This 2022 bill would ensure that state regulation and oversight of gas utilities provides for the equitable achievement of the climate justice and emission reduction mandates set forth in New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (the “CLCPA”), the landmark climate action legislation setting emissions reductions targets at the statewide level.
This bill provides the Public Service Commission with the authority and direction to align gas utility regulation and gas system planning with the CLCPA’s mandates. Specifically, the bill removes the legal basis and subsidies driving the expansion of gas systems and requires the commission to adopt rules and develop a statewide gas service transition plan that is consonant with decreasing gas sales and, where appropriate, the decommissioning of the gas system.