As we know, this is currently not the case with Central Hudson. Likewise, HVPA would also be required to submit a detailed annual report and file it with county executives, mayors, and town supervisors in the service area – local stakeholders who are entirely left out of how Central Hudson does its business, because as an investor-owned utility, it is accountable to its shareholders.

I thank the support of my colleagues in passing the Public Renewables Transparency Act and look forward to working on further legislation to unleash the power of public corporations and make them transparent and accountable to the public.”

“The State Senate led the way by passing critical legislation like the Build Public Renewables Act (BPRA) that benefits the environment, as well as workers and utility customers,” said Senator sponsor and Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, “To ensure the success of BPRA, the Public Renewables Transparency Act will allow the public into NYPA’s decision-making process to guarantee the buildout of publicly-owned renewable energy is occurring in a responsible and timely manner.”