New York Assembly Bill A07539

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 4/1/25
• Refer: 4/1/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Establishes a climate action cost council; limits the number of rules and regulations that may be promulgated annually to meet CLCPA goals.

Summary

This bill would create a new nine-member “climate action cost council” within the Environmental Conservation Law to review and approve certain regulations intended to achieve New York’s statewide greenhouse gas emissions limits. The council would be appointed by the Governor and legislative leaders, include members with expertise in energy, labor, public health, and regulated industries, and operate with open meetings, public comment, quarterly meetings, and annual reporting requirements. A two-thirds council vote would be required to approve regulatory action, and the Legislature could override council decisions by a two-thirds roll call vote in each chamber. The bill also changes how climate-related rules are adopted by state agencies. It would require agencies to notify the council at least 60 days before final adoption of rules, regulations, or codes related to emissions limits, and would bar those measures from taking effect without council approval except in exigent circumstances involving immediate threats to public safety or grid reliability. In addition, the bill would limit the Department of Environmental Conservation to no more than five rules and regulations annually to ensure compliance with statewide emissions limits, and would require annual updates to the state climate plan rather than updates every five years. It also requires annual public meetings in several regions of the state to discuss emissions progress and the costs of approved regulatory measures.

Impact

The bill would substantially alter the regulatory framework for implementing the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) by adding a new approval layer for climate-related regulations and by capping the number of annual rules and regulations tied to emissions compliance. It would amend the Environmental Conservation Law, Public Service Law, and Public Authorities Law to give the proposed climate action cost council veto-like authority over certain agency actions, including actions by the Public Service Commission and public authorities when those actions relate to CLCPA compliance. The bill would also modify existing references to the state Climate Action Council and require more frequent plan updates and public meetings, increasing procedural oversight and transparency while potentially slowing or constraining rulemaking.

Sentiment

The bill appears to reflect a generally skeptical or cautionary posture toward climate regulation, emphasizing costs to ratepayers and businesses, grid reliability, and the pace of rulemaking. Its structure suggests support from lawmakers concerned about the economic and operational impacts of climate mandates, while still preserving the state’s emissions-reduction goals. Because there are no recorded committee transcripts or votes provided, the available context does not show formal support or opposition beyond the bill’s text and caption.

Contention

The main points of contention are likely to be the added approval authority of the climate action cost council, the limit of no more than five annual climate-related rules, and the requirement that agencies obtain council approval before regulations take effect. Supporters would likely argue these provisions create accountability, reduce compliance costs, and protect grid reliability and consumers. Opponents would likely argue the bill would delay or weaken implementation of the CLCPA, create another political bottleneck for agency rulemaking, and undermine the authority of environmental regulators and existing climate governance structures.